Gungans

The Gungans were sentient amphibious humanoids native to the planet of Naboo. Prior to the Invasion of Naboo, the Gungans were a largely isolationist society. They were able to combine machinery with biology. They lived in large bubble-like domes under water. Gungans had strong leg muscles for swimming, and were aided by their long fin-like ears. Their arms ended in four-fingered hands, and their feet had three stubby toes each. Females tended to be slightly smaller, with sleeker faces. They often tied their long ears back.

The long Gungan face had a tough yet flexible bill for burrowing and rooting out food. They also had long muscular tongues with which they scooped mollusks and lesser amphibians from the Naboo swamps. Their teeth were large and blunt, capable of cracking through shellfish. Their large nostrils completely sealed for underwater travel.

While most spacefarers would dismiss Gungans as primitives, they developed an advanced, albeit unique, technology. They grew the basic structures of buildings, vehicles and technology and adorned them with artistic flourishes and organic lines. This gave Gungan technology a very fluid, non-rectilinear look.

The power source for Gungan technology was a mysterious blue-white energy "goo" that was mined in the depths of Naboo's oceans. The viscous plasmic material formed the basis of Gungan weaponry as well.

The Gungans had mastered energy field technology for a number of uses. Their underwater cities employed hydrostatic fields to create large bubbles of atmosphere within which they dwell. Similarly, Gungan ground troops carried portable frames which generate a protective energy field capable of deflecting blaster fire. In large-scale combat, giant Gungan shield generators could create an immense umbrella of protective shield energy that could stop laser bolts and physical objects with great kinetic energy.

Despite mastering this bizarre technology, Gungans still employed beasts of burden for transportation. Their most common mount was the kaadu, a wingless reptavian which Gungans adorned with feathers and rode into combat. Other favored Gungan mounts included the large, stubborn falumpaset. For truly heavy loads, the Gungans domesticated the fambaa, a nine-meter tall,quadrupedal amphibian.

The Gungans maintained a large standing armed force, called the Gungan Grand Army. This huge collection of foot soldiers carried cestas, electropoles, and atlatls capable of hurling plasmic energy spheres (or boomers, as Gungans called them). Gungan catapults hurled even larger boomers great distances.

The Gungans were ruled by a Boss and his Rep Council, from the High Tower Board Room of Otoh Gunga. The Gungans had an uneasy relationship with the Naboo, the human colonists on the planet. Many Naboo looked down upon the Gungans, thinking them as primitive. The Gungans in turn tried to avoid any contact with the surface-dwellers.

The Lianorm Swamps
Lianorm Swamp was a swamp on Naboo. It stretched over an area of thirty-four square miles and was located on the edge of Lake Paonga and the foothills of the Gallo Mountains.[1]

Millennia before the Invasion of Naboo, the Elders built a monument within the Lianorm Swamp which was later considered a sacred place by the native Gungans.[2] The city of Moenia was located near the outskirts of the swamp and served as a meeting place and center of trade between the Naboo and the Gungans

Ottoh Gunga
Otoh Gunga was founded by Boss Gallo in 3000 BBY[1] on the site of Boss Rogoe's fortress city, Spearhead. Otoh Gunga was originally occupied by the population of Otoh Jahai, Otoh Langua, Otoh Mandassa, Otoh Raban, Otoh Sancture, and Otoh Urs, after Gallo united all the Gungan tribes under one banner.[2]

As of the Battle of Naboo, Otoh Gunga was home to a million Gungans living in a massive bubble city that had grown out from the original foundation laid by Gallo's people,an area now known as the Ancient Quarter.[4] The main focus of the city was a dense cluster of bubbles in the central district, radiating out from between walkways and plazas.

Notable additions to the city included the Otoh Villages, where most Gungans lived and worked, and the City Bigspace, a popular concourse constructed on the orders of Boss Rugor Nass, wishing to leave his mark on the city. The city also included bongo pens, cantinas and one of its most famous attractions, the Otoh Gunga Zoological Research Facility.

After standing for three thousand years as a symbol of Gungan unity and strength, Otoh Gunga fell to the might of the Trade Federation in the latter stages of the Invasion of Naboo[2] in 32 BBY.[1] In the early stages of the invasion, the Trade Federation had only heard rumors of a primitive underwater civilization.[2]

Having confirmed the existence of the Gungans, Nute Gunray ordered a full assault on their strongest fortress. Led by OOM-9 and assisted by Darth Maul, a contingent of battle droids and aquatic destroyers attacked and besieged Otoh Gunga. Demoralized and defeated, Boss Nass informed the Rep Council of the situation, trying to convince the Reps they needed to evacuate soon before the city was destroyed. Many members of the council wanted to stay, but Rep Been finally convinced them to go. He knew the secrets of old Gungan hidden places, and suggested they fled to the Gungan's Sacred Place to plan his counterattack.[5][2] After Boss Nass joined with the Royal Naboo Security Forces to expel the Trade Federation of Naboo, Otoh Gunga was re-occupied.[2]

Many years later during the time of the Clone Wars, Lyonie had become the Boss of Otoh Gunga. He fell under the sway of Minister Rish Loo, who had allied with the Confederacy of Independent Systems and forced Lyonie to call the Gungan Grand Army together to march against the Royal Naboo. Senator Padmé Amidala and the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker traveled to Otoh Gunga and revealed Loo's treachery in time for the Grand Army to expel a Confederacy invasion force.[6]

Several years later, during the early stages of the Galactic Civil War, Otoh Gunga was advertized as a visitable locale for the Star Tours travel agency. In addition, a Star Tours vessel briefly passed by this area when attempting to access a Rebel-owned hangar on Naboo during a skirmish in the orbit of Naboo.[7]

With the fall of the Galactic Empire and Palpatine's New Order, Naboo steadily became more isolated. Avoiding the ravages of the Vong War, it was not until the rise of the Sith-Imperial War and Darth Krayyt's One Sith did Naboo become significant again. When Thule conquered the humans with a rag-tag Gungan army, the rest of the Gungans were largely ignorant. It took Thule several years of paying inordinate amounts to the Bosses before they considered giving their fealty to him. Once he had their allegiance, however, he proved a valuable friend to them. Massive extensions were made to the cities and Otto Gunga became one of the largest holonet hubs outside of the Core.

They are largely made up of Otolla breed gungans, though a few Ankura breeds live in the subsidiary city of Otoh Sancture. Ottoh Mandassa, the third and smallest city in the area is almost entirely Otolla breed.

The Ysmin North
The Ysmin North are a tribe of gungans on the Eastern Continent. With little affection for the human colonists, they have often antagonized and attacked the mining operations on the borders of their lands. This is why a permanent garrison has been established there. Their main cities are Otoh Jahai, Otoh Langua and the far smaller Otoh Raban. Largely Ankura breed gungans.

The Acalo South
The Acalo South are much more invested in galactic affairs than any of the other tribes. They openly rebelled against the Trade Federation invasion and were the most active supporters of Thule's ascension to power. They have no love for their brothers in the North, but have no love for the humans either. Though they are not as isolationist as their brothers and sisters, they are still cold towards outsiders and only allow trusted spacers to trade with them. Main Cities: Otto Urs, Umberbool City and Oxon City (Spaceport) Spit of 40/60 Ankura to Ottola breeds.

Biology
"There was also a creature who looked like a cross between many species. He stood upright on two legs like a Human. He had a mouth shaped like a bill, and a frog’s big eyes rising out of his head. He was not really that unusual compared to some of the creatures who pass through Mos Espa. But I’d never met anyone like him before." ―Anakin Skywalker's description of Jar Jar Binks, the first Gungan he ever saw

The Gungans were separated into two races: the lanky orange, yellow or red-skinned Otolla race, and the heavier green-skinned Ankura race. However, they all exhibited many of the same basic physical traits.

Starting life as tadpoles, Gungans developed into tall beings with extremely flexible cartilaginous skeletons. Strong leg muscles allowed for powerful and quick frog-kick style swimming through water as well as a remarkable jumping ability while on land. Fin-like ears (called haillu) also aided them in swimming, as well as expressing emotions like aggression, friendship, and fear. They had partially retractable eyestalks with nictitating membranes when underwater. Green eyes were unusual amongst Gungans.[2]

Expressive faces and long bills with flaring nostrils were signatures of Gungan physiology. Lengthy muscular tongues and large blunt teeth allowed them to eat lesser amphibians, while a layer of tough skin on the head allowed for burrowing. A Gungan's arms ended in four digits, and their feet had three stubby toes. Females were smaller with sleeker faces and tended to tie their ears back. Female with light-colored ear flaps were considered attractive by male Gungans, while the ones with dark-colored haillu were thought of as 'boyish'.[2] As male Gungans aged some, like Roos Tarpals, they developed prominent whiskers, resembling those of a catfish.[source?] Both sexes had a lifespan of 65 galactic standard years.[3]

Gungans had nostrils that sealed when they entered the water. They also boasted very strong lungs, allowing them to both hold their breath for extended periods of time and to withstand the pressure of deep water, along with well-padded kneecaps and powerful calves and legs for increased swimming speed. However, because they were so well-adapted to their watery environment, their skin dried easily in hot and arid climates, which Jar Jar Binks experienced during his visit to Tatooine.

The Gungans appeared to be related to the Glurrgs, whom they used as a worker caste in their society.

Gungans were detailed in the Republic Xenosociological Database, under Subdirectory ORT831-23,794,928/1N.[4]

Gungans of Note
Thule, Darth. Dark Lord of the Sith