The world of Star Wars is ever-expanding. It is home to an incredibly diverse set of alien species, ranging from fierce warriors to relatively peaceful tribes. One alien species introduced in George Lucas’s prequel trilogy has become largely a laughingstock in the Star Wars fandom: the Gungans.
These water-dwelling creatures live on the planet Naboo, in the city of Otoh Gunga. The Otolla Gungans are recognized by their duck bill-like snouts, their long, floppy ears, and their stalked eyes, while the Ankura Gungans are stockier and have hooded eyes. Various pieces of media have made efforts to flesh out this civilization and its people, and the overall lore does contain a few Gungans worthy of Star Wars fans’ attention.
6 Boss Nass
Boss Rugor Nass is an Ankura Gungan who was known for being tough but fair, and he was praised for his organizational skills. In the Lucas Learning game Star Wars Episode 1: Gungan Frontier, he even establishes a new Gungan colony on Naboo’s moon. Boss Nass was also known to be a fierce warrior. In the Expanded Universe, now known commonly as Legends, he won the Gungans’ Big Nasty Free-for-All in the Festival of Warriors three years in a row.
Boss Nass has a very big personality. He can be loud, and he tends to slobber when he shakes his head. He holds a deep prejudice of the Naboo in Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, which is why he initially wants nothing to do with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan’s request for help in the conflict with the Trade Federation. When the handmaiden Padme reveals herself to be the true Queen Amidala and humbles herself before Boss Nass, he has a change of heart and has the Gungans help distract the Trade Federation in the Battle of Naboo.
5 Jar Jar Binks
Jar Jar is probably the most infamous of the Gungans. The character was banished from Otoh Gunga for destroying Boss Nass’s heyblibber. His appearance in Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace caused much ire among the fan base, primarily for being aimed towards kids and having mannerisms echoing racial stereotypes.
These problematic elements, however, should not overshadow the positive aspects of the character. Throughout Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Jar Jar proves himself to be a loyal friend to the Republic. Urging Boss Lyonie to aid Padme and Republic in the Mon Calamari civil war, he says that she would do the same for them. His greatest blunder, however, is when he filled in for Padme in the Senate in Episode 2: Attack of the Clones, and granted then-Chancellor Palpatine emergency powers, furthering his agenda to overthrow the Republic. Obviously, Jar Jar is a Sith Lord.
4 Kleef
Lucas Arts’ video game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed allows Star Wars fans across the world to unleash their inner Dark Side, wielding the powers of Darth Vader’s secret apprentice, Galen Marek, also known as Starkiller. The now-defunct Krome Studios developed a version of The Force Unleashed for the Wii, PlayStation 2, and PSP.
Among the features that set this version apart was a boss battle with a green, scaly Otolla Gungan named Kleef. He was once on Jar Jar Binks’ security detail and then worked as a bounty hunter on Coruscant. He has a crocodile appearance, and he speaks with a sinister drawl. In the Bespin System, Starkiller confronts Kleef, who has kidnapped Senator Garm Bel Iblis.
3 Roos Tarpals
On Coruscant in Episode I, Jar Jar Binks proclaims that “wesa Gungans are warriors.” Roos Tarpals, General of the Gungan Army in The Clone Wars, embodied this warrior spirit. He first appeared in Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, when he confronted Jar Jar on his return to Naboo. His line, “Yousa in BIG doodoo this time,” did not do the character any favors.
In Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Tarpals proves just how brave he was. In the episode “Shadow Warrior,” he, Jar Jar, Anakin, and Padme attempt to prevent the Gungans from invading Theed, at the command of a manipulated Boss Lyonie. He is willing to do what he has to, believing in the friendship of the Gungans and the Naboo. When confronted by General Grievous, he bravely fights and holds his own. Although he does defeat Grievous, it is at the cost of his own life. He declares his willingness to put his life on the line for his people when Grievous asks him how it feels to die, and he shouts defiantly, “Not die! Sacrifice!”
2 George R. Binks
The films delve very little into Jar Jar’s backstory, apart from the fact that he was banished for being “clumsy.” A story in Dark Horse’s Star Wars Tales #20 tells the story of his family, including his father, the whaler George R. Binks.
Jar Jar’s father is at once a comical and tragic figure. He left his first life because she couldn’t have children, and had his son, Jar Jar, with his second wife. In one whaling expedition, Jar Jar strands all of them on an island. Having been marooned for a month, and driven mad by his son, he attempts to shoot himself, but fails, and ends up knocking himself out instead. Jar Jar may have been clumsy, but he didn’t deserve that.
1 Roo-Roo Page
A few Force-sensitive Gungans exist in the Star Wars lore. Some are Jedi, one became a Sith, and another uses his Force-sensitivity to get more tips for his diving business.
The infant Roo-Roo Page is a Force-sensitive Gungan infant. In Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Darth Sidious assigns the bounty hunter Cad Bane to abduct Force-sensitive children. Fortunately, the Jedi foresee this, and manage to stop him from taking her. Not only is the Force strong with her, but she is also adorable, rivaling Grogu in The Mandalorian.