This Surprising Prequel Weapon Was Popular During The Age Of The Empire
The Star Wars franchise has brought us many things throughout its 40+ years of existence, including some of the greatest weapons ever seen on the big screen. The most of popular of which is obviously the lightsaber, but on top of that we've had blasters, thermal detonators, rockets contained within jet packs, and a whole host of others.
Many have appeared, being used time and time again by numerous characters and others used specifically by one character or one particular race. However, thanks to Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #13, written by Ethan Sacks with art by Paolo Villanelli, a prequel era weapon turns up during the time of the original trilogy, and it sparks some interesting thinking.
The weapon in question is the Gungan grenade, or booma. Now, the name may not immediately create a clear image in your head, but think back to the events of The Phantom Menace. During the war between the Gungans and droid army in the fields of Naboo, later known as the Battle of Naboo, we see the Gungans use blueish/purple balls made up of what looks like electricity. All ball in shape, they come in various sizes and prove to be extremely effective against the droids, even when released by complete accident by Jar Jar Binks.
During the events of the aforementioned comic, bounty hunter Beilert Valance races through the Arms Market of Naar Shadaa (also known as "Smugglers' Moon"), and we see an arms dealer offer a "two for one" deal on the grenades, specifically calling them Gungan grenades. Given how effective they were during the battle, it's easy to understand why they would be sought by others as an effective weapon, but what's not so easy to understand, is just how they got there.
Prior to the battle, the Gungans mainly dwelled within the hidden underwater city Otoh Gunga on the planet Naboo. Under the rule of Boss Nass, they kept to themselves and had nothing to do with the people of Naboo living above them. During the events of Episode I, Queen Amidala of Naboo kneels before Boss Nass and begs for his help to support them in their plan to free the planet they share from the clutches of the Trade Federation, which he agrees to do.
This leads to the famous battle and the introduction of the Gungan grenades. Due to the fact that we have never seen them appear again, unlike a lot of other weapons of their magnitude, many assumed only they had access to them. However, their inclusion within the comic suggests they became popular offworld and with hunters or other suspicious fellows perusing the black market.
Although many weapons have shown up more than once, what makes these showing up on the black market a little strange is just how that's able to happen. Whilst the alliance formed between Nass and Queen Amidala may have allowed the Gungans to trade with other systems within the Galactic Republic, it seems completely against character for Nass to allow his peoples weaponry to be shared. There could be many reasons for them turning up years after their debut, such as Gungans leaving their home planet and taking them with them or these being replicas, but one of the more harrowing is the one which, potentially, makes some sense.
After the events of the prequel trilogy, we hardly ever hear anymore from the Gungans, so it's highly possible they were invaded at some point, and the invaders stole their technology, including weapons for mass production or to be sold as rare items.
Another thing to consider is the fact that a Gungan with an eyepatch is shown on Nar Shadaa in the Showdown on the Smuggler's Moon arc of Jason Aaron's Star Wars comic series from 2015. So there is a precedent for a Gungan operating in the underworld of Nar Shadaa.
With more and more Star Wars projects in the pipeline, perhaps the weapons will turn up somewhere else, and we will get an explanation as to how those offworld got access to these dangerous weapons. Only time will tell.
Until next time!
Source(s): Screen Rant