Star Wars: Most Ships Go Through Space, This One Can Go Though a Planet – The Gungan Bongo Submarine Breakdown
The one ship bombad enough to travel straight through a planet’s core—we break down the Gungan Bongo Submarine.
Throughout the galaxy, one can find vessels of varying types and purposes. From powerful capital ships, capable of wreaking devastation on planets, to swift, darting starfighters, whose job it is to protect or destroy those capital ships. There are patrol vessels. Scouting ships. Stealth ships.
But in all the galaxy, there’s only one ship capable of traversing a planet’s core unscathed: the Gungan Bongo Submarine. Now, admittedly Naboo’s planetary core is unique – but so is each Bongo.
Gungan Bongo Submarine Design
Gungan Bongo Submarines are semi-organic in nature. The Otoh Gunga Bongameken Cooperative both designs and grows each Bongo Submarine. The Bongameken Cooperative cultivates each Bongo hull through secret coral-shepherding techniques. The manta-shaped hull of every Submarine is grown individually. Meaning that no two Bongos are exactly alike.
Each hull has its own quirks and characteristics. But by and large, the Bongameken Cooperative found ways to ensure roughly the same capabilities. Utilizing the Gungans’ trademark hydrostatic fields, developed from energy membranes woven from plasma and bubble wort extract, the Bongameken Cooperative developed a streamlined cockpit capable of withstanding the crushing depths of the planet’s core.
Combine this with the trademark electromotive tentacles, capable of spinning—a neat trick indeed—a Gungan Bongo Submarine can reach speeds of up to 85 kph.
The Bongo’s heavy armor plating keeps it safe from large sea predators.
Gungan Bongo Submarines – A History
But the Bongo Submarine’s story begins thousands of years before Naboo would play a pivotal role in Galactic politics. It starts when the Gungans were forced underwater. There, they found a deep-water plant known as the Locap.
The Locap was distinct–it harvested plasma from the rocks it burrowed into. And the early Gungans knew that this Plasma was a precious resource. They developed special harvesting equipment to extract plasma from a Locap. But in order to reach the areas where the Locaps flourished, they would have to traverse far into the depths.
That’s when the original Gungan Bongo Submarines came into being. The first were special harvesting Bongos with front-mounted siphons, capable of extracting hard-to-reach plasma.
But the Bongo Submarine swims into the spotlight in 32 BBY, when one conveys two Jedi from the Gungan City of Otoh Gunga to the outskirts of Theed.
Bongos During the Separatist Attacks
During the Clone Wars, Bongo Submarines played a crucial role. When the Confederacy of Independent Systems lent their influence to an up-and-coming Gungan Boss, Anakin Skywalker and Amidala traveled in a Bongo Submarine to discover the truth of the nefarious plot.
Thus a Gungan Bongo Submarine helped save Naboo twice in a short span of years.
May the Force be with you!
