Ben Quadinaros

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"I see Ben Quadinaros from the Tund system."

―Fode^[src]

Ben Quadinaros was a Toong Podracer pilot who had very little actual racing experience when he participated in the Boonta Eve Classic that saw the liberation of the slave boy Anakin Skywalker. Piloting a BT310 quadra-Podracer, Quadinaros never left the starting grid due to his pod stalling. A short while later, his power coupling failed, causing his engine's energy binders to deactivate. This caused the hapless Toong's engines to spiral away from the cockpit and fly off and explode on various parts of the Mos Espa Grand Arena. Despite this loss, Quadinaros continued to Podrace up to ten years later, during the time of the Clone Wars.

Biography

"Oh, there goes Quadinaros' power coupling!"

―Fode, after Quadinaros' Podracer explodes^[src]

Podracing poster — Ben Quadinaros was set to race against Sebulba during the Clone Wars.

A timid Toong, Ben Quadinaros was a Podracer pilot from Tund,^[1] a hidden world^[3] located in the mysterious Tund system. Considered to be a rookie pilot, Quadinaros nevertheless joined the Boonta Eve Classic Podrace that took place during the final decades of the Galactic Republic.^[2] Piloting a BT310 quadra-Podracer^[4] that featured four separate engines, as opposed to the more common two engine setup, Quadinaros prepared for the race in a hangar located at the Mos Espa Grand Arena, where the Boonta was to be held. Quadinaros explored the hangar for a brief time before setting off to move his Podracer onto the starting grid. His starting position was on the grid's back row. As the Podracers prepared for the race, the Troig race commentators Fode and Beed conducted the opening ceremonies, introducing the pilots, including Quadinaros, to the cheering audiences.^[5]

Eventually, the race's host, the crime lord Jabba the Hutt, arrived in his personal viewing box, and waved the start of the race. However, Quadinaros' pod failed to ignite its engines, leaving the Toong stuck on the starting grid. He wasn't alone, however, as the Human pilot Anakin Skywalker also stalled. However, Skywalker was able to fix his Podracer and fly onto the track, while Quadinaros was left behind with a crew of pit droids. When the droids did all that they could do, they left the grid and Quadinaros tried to ignite his Podracer again. Instead of zooming off of the grid to join the other racers, the Toong's power coupling failed, which caused the energy binders that held the engines together to deactivate. This ended up causing Quadinaros' engines to rip off of the cockpit and fly into various walls and structures inside the arena. The race was ultimately won by Skywalker.^[5]

Despite this loss, Quadinaros continued to Podrace at least ten years later during the intergalactic Clone Wars, an armed conflict between the Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems. During this time, posters advertised a race between Quadinaros and the notorious Dug pilot Sebulba, who had become the sport's greatest rivalry. One such poster was owned by Skywalker, who by this time was a Jedi Knight.^[6]

Personality and traits

Quadinaros was a timid Toong who was only a novice at Podracing. Despite his short comings, and his fear of the dangerous Boonta Classic, Quadinaros managed to overcome his fears for a short time by entering the Boonta.^[2] However, when his Podracer malfunctioned, he could only express frustration on his wasted effort.^[5] However, despite the setback, Quadinaros continued to Podrace, and eventually ended up in a match with Sebulba.^[6]

A pudgy Toong, Quadinaros possessed yellow colored skin, orange eyes, and stood at 1.63 meters tall.^[2]

Behind the scenes

"The sport's greatest rivalry! Quadinaros vs Sebulba. We'll sell you the whole seat but you'll only need the edge!!!"

―The poster from The Rise of Clovis^[src]

Ben Quadinaros was created for the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, which was written and directed by George Lucas.^[5] Conceptual art for the character was created by designers Terryl Whitlatch and Iain McCaig, which specified the details of Quadniaros' anatomy, clothing, and range of movement.^[7] Quadinaros later appeared on a poster in the television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, in the episode "Friends and Enemies".^[6] The poster was designed by Kilian Plunkett.^[8]