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"And back again, it's the mighty Dud Bolt with that incredible racing machine, the Vulptereen 327!"
―Fodesinbeed Annodue introduces Dud Bolt at the Boonta Eve Classic — (audio) Listen (file info)[3]

Dud Bolt was a Vulptereen male from the planet Vulpter who worked as a podracer pilot and hitman. He flew a Vulptereen 327 and served as a mid-air bodyguard for the Dug podracer Sebulba. In 32 BBY, he participated in the Boonta Eve Classic race on the planet Tatooine.

Bolt was one of the favorites to win the race but ended up crashing after a collision with fellow racer Ark Roose during the third lap. He survived the crash and was taken to a medcenter in Mos Espa spaceport. He continued racing and in 22 BBY took part in a race on the planet Ando Prime, which was broadcast live to the Outlander Club on the planet Coruscant.

Biography[]

On the starting grid[]

"I see the contestants are making their way out on to the starting grid."
―Fodesinbeed Annodue commentating on Dud Bolt and the other podracers before the Boonta Eve Classic — (audio) Listen (file info)[3]
Vulptereen 327

Dud Bolt flew a Vulptereen 327 during the Boonta Eve Classic.

Dud Bolt was a Vulptereen male[2] hitman[4] from the planet Vulpter who flew as a podracer pilot during the final decades of the Galactic Republic. He used a Vulptereen 327 racer from his homeworld[1] and worked as the mid-air bodyguard of Sebulba,[2] a vicious Dug podracer.[5] By 32 BBY,[6] Bolt had participated in the Boonta Eve Classic podrace[3] that took place annually[5] in the spaceport of Mos Espa on the planet Tatooine. That year, he and Sebulba both entered as one of the eighteen competitors,[7] with both the Vulptereen[5] and Dug being among the favorites to win.[3]

Bolt's vehicle was placed in the second row of the race's starting grid at the Mos Espa Grand Arena, behind Sebulba, and prior to the start of the race, the Vulptereen sat in the cockpit of his vehicle while[3] the mechanic Mat Rags[8] worked on it. After the Troig commentators Fodesinbeed Annodue announced the racer as "the mighty Dud Bolt," members of the audience stood and cheered.[3] Annodue also nicknamed the racer "the Great Dud Bolt."[5] Following the introduction of the participants, each of their flags was carried in procession across the front of the racing grid,[3] including Bolt's flag, which consisted of a thin blue triangular flag above a thin dark gray triangular flag and then a large red rectangular flag below that.[7]

The race and further career[]

«Begin the race!»
―Jabba Desilijic Tiure signals for Dud Bolt and the other podracers to begin the Boonta Eve Classic — (audio) Listen (file info)[3]
Bolt flag

Dud Bolt's flag

Once the crime lord Jabba Desilijic Tiure signaled for the race to begin, Bolt left the starting grid but quickly fell toward the back of the pack. He was managing to stay ahead of at least two other vehicles and was close behind the Nosaurian Clegg Holdfast when they were both overtaken prior to entering[3] the Notch[7] in the first lap by the human racer Anakin Skywalker, who had stalled on the starting line.[3] Bolt made it as far as the third lap but then crashed into[5] the pilot Ark Roose in the Coil portion of the track shortly before Sebulba crashed on the Hutt Flats.[7] Skywalker ultimately won the race,[3] while Bolt ended up in a Mos Espa medcenter following his crash.[2]

Despite the loss, Bolt continued to compete in races across the galaxy[5] and in 22 BBY[9] participated in a race[5] on the planet Ando Prime[7] using his Vulptereen 327. Footage of the race was playing[10] live[7] via the HoloNet[5] in the Outlander Club on the planet Coruscant when Skywalker, who had since become a Jedi, and his master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, entered the club.[10] A mention of Bolt was included on a poster for the Boonta Eve Classic in the Tatooine section of the book Galactic Explorer's Guide, authored by the pirate Hondo Ohnaka and his protocol droid DK-RA-43 at some point after the Battle of Crait[11] in 34 ABY.[12]

Personality and traits[]

Dud Bolt was a short alien with the fast reflexes one needed in order to be successful in a sport such as podracing.[3] He was a predatory pilot[5] and had bluish-gray skin and yellow eyes.[3]

Equipment[]

Dud Bolt piloted a celebrated[8] Vulptereen 327 podracer, a vehicle that Fodesinbeed Annodue described as an "incredible racing machine." Bolt's podracer engines were predominantly red, with the front of the engines being silver and the back ends being blue. Bolt's cockpit was blue with red glyphs painted on the side. While racing, he wore brown leather armor with goggles built into the helmet.[3]

Behind the scenes[]

Design and name[]

Dud Bolt Concept

Anatomical concept art for Dud Bolt was drawn by Terryl Whitlatch on May 30, 1996.

Dud Bolt was created for the 1999 prequel trilogy film, Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace. Artist Terryl Whitlatch drew anatomical concept art of the character on May 30, 1996, and two costume concepts were then drawn with one labeled September 12, 1996[13] and the other drawn by Jay Shuster. A full maquette of the character was also produced based on Witlatch's sketch.[14] All of the podracing aliens were designed to have some sort of evolutionary advantage in high speed racing, with Bolt's being the sensitive antenna on his snout.[15]

Bolt's name is a play on the word "deadbolt."[16] In the revised rough draft of the film, he was instead named "Dud Cullindaros of Chuba,"[13] and the names "Bozzie Barada"[15] and "Bozzie Baranta" were also used for the character at one point in production,[17] including on concept art.[14] The name Bozzie Barada was still erroneously used for a podracer in the film's 1999 novelization by Terry Brooks,[18] while Bozzie Baranta was developed into a separate character in the 1999 Star Wars Legends video game Star Wars: Episode I Racer.[19]

Puppet[]

"With the Dud Bolt puppet, it was nice, because it was actually a practical puppet that we did."
―Danny Wagner — (audio) Listen (file info)[15]
DudBoltPuppet

Dud Bolt was controlled as a hand puppet on set.

Model maker Danny Wagner produced a hand puppet of Bolt consisting of only the character's torso, head, and arms. It was molded and cast in latex, likely with elements of foam latex, and then had cheesecloth added for strength. Once it was cured, polyfilla was added, and the puppet was then dressed in a costume made of vaccu-formed pieces covered in dyed leather and greebles. Green sticks protruding from the back of the puppet's elbows were used as puppeteering rods to control it during filming.[15]

A Model Build/Shoot Gantt chart for the film dated February 27, 1998 listed a full puppet of Bolt as needed for shooting between April 12 and May 10 of that year, with a note that the shoot might take place in the United Kingdom.[20] Wagner and Mark Siegel controlled the puppet on set and spent about a day shooting with visual effects supervisor John Knoll, although only a few seconds of footage made it into the film. Bolt was one of only two podracers rendered as a physical puppet[15] rather than only computer graphics, although for distant shots of his vehicle he was also digitally rendered.[21] The puppet is included in the touring Star Wars Identities exhibition.[22]

Appearances[]

Sources[]

Notes and references[]

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  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Star Wars Complete Vehicles, New Edition
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Star Wars: Force Collection (Card: Dud Bolt (★))
  3. 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace
  4. Build the Millennium Falcon Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon 36 (Guide to the Galaxy: The Deep Core)
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 Star Wars: Geektionary: The Galaxy from A - Z
  6. Star Wars: Timelines dates the events of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace to 32 BBY.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 Star Wars: Complete Locations
  8. 8.0 8.1 Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary, New Edition
  9. Star Wars: Timelines dates the events of Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, which includes the race on Ando Prime being broadcast live, to 22 BBY.
  10. 10.0 10.1 Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones
  11. Star Wars: The Galactic Explorer's Guide
  12. Star Wars: Timelines
  13. 13.0 13.1 Star Wars: Episode I Insider's Guide
  14. 14.0 14.1 SWInsider "The Star Wars Archive" — Star Wars Insider 224
  15. 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 Star Wars: The Complete Saga — Featurette: "Dud Bolt Puppet"
  16. StarWars 25 Wonderfully Weird Star Wars Character Names on StarWars.com (backup link)
  17. Star Wars Chronicles: The Prequels
  18. Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace novelization
  19. Star Wars: Episode I Racer
  20. The Star Wars Archives: Episodes I–III, 1999–2005
  21. Databank title Bolt, Dud in the Databank (content now obsolete; backup link)
  22. StarWars Character Building at Star Wars Identities on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)

External links[]

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