Tarpals, Captain

• Appeared in:
  
  I
  II
  III
  IV
  V
  VI
  CW

• Homeworld:
  Naboo-Gunga

• Species:
  Gungan

• Gender:
  Male

• Size:
  2.24 meters

• Weapon:
  Cesta, electropole, atlatl

• Vehicle:
  kaadu

• Affiliation:
  Gungan

• 

From the Movies

The gravelly-voiced patrol chief of Otoh Gunga, Captain Tarpals has endured many a headache caused by the antics of Jar Jar Binks. Tarpals kept an eye on the bumbling outcast, making sure the youngster didn't re-enter Gungan society.

During the Trade Federation occupation of Naboo, Tarpals was part of the Gungan Grand Army that fought against the battle droid invaders. Ironically, Tarpals served under Binks, who had unexpectedly received the rank of general by Boss Nass himself. Tarpals stayed close to Binks, trying to keep his commanding officer out of trouble.

From the Expanded Universe

After achieving the rank of captain, one of Tarpals' first duties was to enforce the nocombackie law that banished Jar Jar Binks out of the city. It was not the easiest of tasks since, despite their differences, Tarpals and Binks were friends, albeit mismatched ones. Though Tarpals had, in the past, captured Binks for his inadvertent transgressions against Gungan law, he was often the first to come to the clumsy youngster's aid. For Tarpals' devotion to Binks, and the difficulties he endured, other Gungans referred to Jar Jar as "the Death of Captain Tarpals."

Behind the Scenes

Since the creature design of Jar Jar Binks was the prototype for most other Gungans appearing in the film, the design team had to come up with ways to differentiate those Gungans with more prominent roles. To this end, the artists experimented with facial features and expressions, as well as costuming, to achieve character individuality. In the case of Captain Tarpals, drooping whiskers and hair-like finlets were introduced to indicate advanced age. Further design features include the presence of battle gear, which helped to give Captain Tarpals the look of a combat-seasoned military figure.