Tribubble bongo A tribubble bongo , also called a Gungan bongo submarine , was a bio - engineered submersible transport used by the Gungans of Naboo . Characteristics . Bongos were handcrafted Gungan vessels , built around a coral - like skeleton underwater . Each one was unique , due to being made individually . The bongo ' s hull was strong , though could be damaged by some of the creatures in Naboo ' s oceans . Bongos were in fact based on the creatures found underwater , and thus many of them resembled squids or other such animals . Bongos were equipped with an electrical power plant and a guidance system . They ranged from being able to hold just one occupant to a number of individuals . Those capable of holding many passengers were known as heyblibbers . The bongo ' s propulsion system was based on long tentacles at the aft of the vehicle . These tentacles pushed the bongo forward . The vessel was also equipped with repulsorlifts to push it through specially designed bays in Gungan cities . The bongo had a unique buoyancy system ; when the vessel went underwater , special chambers release oil , which increased the vehicle ' s density . To surface , the oil was absorbed . Bongos were very versatile , and fulfilled many functions , from carrying passengers to cargo . The Gungans based their starfighter designs on the bongo . History . The first bongos were probably invented by a tribe known as the Bongomeken Collective . Millennia later , they evolved into the Otoh Gunga Bongameken Cooperative . They ranged from tiny , single - person craft to the large Heyblibbers used for long journeys . Bongos were handcrafted , ensuring that each craft was unique from the rest . A bongo was built around an organic coral - like skeleton bred in special underwater fields by Gungan designers . This skeleton formed the bongo ' s hull and was strong , though not durable enough to withstand Opee sea killer attacks . This made it prone to damage by sea monsters encountered in the watery depths of Naboo . While the Gungans produced much of the technology needed for bongo creation , electronics and specialized equipment like metal cargo containers had to be purchased from the Naboo . Gungan traders procured such items from the Naboo in exchange for foodstuffs and medicine . Bongos were incredibly versatile and could be built for many functions . Cargo bongos featured cargo holds instead of passenger modules , while a Gungan Army transport bongo could carry about five armed passengers . Monobubble racing bongos were also produced and bongo technology even enabled the Gungans to construct starships , which they used to colonize the Naboo moon Ohma - D ' un . Bongo technology inspired Gungan engineers in Lamaredd to create the gondola skimmersub , basing on bongo designs . As locab plasma , a component of the bongo , was scarce in Lamaredd , the gondola used an alternate technology . During the Invasion of Naboo , Jedi Master Qui - Gon Jinn , via a Jedi Mind Trick , got Boss Nass to agree to let them use the Bongo to go through Naboo ' s core and arrive at Theed so they could rescue Queen Amidala . However , it ended up damaged from an opee sea killer , where it briefly bit into the vehicle when capturing it to eat , only releasing it when it itself was devoured by a sando aqua monster , and eventually lost power as a result within a colo claw fish ' s lair . Upon arriving at Theed , they ended up arriving at the channel , but were forced to ditch it after they parked it too close to the current of one of Theed ' s waterfalls . During the Galactic Civil War , a Gungan utilized a Bongo to escort a Star Tours " StarSpeeder 1000 " over to a Rebel hangar on Naboo . Similar to the Jedi before him , he ended up ambushed by an opee sea killer , although he managed to escape with the help of a sando aqua monster . Behind the scenes . Early design concepts of the Gungan bongo started off as an organic - looking diving bell before Doug Chiang hit upon the idea of the squid - like propeller assembly . An unused concept for a large underwater passenger transport featured the manta - like silhouette . When the Episode I story changed so that the passenger transport was written out , the manta - shape was incorporated into the bongo ' s look .