Unidentified retired Galactic Republic pilot A male Human pilot served in the Republic Starfighter Corps in the years prior to the conflict known as the Invasion of Naboo , flying to many planets of the galaxy before retiring in 38 BBY due to old age and eventually settling on the planet Tatooine . In 32 BBY , the pilot saw the young slave boy Anakin Skywalker participate in a podrace . After the race , the pilot met Skywalker and his friends at Mos Espa ' s marketplace , where he shared with them stories of his past exploits and encouraged Skywalker to pursue his dream of becoming a space pilot . The pilot would continue to spend time with Skywalker on occasion and entertain him with more stories . Among many things , the pilot told Skywalker about the mysterious Angels of the planet Iego and the creation of the Sith Order . Biography . A Human male pilot served in the Republic Starfighter Corps during the Galactic Republic ' s waning years . During his career in the corps , the pilot flew a cruiser with Republic soldiers to the planet Makem Te during the Republic ' s efforts to stop the rebellion instigated by the local cult known as the Temple of the Beatific Razor . On another occasion , he flew a team of four Jedi Knights on a mission and was forbidden to talk about the place he had taken them . The pilot also successfully flew through the notorious Kessel Run hyperspace route , although many of his peers had tried to discourage him from doing so due to the dangerous nature of the route . In 38 BBY , having visited a large number of worlds and believing himself to be too old for his profession , the pilot retired from the corps . Around 33 BBY , the pilot landed on the planet Tatooine with no fuel or money . Content with spending the rest of his days in the shade of the planet ' s twin stars , he gladly shared stories of his past travels with anyone who wanted to listen . On one occasion , while in the Mos Espa spaceport , he went to the Mos Espa Grand Arena to see a podrace that took place there . The pilot took notice of one of the racers , the young boy Anakin Skywalker , who demonstrated great skill with the vehicle , although he crashed his pod at the end of the race . Later that day , the pilot visited the Mos Espa marketplace , where he noticed Skywalker discussing starfighters with his friends Kitster Banai and W . Wald . Intervening in their discussion , the pilot bought himself and the boys some ruby bliel s — a beverage popular on Tatooine — and went on to tell them about his exploits , much to the youngsters ' amazement . Skywalker confessed to him that he wanted to become a pilot himself , but Wald believed that the Human boy would not succeed since he was a slave . Telling Skywalker about his experience with the Kessel Run , the old pilot encouraged the boy to pursue his dream no matter what . In Mos Espa , the pilot frequented Maggy the Gorgon ' s cantina , where he met Skywalker and his friends and entertained them with more stories from his past . The pilot told Skywalker more stories about the Jedi , informing him that the Jedi Order generally only accepted very young children — who did not yet reach one year old — for Jedi training . He also told Skywalker about the so - called " Angels " from the planet Iego , who were rumored to be the most beautiful creatures in the galaxy . On another occasion , the pilot was sitting outside the cantina at the Mos Espa marketplace when he saw the boy passing by and waved to him , inviting a conversation . However , the pilot was shocked when the boy asked him if he knew anything about the Sith ; the man was frightened at the very thought of the return of the ancient dark side cult . It turned out that Skywalker had merely found the remains of an old war droid and saw an old holographic recording that mentioned the Sith Order . Relieved , the old pilot told the boy that the Sith Order was founded by rogue Jedi Knights thousands of years ago . Millennia later , the Sith were believed to have been destroyed , although rumors remained that one Sith Lord survived to pass on their teachings . In 32 BBY , shortly before the Boonta Eve Classic podrace , the pilot visited Maggy the Gorgon ' s , where he shared a drink with a Duros assassin . Soon , a fistfight broke out between the Boonta pilots who spent their time there . As the situation heated , the pilot took a ruby bliel and exited the cantina , following one of the other patrons that was thrown out during the fight . Outside , the pilot witnessed a standoff between Skywalker and the Dug podracer pilot Sebulba , with Banai and Wald also present . Taking an imposing posture , he inquired as to what was going on . Assuring the pilot that he meant no harm to the boy , Sebulba quickly left the scene . Advising the boys not to go into Maggy the Gorgon ' s , the pilot gave them his ruby bliel , and Banai and Wald left . Before Skywalker joined his friends , he asked the pilot to tell him about the Angels again the next time he visited the cantina . The pilot agreed and returned to his Duros companion inside the cantina . When the Duros asked him why he bothered talking with a slave , the pilot replied that he sensed something special about the boy . Hearing those words , the Duros jokingly stated that the pilot sounded like a Jedi , but the latter laughed it off . < ref name = " TPM 1 / 2 " > " " < / ref > Not long after that , Skywalker indeed found himself behind the controls of a starfighter , helping to put an end to the Trade Federation ' s invasion of the planet Naboo . Personality and traits . The gruff old spacer was a tall , lean , and corded man , with a weatherworn and sun - browned face and hair cut short . He had distinctly styled gray - colored facial hair , which consisted of a full beard , shaved at the chin with the exception of a small strap of hair there . The man possessed eyes that were an odd color of gray , and a warm and ironic smile . Despite having traveled a lot around the galaxy during his days at the corps , he still believed that he was far from seeing all the wonders of space . When he realized that he had become too old for his profession , he retired and enjoyed telling tall tales to gullible audiences . The pilot was a determined man , following through with his idea to fly the Kessel Run despite all the discouragement he had received . When he saw Anakin Skywalker handling a pod , the spacer was very impressed by the boy ' s skill , believing that Skywalker was better at flying than he himself had been at twice the boy ' s age . When Skywalker expressed his desire to become a space pilot , the old man supported him , telling the boy that he should not accept his fate as a slave as permanent . The pilot ' s experience told him that Skywalker would succeed in his dream ; the feeling was so strong that his Duros companion compared it to a Jedi ' s Force sense . In terms of starfighters , the pilot had a preference for the Z - 95 Headhunter . The pilot was afraid of the return of the Sith , and became visibly frightened when Skywalker mentioned that ancient order . However , he could also be rather frightening himself , forcing Sebulba to quickly retreat during the standoff at Maggy the Gorgon ' s . Behind the scenes . The retired pilot first appeared in Terry Brooks ' 1999 of . The scene where Anakin Skywalker meets a space pilot after his unfortunate race is also featured in " Anakin ' s Fate " , a storybook written by Marc Cerasini and illustrated by John Alvin . However , " Anakin ' s Fate " contradicts " The Phantom Menace " novel in a number of ways . In the storybook , instead of Wald , Skywalker is accompanied by a boy named Seek . Instead of the old veteran depicted in the novel , the space pilot is portrayed as a young man . The dialogue between him and Skywalker is also different . Instead of talking about his past career , the young pilot only tells Skywalker to pursue his dreams , believing that the boy flies better than he himself did at his age . " " featured the pilot , establishing that he was the one who told Skywalker about the Angels of Iego . The comic books " " and " " featured a space pilot visiting Maggy the Gorgon ' s . The former comic also had Skywalker asking that pilot to tell him about the Angels again , thus establishing that the pilot is the same character as the one from " The Phantom Menace " novel and the " Episode I Journal . "