| Watto | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Race | Toydarian[1] |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | junkyard owner (formerly) pod racing driver |
| Status | Alive (Presumed) |
| First Appearance | Episode 60: Convergent Interlocution |
| Last Appearance | Episode 292: Making Him Sweat |
Watto is an NPC. A small blue creature with wings and a big snout for a nose, he's the owner of a repair shop on the planet Tatooine and starts out as the owner of the slaves Shmi and her son Anakin.
The Phantasmal Malevolence[]
Watto in The Phantasmal Malevolence
Qui-Gon, Jar Jar Binks, R2-D2, and Padme entered his shop and met him while they were looking for repairs and weapons for their ship. As Qui-Gon tried to specify what they wanted from Watto, his assistant walked in, a boy named Anakin. Qui-Gon tried to trade the blasters he collected from the Attack Droids for the weapons and repairs they wanted, but Watto replied the blasters weren't worth as much as the new weapons he'd be making for the ship. Qui-Gon tried to use Suggestion on Watto to accept one blaster for the repairs and weapons, but it didn't work on Watto's species. Watto asked if Qui-Gon was a Jedi, since there was a rich bounty to be had on Tatooine for capturing Jedi. R2 advised Qui-Gon that he should just attack Watto.
Qui-Gon decided against attacking Watto, and they all left his shop. Later they learned from Anakin and his mother Shmi, also owned by Watto, and who was sheltering them in her home from a sandstorm, that Watto liked to race in the local pod-races, and one such race was about to start the next day. This gave Qui-Gon an idea.
Qui-Gon approached Watto and offered him a blaster to throw the pod-race. Watto refused. They haggled briefly over the price until Qui-Gon offered the ship to Watto, and Watto agreed.
The next morning, Qui-Gon approached Watto about not even entering in the race. He offered Watto a bet on a die roll. If Qui-Gon won, Watto wouldn't race. If Watto won the roll, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan would become his slaves. Watto rolled the die and won. But Qui-Gon used Fate Manipulation to reroll the die so that Qui-gon won. Watto agreed not to enter the race. Qui-Gon made a further bet with Watto: if Anakin won the race, Watto would free Shmi. If Anakin lost, Queen Amidala would become Watto's slave. Watto accepted.
After Anakin won the race, Qui-Gon met with Watto. Watto agreed to free Shmi for losing his wager, but pointed out he wouldn't be freeing Anakin, which Qui-Gon didn't mind. Qui-Gon gave Watto the money for the weapons and told Watto to have them ready for their ship. Watto pointed out that it was now his ship since Qui-Gon gave it to him for throwing the race. Qui-Gon pointed out that Watto didn't actually throw the race. Watto pointed out that Qui-Gon gave him the ship before he could throw the race. Qui-Gon pointed out Watto had lost that roll of the die, and thus lost his chance to throw the race, making the earlier deal null and void. Watto suggested they take up the matter with the planet's leading gangsters, the Hutts, and Watto could then collect the bounty on Jedi. Qui-Gon calmly suggested Watto take his money and call it a day. Watto asked why he should do that. Qui-Gon answered simply, "Laser sword." This was enough to make Watto back down.
Silence of the Clones[]
Watto in Silence of the Clones
Ten years later, Anakin, Padme, and R2 arrived on Tatooine at Anakin's home town of Mos Espa. They met Watto and Anakin discreetly tried to enquire about the bounty on him for killing Greedo that his mother told him was still in effect. Watto revealed that nobody on Tatooine really cared about justice, so no bounty lasted longer than a few weeks. Anakin hadn't been wanted for that killing in nearly ten years. Anakin asked Watto where Shmi was. Watto told him he should ask Cliegg Lars about her and, after some threatening of limb severing from Anakin, he told him that Cliegg was at a moisture farm South of there.