Panaka was an NPC, Queen Padme Amidala's bodyguard.
The Phantasmal Malevalence[]
When the Trade Federation invaded Naboo for the first time, Panaka was captured by the Feds' droids along with one of the Queen's handmaidens who had disguised herself as the Queen to protect her, Sio Bibble the Queen's advisor, and a group of handaidens including the real Queen disguised as one of them. The group was being forcibly escorted by the droids to the palace courtyard when they were rescued by the Jedi Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan.
When the Jedi learned from Bibble that Senator Palpatine on Planet Coruscant had information on the Lost Orb of Phanastacoria, they and Jar Jar Binks wanted to go there right away. When the handmaiden posing as the Queen tried to insist that the Jedi should stay and try to defend Naboo, Qui-Gon offered to take her along with them. Panaka refused to let her leave without them, so Qui-Gon agreed to take the Queen's entire entourage except for Bibble, whom Qui-Gon distrusted.
Panaka and the others managed to escape on the royal barge, flying it into orbit, trying to get the ship past the Federation blockade.
As the royal barge tried to fly through the Federation blockade, the Feds opened fire on the ship, severely damaging it's shield generator. One more hit would've been enough to destroy the ship. R2-D2 volunteered to go out on the hull to fix the damage. There were a few other astromech droids on the hull working on it, but they were blasted away by the Feds firing on them. R2 was able to fix the generator, restoring the shields, and the ship was able to fly through the blockade to safety.
Ric Olie reproted the ship was 23% damaged, but would be able to make it to Coruscant. Obi-Wan thought they should stop at the nearest planet for repairs. Qui-Gon agreed, and also wanted to add weapons to the ship, in case the Feds pursued. They headed to the nearest planet, Tatooine, a desert wasteland ruled by gangsters.
The Queen sent for Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and R2 to thank them for saving the ship. Obi-Wan tried to talk her into landing on Tatooine. The Queen allowed them one day on Tatooine to get the repairs and weapons they wanted. R2 demanded, in exchange for saving the ship, that the Queen have her most beautiful handmaiden polish him. The Queen acceeded to R2's request by sending him her handmaiden, Padme.
When the ship landed outside a major city on Tatooine, Obi-Wan decided to stay on the ship feeling the need to proctect the Queen from any encounter they might have with sand creatures.
As Qui-Gon, Jar Jar, and Artoo left the ship, Panaka told them the Queen had ordered them to take Padme with them to learn more about the planet.
Panaka stayed on the ship for the rest of the ship's stay on Tatooine. He was present, but not active when the ship reached Coruscant, and he left with everyone else when the ship headed back to Naboo and landed near Otoh Gunga.
Everyone gathered around the shore leading to the underwater city of Otoh Gunga, waiting for Jar Jar to return from there and give a report. He arrived and reported that the Gungans had all left the city to go to the secret hiding place in the swamp, to make exlopding soap bubbles for the fight filled with electric mosquitoes, and that these bubbles would be piled on the backs of the dinosaur ponies.
Jar Jar led them to the hiding place, where they met the Gungans headed by Boss Nass and Captain Tarpals. The Queen appealed to the Gungans for aid, but was refused by Nass. She asked Jar Jar to negotiate. Jar Jar told Nass that they should help the Naboo humans defeat the Trade Federation droids, and then they could retrieve the Lost Orb of Phanastacoria. Nass agreed, but Jar Jar insisted he should demand payment for their aid: 10 humans per day so the Gungans would never have to worry about food again. At this point, Padme came forward to reveal that she, Padme Amidala was the real Queen of Naboo. She offered to sacrifice herself to the Gungans to save her people. Fortunately, Anakin came up with a better solution. He pointed out to Nass that without their help, the Gungans couldn't get to the Trade Federation orbital headquarters where the Orb was, and it'd be a shame if someone should destroy the hq and the Orb along with it. Nass backed down, and agreed to help the humans.
Everyone made their strategy. Jar Jar would lead the Gungans to fight the droid army by attacking them with the soap bubbles. Qui-Gon suggested they fill up the bubbles with water from the geysers at high tide. Meanwhile, everyone else would storm the palace through the hangar and take the Fed leaders captive.
Jar Jar took charge of the Gungan army and led them into battle with a rousing speech.
Everyone else stormed through the hangar where the Naboo space fleet was docked. Ric Olie and the other Pilots, who'd been rescued from the hangar and been on the royal barge all along on the trips to Tatooine, Coruscant, and back to Naboo came forward and took off in their space fleet to battle the Fed ships orbiting the planet.
At the hangar, Qui-Gon ordered Anakin to take a fighter ship, go to the orbital hq, and assassinate the Feds' leaders. Obi-Wan asked Qui-Gon sarcastically why he didn't get Anakin to single-handedly destroy the base, and deactivate the Lost Orb and bring it back while he was at it? Qui-Gon thought that was a good idea and told Anakin to do it. Anakin reluctantly climbed onboard the fighter. R2 eagerly joined him as his co-pilot.
Suddenly, the Black-Robed Figure Qui-Gon had fought earlier on Tatooine entered the hangar. Qui-Gon rushed forward to attack with his laser sword. He was confident because with Obi-Wan by his side, it'd be two against one. Then the Figure revealed his laser sword was double-ended. Qui-Gon ordered Padme to lead her men to the throne room while he and Obi-Wan fought the Figure. Padme tried to do so, but she and her men were pinned down by the remaining droids in the hangar. R2 and Anakin were still in the hangar, in the fighter they were abaord on. R2 took charge of the fighter, using its laser to obliterate the droids. Padme and her men rushed out of the hangar while R2 and Anakin took off in their fighter to take part in the space battle orbiting the planet.
Padme escaped the droids, led her men climbing up the outside of the palace wall, stormed the throne room, and captured the Fed leaders.
Afterwards, everyone was back together at the palace when they were greeted by Palpatine, who announced that he'd been elected Chancellor. He also casually mentioned that as a retired Jedi, he had the courtesy title of Darth Sidious. He warned, however, that Valorum had disappeared like a phantom, and may become a menace. Now that they had the Orb, Obi-Wan insisted on giving it back to the Gungans, and Palpatine reluctantly agreed.
Everyone was present for Qui-Gon's funeral, who had been killed by the Figure (Darth Maul) where his body was being cremated. Obi-Wan promised Anakin he would train him inthe ways of the Jedi.
A big victory celebration was performed at the palace, where Padme formally gave back the Lost Orb to Boss Nass.
A New Generation[]
If Panaka was still alive 32 years later and living on Naboo, he was most likely killed along with everyone else on Naboo when Darth Vader ordered the planet's destruction from the laser of the Peace Moon.