16. Ben Quadinaros
When young Anakin Skywalker climbed into the cockpit of his podracer to compete in the Boonta Eve Classic podrace, he was up against a highly inexperienced Toong podracer named Ben Quadinaros.
Poor Ben Quadinaros did not get to compete in the illustrious podrace because his power couplings failed right out of the starting gate. Instead, he got to sit by as all of his fellow competitors sped past him, while the pit droids abandoned him.
Ben Quadinaros’ character design makes him look like he could be the cousin of Mucinex’s snot monster Mucus, which makes rewatches of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace infinitely more hilarious.
Contrary to popular belief, when Obi-Wan Kenobi was choosing his secret Tatooine-based moniker, Ben Quadinaros was not his inspiration, or was he? It would be hilarious to learn one day that Leia and Han had named their son, not after a legendary Jedi like Ben Kenobi, but a Toong podracer from Tatooine. Given Ben Solo’s proclivity for piloting, perhaps he would have preferred to be named after a podracer, than a Jedi.
This would also imply that, in the Expanded Universe, Luke’s son Ben Skywalker was also named after an ill-fated podracer. It’s something to think about.