I Was Not Elected to Watch My People Suffer and Die...
STAR WARS EPISODE I: The Phantom Menace 01:28:43
There are a few species in this shot that are tough to figure out. In the top left corner, we've got a character in spacesuit it looks like. (I made some short video clips to help identify who/what they may be)
In the bottom left, we've got a pod of Quarren but they don't appear to be Senator Tikkes' delegation from Mon Cala. They're all wearing maroon/grey robes. Quarren Isolation League? Some other Quarren colony world?
Next to the Quarren, we've got a delegation of Aleena. I count at least 9 in the pod.
Above the Aleena, there's a delegation of Ishi Tib. Senator Gume Saam appears in Episode II so this could be him, or his predecessor, or representatives of another Ishi Tib colony.
To the upper right of the Ishi Tib, we have what appears to be Aqualish, but wearing lighter colored clothing than Po Nudo and his aides (who we see in a later scene).
Below the Aqualish, there are what appear to be Rodians. I first thought maybe these were Roonans like Edcel Bar Gane, but for a second you can see some bumps on their heads that look like antennae, so my guess is Rodians (but a separate delegation from Onaconda Farr's).
STAR WARS EPISODE I: The Phantom Menace - Deleted Scene: Complete Podrace Grid Sequence 02:15
The only instrument I’m not 100% sure on is the “speetamor” found on pg 101 of the Visual Encyclopedia. It’s found with several of the other instruments that appear in this shot.
Hard to tell in the screenshot above, but in addition to the five Bith, the band also includes a Quarren playing the floonorp, a Nikto playing the kettlebox blower bell, a Pacithhip playing the podport bandfill, a Nikto playing the stompsqueezer, and an Ishi Tib playing a sort of keyboard.
Also, the podport bandfill's name derives from the bandfill instrument played by Nalan Cheel of the Modal Nodes in A New Hope (as well as presumably being made of Podracer parts).
The orange colored podracer engines on the left sort of resemble the secondary thrusters on Mawhonic’s pod, but a different configuration. The one on top seems to have an angled fin coming off of it. (Photos from Star Wars Chronicles: the Prequels)
And here is the most noticeable E.T. cameo. The Senator is named Grebleips (Spielberg backwards) and the name of their planet, Brodo Asogi, comes from the sequel novel to E.T. The Book of the Green Planet. It was based on a story by Steven Spielberg. They were only called "Children of the Green Planet" in the book though, the name Asogian was added into Legends later by Abel G. Peña in his novella SkyeWalkers: A Clone Wars Story.
Other names for E.T.'s planet named in the book were:
- Vomestra
- Od-Di-Pa 5
- Tum Lux O-ty
- Alata Zerka
Which all translated to "Green Planet". Personally, I think Brodo Asogi sounds the best, so I'm glad James Luceno chose to go with that when he included them in Cloak of Deception!
There are some odd effects appearing here, seems to be instances where the background extras were superimposed over each other. The Bith's head fades into the Rodian behind, and the Ishi Tib in front of them blends into the two extras on either side. Easier to see in motion.
In the canceled Reflections Gold expansion to Decipher's Star Wars CCG, the Ishi Tib in the bottom left would have been named Drem Redins and the Klatooinian to their right would have been named Griff Mirtong. (Let's hope someday these two aliens can receive their names!)
There are several unnamed extras who have appeared in previous shots in this scene including the man who sat with Sebulba at Akim's Munch when Anakin saved Jar Jar (bottom left next to Rum Sleg).
The woman in the yellow suit who has appeared in several different spots in crowd scenes (in the row in front of and to the left of the Veknoid).
This man with his face painted black and white (one row up and to the right of Rum Sleg) has appeared in several other scenes (center beside the Rodian at 01:02:22).
Also there are MANY "copied and pasted" extras in this scene (and all the crowd scenes). Rango Tel raising his arms up is the most noticeable.