Watto

Watto was a male Toydarian junk dealer and human trafficker, who owned a shop in Mos Espa, Tatooine. In his youth, he served as a soldier in the Ossiki Confederacy Army on his homeworld of Toydaria, but later left after sustaining permanently damaging injuries. Making his way to Tatooine, he fell in with the Jawa natives of the planet, and learned how to trade from them. Once he felt he had learned all he could, he abandoned the Jawas, and set up Watto's Shop in Mos Espa. He became one of Tatooine's many slave owners, and made a lucrative business for himself. Eventually, he came into possession of a young slave, Anakin Skywalker, who proved to be a gifted mechanic, and an invaluable asset to the running of the store. Soon enough, Watto discovered that the boy had an affinity for podracing.

Watto would often bet on the podraces, and was an avid fan, so he had Anakin race for him in several tournaments. Although the boy never won, he was clearly gifted. During one particular race, Anakin destroyed Watto's own podracer, which incurred the Toydarian's wrath. Shortly thereafter, a stranger to Mos Espa, Qui-Gon Jinn, claimed that he had his own podracer, and that he wanted Anakin to fly it in the Boonta Eve Classic. Watto conceded to the deal, but decided to bet against Anakin, instead investing in the Dug Sebulba. Jinn took the bet, wagering his ship against Anakin's freedom. Ultimately, Anakin won the race, and Watto was left with very little. His business declined, and he eventually had to sell Anakin's mother, Shmi Skywalker. Watto stayed in business until the Galactic Civil War, when he handed over ownership of his shop to his assistant, W. Wald.

Text and facts from the “Watto/Legends” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.