Toyota Johnson
From Ewokpedia
Toyota Johnson was a black human podracer who gained fame after becoming the third human to ever win a podracing championship.
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[edit] History
[edit] Early Life
Toyota grew up on the planet Tattooine, where from an early age he was exposed to the exciting, dangerous, and highly illegal sport of podracing. All his life he wanted to be a racer jock like Sebulba and Gasgano, but his hero was the nine-year-old Anakin Skywalker, who was the first human to win the Christmas Eve Classic Championship, making him the first human to win any championship. He vowed that he would be the second. He spent his days in the local arcade playing Star Wars: Podracer, learning the ins-and-outs of the dangerous vehicles. The arcade owner, a man by the name of Jorge Sacul, noticed promise in the bright young boy, and offered to be the boy's podracing manager. Jorge owned his own podracer, but did not have a pilot for it. Toyota enthusiastically accepted, and Jorge would enter the boy into his first races.
[edit] Early career
At the age of fifteen and three quarters, Toyota entered his first race, the Good Friday 500. While he performed admirably, the boy did not even place in the top ten. He did, however, beat the spread and the bets on whether or not he would survive, making him a star overnight. Crowds lined up to see the young boy escape death, and Toyota and his manager made millions in merchandising. The boy slowly honed his skills, moving up into the top ten by his tenth race and into the top five by his twentieth.
[edit] Disappointment
His career seemed in jeopardy, however. A new young human had arrived on the scene, drawing his fans away and decreasing his manager's revenues. This new boy, named Goldak Starpelter, was an instant hit, placing third in his second race ever. The two would race against each other for the first time in the Feast of the Assumption Classic. Toyota, now a seasoned veteran, could barely keep pace with the new hot-shot young pilot. The race was neck-and-neck until 500 meters to the finish line, when Goldak, using his final turbo boost, pushed ahead and won the race by a hair's breadth. Goldak would become the second human pilot to ever win a podracing championship, with Toyota languishing in second place. The future looked bleak for Toyota.
Toyota went into a deep depression after his defeat, falling into spice addiction and alcohol abuse. For the first time in his life, he crashed his podracer. Fans stopped showing up to see him, instead cheering for the newcomer Goldak.
[edit] Champion
With the moral support of his close-friend, confidant, and manager, Toyota was able to break free from his addictions and take his life back. He would triumphantly return to the track for the Good Friday 500, the same race he first entered so many years ago. Goldak was there, arrogant from his many victories, and ready to shove everything Toyota worked so hard for back into his face. The race was long and grueling, but only one of two pods was going to be declared the victor: Goldak or Toyota. Toyota, knowing his Podracer would not be able to outpace his opponent's, opted for a different strategy. As they neared Tusken's Hole, Toyota slammed his pod against Goldak's, sending Goldak careening into the rockface and killing the hotshot pilot on impact.
The crowds cheered as Toyota crossed the finish line, now the third human to ever win a podracing championship. It would not be his final race, nor his final championship. For many years after his initial victory, he continued to race, drawing larger and larger crowds. He became a household name, and made millions in merchandising and licensing.
[edit] Later Life
He would eventually settle down with his long-time partner and manager Jorge Sacul, retiring from the circuit to a home on the planet of Alderaan. They adopted a young Aqualish boy they named Stevie, and lived the rest of their days in peace.
Both Toyota Johnson and Jorge Sacul are presumed dead after the Death Star destroyed the planet Alderaan.
[edit] Behind the Scenes
The story of Toyota Johnson was chronicled in the 2001 Hallmark Channel special "Toyota Johnson: Portrait of a Podracer." While George Lucas is credited with portraying Toyota's manager, the actor who portrayed Toyota himself was left uncredited.
