The Star Wars universe has many facets that have yet to or may never be explored in the mainline canon. That said, those aspects may have some deeper lore tied to the Legends stories that came before the main canon. In Star Wars, Legends stories are shows, games, comics and books that expanded from the original films before the Sequel Trilogy debuted. As a result of this unique canon, there's still lore that has yet to be adapted in the main canon that could further expand what's already been established.
One fan-favorite activity shown in only a couple of Star Wars films is podracing. Introduced in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, podracing is a sport that has racers in cockpits tethered to two high-powered engines. When the green flag drops, these racers maneuver through dangerous tracks to be the victor. However, victory or survival isn't guaranteed, as a young Anakin Skywalker learned during his first race. While the sport was beloved for years, a theory by Redditor Kylestache believes that it may have pushed another equally entertaining sport out of the spotlight -- swoop racing.
What Is Swoop Racing in Star Wars?
Swoop racing was conducted on swoop bikes, which were speeders modified to go faster than usual. But rather than maneuver through turns and obstacles, swoop races were straight-line races with some strafing involved. This allowed racers to focus more on speed and control, as there were no major turns to compensate for. Nevertheless, it allowed those with a need for speed to scratch the itch.
The racers were seen primarily in the Legends video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and were part of the many mini-games players could dabble in. What was most exciting was that the sport helped make an era of the galaxy set thousands of years before The Phantom Menace feel just as lived in as The Skywalker Saga. That said, the theory has also posited that swoop racing was inevitably just a placeholder for what would be podracing.
How Does Swoop Racing Connect To Podracing?
At a glance, swoop racing and podracing seem like two sides of the same coin but aren't directly influenced by one another. That said, there are some connective elements from its history that may prove otherwise. For example, swoop racing was found on Tatooine and Anchorhead, among various other locations. But what's exciting is that Tatooine was also a planet that featured dangerous podracing tracks. Therefore, it could be that those swoop racers wanted something different and embraced the advancing technology to create podracers. Since the sandy terrain on the planet is great for racing, it became the perfect location for the sport to get its start.
Ultimately, it's not confirmed whether these two exhilarating sports are connected. But it's hard not to see how one could influence the other. That said, there's a tragedy in the history of both sports, as swoop racing walked so podracing could run, leaving the former doomed to fade away for the more exciting sport. Nevertheless, it also proved that growth is necessary for the Star Wars universe, and things will undoubtedly change over the centuries.