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The Gungans, while comfortable in aquatic environments, certainly appear to have evolved on the surface of the planet: they walk upright, breathe oxygen, and their army seems well adapted to surface combat as we see at the Battle of Naboo.

Given this, did they previously have settlements partially or entirely on the surface of Naboo, only to be driven entirely underwater after the crash landing of the humans from Grizmallt that later became known as the Naboo people? If so, how did a peaceful group of humans drive a "proud warrior species" with a large standing army from their native lands?

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    I'm pretty sure they're based on amphibians, so they probably evolved in both environments.
    – Scott Whitlock
    Commented Jul 14, 2019 at 13:06

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The best evidence we have is that the Gungan people mostly lived above ground until the Naboo (humans) arrived several thousand years earlier, initially on colony ships, and then in greater numbers as the wealth of their plasma fields became known, until they had sufficient population to merit their own Senate seat.

Palpatine: ...847 years ago, Naboo joined the Republic...

Clone Wars: Crisis on Naboo

Over time the Gungans were forced to retreat underwater and discovered that there was sufficient space to maintain their culture as well as plentiful energy that could power their cities and with sufficient surplus to trade with da Naboo for offworld items.

SECRETS OF OTOH GUNGA

When the amphibious Gungans were forced to retreat underwater in a fierce struggle for territory thousands of years ago, they stumbled upon a secret that enabled them to live there permanently. In deep waters, they came across a strange lifeform known as locap that burrows into porous rock and siphons out plasma. The Gungans found that they were able to extract plasma from the plant using special harvesting bongos (Gungan submarines) equipped with a front-mounted siphon. This natural source of energy has many uses in Gungan life, including the creation of their unique bubble cities. Plasma-based technology allows powerful hydrostatic fields to be generated around basic frameworks, keeping water out but allowing individuals to pass through.

Inside the Worlds of Star Wars: Episode I

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  • This makes sense, would be interesting to understand how the peaceful Naboo were able to defeat the proud warrior Gungans in a "fierce struggle for territory" though.
    – airshanemode
    Commented Jul 15, 2019 at 4:13
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    @airshanemode The Naboo may be peaceful now, but were they when they first arrived? Plus they still have plenty of weapons and the queen makes a habit of using a body double, not something you do often unless you're worried about assassination attempts and the like.
    – JAB
    Commented Jul 15, 2019 at 17:48

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