Why Aren’t Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan Drenched After Entering Gungan City?

In Episode I, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan swim to the Gungan city of Otoh Gunga. This underwater city has incredible bubble structures that allow its residents to live. We would expect that the two visitors would be drenched when they enter one of them, but they aren’t. What explains that discrepancy? Technology.

Otoh Gunga and the Bubbles

On Naboo, Otoh Gunga lies below the surface of Lake Paonga. This city consists of a “glittering cluster of jewel-like bubbles” that are “hydrostatic force-fields” with “breathable atmospheres.” 

These bubbles are “anchored to the lake floor” and home to about “one million residents.” The city contained portals to allow inhabitants in and out, which is a testament to Gungan innovation.

In The Phantom Menace, Otoh Gunga is the city from which Jar Jar Binks is banished. After the Trade Federation invades Naboo, Jar Jar leads Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan to the city in an attempt to team up with Boss Nass. 

In this scene, we can see the three of them enter the lake and swim down to the Gungan city. Then, they enter into a bubble or hydrostatic force-field. We would think they would be drenched and dripping on the floor, but they are not.

Why Aren’t Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan Drenched?

When they emerge in the above scene, we see that Qui-Gon’s face, neck, and shirt are wet. We can see some moisture on Obi-Wan too. So, as one fan pointed out here, they are wet “but not soaked.” Perhaps, “the water repelling bubble repelled most of it.” That seems to be the most likely answer.

Hydrostatic fields consist of plasma energy membranes to keep water out and sustain atmospheres. Hence, in their composition, they are designed to be water-free and act the way deflector shields do. These force fields must be so effective that they even strip water away from those entering them.

Yet, we normally think of fields in Star Wars as just blocking something, not stripping that material away. Various force fields protect ships, planets, and, in this case, underwater cities, but that does not automatically invest a stripping-away power. 

However, it appears that the Gungan technology must have this power. As fans here suggest, “the technology used also sucks most of the water off of people” who go through the bubble wall. This video also leads us to the same explanation. The hydrostatic bubbles apparently do have the capacity to not only keep water out but also “dry off” all those entering into them. 

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan Are Mostly Dry

Because of the Star Wars-type hydrostatic fields used at Otoh Gunga, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan can enter a bubble and become mostly dry. The protective field keeps out the surrounding water and removes water from those entering a bubble.