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| “ | There will be no bargain, young Jedi. I shall enjoy watching you die. | „ |
| ~ Jabba the Hutt sentences Luke Skywalker to death, before attempting to feed him to the same Rancor he fed Oola to. |
Jabba Desilijic Tiure, mostly known across popular media as Jabba the Hutt, is a major character in the Star Wars franchise. He is a fat, slug-like alien gangster, one of the most successful crime lords in the entire galaxy, and a member of the Hutt Clan and the Grand Hutt Council.
He is extremely prosperous and wealthy, as well as a major figure on Tatooine, where he controlled the bulk of the trafficking in illegal and iniquitous goods, piracy, and slavery that generated most of the planet's wealth. He was also highly authoritative and influential in the entire Outer Rim. He was initially an ally of Han Solo, but following a botched smuggling mission, Han fell out of Jabba’s favor and the Hutt placed a high bounty on his head.
In the original trilogy, he was portrayed by the late Declan Mulholland and voiced by the late Larry Ward. In the Clone Wars film and series, he is voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson, who also played Sarevok Anchev, Captain Gantu, Lester Krinklesac, the Joker, Trigon, the Shredder, Crunch Bandicoot, Temutai, Gorilla Grodd, Captain Cold and Chairman Drek.
Contents
Roles
He serves as a major antagonist in the original trilogy, appearing as a minor antagonist in A New Hope, a mentioned antagonist in The Empire Strikes Back and the opening antagonist of Return of the Jedi. He also appears as a cameo character in The Phantom Menace, a major character in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, a recurring character in the latter's 2008-2020 animated TV show of the same name and a posthumous antagonist in The Book of Boba Fett.
Biography
The Phantom Menace
In 32 BBY (before the Battle of Yavin), Jabba hosts the Podrace at the Boonta Eve Classic between Anakin Skywalker and Sebulba on Tatooine.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars Movie
During the time of the Clone Wars, Jabba's son was kidnapped by his uncle by the name of Ziro the Hutt and Count Dooku to convince Jabba to join the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Luckily, Anakin Skywalker, a former resident of Jabba's planet, saved him.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars Series
Jabba had to help the Jedi during the time of the Clone Wars. He helped Darth Maul and Savage Opress form the Shadow Collective.
A New Hope 20th Anniversary Special Edition
In 1997-onwards releases of the original film, Jabba meets Han at the Millennium Falcon, to demand the money the captain owed him, and to ask why he killed Jabba's henchman named Greedo in an earlier scene. Han then tells the Hutt that he has a charter and will pay him back with a little extra. Jabba agreed, but he made it clear that if Han failed again, he would put such a high price on Han's head, that he wouldn't be able to go anywhere without an army of bounty hunters waiting to collect it. During their conversation, Han accidentally steps on Jabba's tail. The last time Jabba is seen in this version is when he tells Boba Fett and others to get moving and they leave.
The Empire Strikes Back
Jabba does not appear in the sequel, but his motivations are pivotal to the plot. He has increased the bounty on Han’s head, leading Han to attempt to leave the Rebellion at the beginning of the film to repay his debt.
Boba Fett is hired by both Jabba and Darth Vader to capture Han (Vader also wants Leia, Chewie, and Threepio). When Vader kidnaps Han, he sadistically has him tortured for no reason and then frozen in carbonite as a test, planning to do the same to Luke. He turns the frozen Han over to Boba, who departs Bespin to deliver Han to Jabba.
Return of The Jedi
Several months later, Jabba the Hutt had been holding a frozen Han Solo on his wall. He was in the first act of the film, where Princess Leia Organa, Chewbacca, and Luke Skywalker attempt to rescue their friend.
The captured Han is delivered to Jabba by Boba and placed on display in the crime lord’s throne room. Lando Calrissian, C-3PO, R2-D2, Leia, and Chewbacca infiltrate Jabba's palace to save Han. Leia herself is soon enslaved by the Hutt, and she is forced to wear her iconic golden bikini along with being chained to Jabba. Soon afterward, Luke arrives to "bargain for Solo's life"; but Jabba condemns Luke, Han, and Chewbacca to the sarlacc. At the Great Pit of Carkoon, Luke escapes execution with the help of R2-D2 and defeats Jabba's thugs. During the subsequent confusion, Boba is (seemingly) accidentally killed by Han, while Leia shuts off all the lights in the sail barge and strangles Jabba to death with the very chain he forced her into; with that, Luke, Leia, Han, Lando, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2 manage to escape, blowing up the sail barge and killing Jabba’s remaining men as they flee the scene.
Legacy
Canon
After the explosion the wreck of Jabba's sail barge was picked clean by Jawas and Tusken Raiders, with Boba Fett escaping the Sarlacc soon after being swallowed by the creature. Jabba's Majordomo Bib Fortuna managed to escape the explosion of Jabba's sail barge and made his way back to Jabba's palace, where he seized control of what was left of Jabba's criminal empire. Due to Fortuna possessing none of Jabba's skill or influence, Tatooine was divided and ruled by three families while he maintained uneasy alliances with these families to keep his rule and tributes. Fortuna also was so impotent that he had to pay tribute to Mos Espa Mayor Mok Shaiz due to Shaiz's connection with the Pyke Syndicate. For the next five years he ruled in Jabba's place, putting on a great deal of weight in the years after his Master's death. Fortuna spent the next five years ruling as a figurehead. Fortuna's career as a crime lord was cut short when Boba Fett returned, killed him, and took over as Daiymo (Lord) of Tattooine. This was opposed by many of Fett's rivals, and Jabba's twin cousins decided to assert their claim to Jabba's empire then. However, when the Pyke Syndicate began making their own moves, the twins quickly abandoned their claims to Tattooine.
Legends
| “ | Hero of the Rebellion and all that aside, a bunch of our people figure they owe (Luke) Skywalker big for getting them out of permanent hock to Jabba the Hutt. | „ |
| ~ Aves |
As in canon history, the remnants of Jabba's sail barge were picked clean by the Jawas after the rescue of Han Solo by his friends. Soon after his death the various members of Jabba's criminal empire began fighting among themselves for control. With no strong leader to take over after Jabba's death, Jabba's empire broke apart. Many of the people who owed large sums of money to Jabba were grateful to Luke Skywalker for getting them out of permanent debt as the fracturing of his empire had the effect of wiping away their debts.
Appearance
An enormous, fat slug-like creature of the Hutt species, Jabba can barely move around in an environment of humanoids. He is is 604 years old and has a huge head and mouth, small arms and a huge body with a tail. Due to his lifestyle of continuous eating, coupled with his sedentary position on his repulsorlift throne, Jabba developed a gargantuan stomach. Initially, he was often off his dais and his stomach protruded slightly, as it possessed a simplistic complexion; yet as he grew older and fatter, he was only ever seen on his throne and his huge appetite hadn't gone anywhere, so more fat began building around in his stomach and its general complexion became much more lined and complex. He can't speak Basic, instead speaking in the language, Huttese. He is also shown to be defenseless on his own — instead of relying on numerous henchmen and slaves to get what he wants. Jabba is best remembered by audiences for his disgusting appearance and enormous girth, which has been parodied numerous times and is commonly associated with obesity — even though in Jabba's case, it is an inherent trait of his race.
Personality
| “ | If I told you half the things I’ve heard about this Jabba the Hutt, you’d probably short-circuit! | „ |
| ~ C-3PO to R2-D2 about Jabba the Hutt. |
Jabba's personality is just as vile as his outward form. He is shown to be an extremely cruel, sadistic, misogynistic, and lustful individual, and that he enjoys the suffering of those who oppose him, feeding them to his pet rancor (or the Sarlacc) while he watched, entertained. He is also greedy as he often goes against his word regarding business deals and will do anything to preserve his wealth.
Jabba had a perverted desire towards humanoid females, often keeping them as his slave girls, forcing them to dress revealingly and dance provocatively for his amusement. If one of his slave girls rebels against him, he has them killed by his pet rancor and simply claims another slave girl to take their place. He is also known for making his favorite slaves (such as Oola and Leia) sit next to him and be chained to him like his personal prize. However, his fetish towards humanoid females proved to be his downfall, as he was killed by his final slave girl Leia when she strangled him to death using the very chain he used to enslave her with.
Jabba is a great deal more intelligent and manipulative than he appears to be, which is why Luke Skywalker’s attempt in using a Jedi mind trick doesn’t work on him. Another example of him showing his intelligence is how he used his connections and business dealings to avoid capture despite his crimes.
Jabba is also rather cowardly and pusillanimous, as he prefers using his hired servants and monsters like the rancor to do his bidding; to be fair, he is large and slow and has arms too short for fistfights. However, Jabba can be cowed by a person of genuine will with enough leverage — such as Darth Maul, for example.
Despite his vile personality and disgusting acts, Jabba has a kinder side to himself. He clearly and genuinely loves his son, Rotta, being very angry when he was kidnapped and willing to severely punish those who did that, a trait rarely seen among crime bosses that is his sole redeeming quality so far.
Relationships
Allies
- Bib Fortuna
- Oola
- Ephant Mon (Good friend)
- Wooof
- Greedo
- Sy Snootles
- Salacious B. Crumb
- Cane Adiss
- Yarna d'al' Gargan
- Max Rebo Band
- Greeata Jendowanian
- Attark
- Barada
- Ak-Rev
- Doallyn
- Giran
- Lyn Me
- Rappertunie
- John Yowza
- Umpass-stay
- Barquin D'an
- Mosep Binneed
- Rystall Sant
- Kithaba
- J'Quille
- Buboicullaar
- Jubnuk
- Gartogg
- Doda Bodonawieedo
- Klaatu
- The Galactic Empire (sometimes)
- Darth Vader (sometimes)
- Stormtroopers (sometimes)
- Boba Fett
- Dengar
- Bossk
- IG-88B
- 4-Lom
- Zuckuss
- Count Dooku (sometimes)
- Humanoid slaves
- Twi'lek Slaves
- Gardulla (rival sometimes)
Enemies
- Jedi Order
- The Republic
- Luke Skywalker
- Princess Leia
- C-3P0
- Han Solo
- R2-D2
- Chewbacca
- Lady Vararian
- Ziro
- Count Dooku (sometimes)
- Galactic Empire (sometimes)
- Darth Vader (sometimes)
- Stormtroopers (sometimes)
- Gardulla (rival sometimes)
- Gardulla's criminal empire
Trivia
- Jabba is the only major antagonist of the original trilogy that does not serve the Empire. Even Boba Fett would side with the Empire and capture the Millennium Falcon for them at first.
- The whole scene of Jabba CGI's appearance in A New Hope was highly disliked by most Star Wars fans. Mainly because Jabba's design in the 1997 Special Edition looked nothing like his portrayal in Return of the Jedi. There is also the fact that Jabba's appearance (and himself) was supposed to be a mystery to the audience until the Return of the Jedi came out. Its 2004 edition was better liked for being closer to his Return of the Jedi look.
- In Return of the Jedi, Jabba's slimy sound was mostly made with a bowl of melted cheese.
- Wizard ranked Jabba the Hutt as #28 on their "Top 100 Greatest Villains" list.
- In the Angry Birds Star Wars franchise, Jabba makes a return. He only appears in the intro cutscene for the Endor stage (enslaving Leia before getting beaten up by an enraged Luke, but he makes his playable debut in the prequel game. Here, he can generate a shockwave that can deal damage to the area he collides with. He sticks his tongue out when he flies. Probably due to their size, he is played by the Fat Pig. Like Chewbacca, he can only be summoned by character swap.
 Villains
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Season One | ||
