Jabba Desilijic Tiure, better known as Jabba the Hutt, is a primary antagonist in George Lucas' space opera film franchise Star Wars. Jabba the Hutt is seen as a large, slug-like alien. He is introduced as the crime boss who has a bounty on Han Solo's head.
In the original trilogy, Jabba the Hutt was first mentioned in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope and once again in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. He made his first appearance on screen in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, although he appeared in a previously deleted scene that was added to the 1997 theatrical re-release and home media releases of Star Wars after the re-release. Jabba the Hutt later makes a minor appearance in the first film of the prequel trilogy, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, and makes his final film appearance in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Roughly 600 years old, Jabba is a Hutt crime boss and gangster who employs criminals, bounty hunters, smugglers, assassins, and bodyguards to operate his criminal empire. In his palace on the desert planet Tatooine, he keeps a host of entertainers at his disposal that consist of slaves, droids, and alien creatures. He has a cruel sense of humor, a desiring appetite, and a fondness for gambling, slave girls, and torture.
Appearances[]
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace[]
Jabba at the Boonta Eve Classic
Jabba is only seen briefly in this episode. He presides over the Boonta Eve Podrace, and spits a gorg (alien frog) at a gong in order to begin the race. While the races excite the audience, he himself is not interested and eventually falls asleep, but is awakened by his majordomo, Bib Fortuna.[1]
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope[]
In the Special Edition of Episode IV, Jabba is seen with several of his men and bounty hunters, including Boba Fett, at Docking Bay 94, where the Millennium Falcon is docked, looking for Han. When Han does show up, Jabba wonders why he hasn't paid him back yet, and fried Greedo when he showed up at the Mos Eisley Cantina to confront Han about the payment. Han argues that Jabba should confront him in person about it instead of sending one of his lackeys to do it, but Jabba can't make exceptions, arguing that it's not good business if every smuggler who worked for him dropped their cargo at the first sign of an Imperial starship under fear of being searched and the Imperials discovering the illegal contraband. However, Han assures Jabba he has a good offer now, so he'll be able to pay Jabba back in full, plus a little extra, if Jabba allows him the extra time. Jabba allows it, and after agreeing to an extra 15%, he then warns Han that if he screws up and avoids paying him off any further, Jabba will put a price on his head so big that Han won't be able to go near a civilized system. With things with Han settled, Jabba tells his men to depart and return to his palace.[2]
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi[]
C-3PO translating for Jabba
As part of the plan the Rebel Alliance put in place to rescue Han Solo, Luke Skywalker sends the protocol droid C-3PO and astromech droid R2-D2 to Jabba's Palace. R2 carries with him a message from Skywalker, who declares himself a Jedi Knight and announces his intention to bargain for Solo's life. The young Jedi says he would arrive soon, and he offers the two droids as a gift for the crime lord. Jabba boasts that there would be no bargain and conscripts the two droids into his service. C-3PO becomes his new translator, while R2-D2 serves drinks on Jabba's sail barge.
Later, during a performance by the Max Rebo Band, Jabba tries to pull his slave dancer, Oola, closer to him, but she resists his advances. Angered, the Hutt activates the trapdoor in front of his throne and sends her to her death in the rancor pit. The chaotic moment is immediately followed by the bounty hunter Boushh, who brought Chewbacca as their prisoner. Boushh insists on a bounty of 50,000 credits, which Jabba balks at. Boushh then threatens him with a thermal detonator, leading Jabba to compliment Boushh, and the two agree on 35,000 credits. Chewbacca is imprisoned in Jabba's dungeons, while Jabba and his court resume their celebration.
Later that evening, Boushh frees Solo from carbonite, and upon removing their helmet, is revealed to be Princess Leia in disguise. But before they can escape, they are discovered by Jabba. Solo tries to bargain with the gangster, but Jabba ignores his pleas and imprisons him. Meanwhile, Jabba orders his guards to bring Leia to him. After mocking her threats, Jabba licks Leia's face. He then has Leia dressed in a dancing-girl costume and chained to his throne, forcing her to sit at his side as his personal slave girl.
After Jabba enslaved Leia, the Hutt was confronted by Luke Skywalker
The next morning, Jabba is awoken by Skywalker's arrival at the palace. Skywalker demands that Jabba free Solo and his friends, or else face his destruction. Jabba refuses, causing Skywalker to pull a blaster on him, at which point Jabba activates the trapdoor and sent Skywalker and a Gamorrean guard into the rancor pit. The rancor eats the guard, but Skywalker is able to kill the beast, infuriating the gangster. In his anger, Jabba chokes Organa and demands that Solo and Chewbacca be brought before him.
As punishment for the outrage, Jabba sentences Skywalker, Solo, and Chewbacca to be executed by being fed to the sarlacc, a creature that dwelled in the Great Pit of Carkoon. Meanwhile, Leia is spared from execution as Jabba found her attractive. Jabba and his court travel to Carkoon on his sail barge, while the prisoners are transported on a smaller skiff. As Leia watches her friends from a window, Jabba recalls her to his throne to inform her that she will soon learn to appreciate him. Jabba toastes his plans by sharing his drink with Leia.
Jabba's corpse
Upon arriving at Carkoon, Jabba gives his prisoners a chance to beg for mercy. Solo balks at the suggestion while Skywalker offers one last opportunity to free them and threatens to kill Jabba if he did not. The crime lord refuses and orderes the prisoners into the pit, but R2-D2 launches Skywalker's hidden lightsaber toward the Jedi, who begins attacking Jabba's thugs. The growing battle leads to chaos on Jabba's sail barge, during which, Leia smashes Jabba's control panel and disabling the lights in the room and proceeds to strangle him to death with the very chain he enslaved her with. After his death, the Rebels escape and Jabba's corpse is blown up when his sail barge explodes over the sarlacc pit.[3]
Characteristics[]
Jabba the Hutt was greedy, malicious, pragmatic, and adept at bending others to his will. He was also prideful, and he collected things like trophies and trinkets as reminders of his power. He also enjoyed cruelty, in the form of torture, executions, and subjugation (as with the case of his palace). He did this for enjoyment, as well as for practical purposes of logistics and need. Jabba had a tattoo of the Desilijic kajidic symbol on his right arm.
Jabba had an affinity for young female humanoids, often enslaving them as dancers and companions. He would chain his favorite slave girls to his throne and force them to sit with him when they weren't dancing, as was the case with Oola and Leia Organa. Jabba's penchant for female humanoids would eventually become his downfall when Leia used her proximity to the Hutt to kill him.
Despite his cruel, greedy and sadistic nature, Jabba had shown a softer side as evident when he was overjoyed at the return of his Huttlet, Rotta. He was also furious at his uncle Ziro's hand in his son's kidnapping. These two attributes point to the possibility that Jabba cared about and respected family, to a certain extent. Jabba considered Han Solo his best smuggler, and had a measure of fondness for him, though he was frustrated that Han had once "dropped his cargo at the first sign of an Imperial starship" and placed a bounty on his head when Han was unable to pay Jabba the money he owed him.
Behind the Scenes[]
Besides the films, Jabba the Hutt is featured in Star Wars literature and is sometimes referenced by his full name, Jabba Desilijic Tiure. Jabba the Hutt's appearance has since played an influential role in popular culture, particularly in the United States. The name is used as a satirical literary device and a political caricature to underscore negative qualities such as unusual obesity and corruption.
Portrayals[]
In Return of the Jedi, Larry Ward provides his voice while David Alan Barclay, Philpott, and Mike Edmonds serves as his puppeteers. Declan Mulholland serves as his stand-in in A New Hope and Kevin Michael Richardson voices Jabba in The Clone Wars.
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This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original article was at Jabba the Hutt. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Lucasfilm Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License. |