Jabba the Hutt is one of the fictional characters in the cult Star Wars cult universe created by George Lucas. Externally, Jabba resembles a huge slug-like alien in which there is something in common from a toad and from a Cheshire cat.
If you start from the movie saga, then for the first time they talked about the character in "New Hope" (1977), and then in the episode entitled "The Empire Strikes Back", released three years after its predecessor. His immediate appearance took place in Return of the Jedi (1983), the most recent filet of the original trilogy.
general information
Jabba is a true hero-antagonist. It is known that he is about 600 years old, he is engaged in criminal activity and is a real criminal authority, whose name is known throughout the galaxy. He is constantly surrounded by a large retinue, which includes his personal bodyguards, various criminals, smugglers, bounty hunters, mercenaries and slave traders. Jabba spends most of his time in his own palace, located on the desert Tatooine. There, in addition to his retinue, he is surrounded by an even larger and more diverse company, which consists of weak-willed slaves and servant droids. Jabba is known for his strange sense of humor, brutal appetite and a rather gambling nature. In addition to illegal entertainment and torture, he also loves to brighten up his leisure time with the help of slave girls. Below in the photo is Jabba the Hutt, surrounded by a personal retinue.
The character image is often used in satire and political grotesque, especially in the United States. Comparison with Jabba the Hutt arises if the object of criticism suffers from severe obesity or is a very corrupt person.
First character appearance in the movie saga: palace
As we already said, for the first time information about Jabba was added to the New Hope, in one of the plot dialogs. His full-fledged appearance on the screen took place in the final part of the trilogy, namely in the third episode entitled "The Return of the Jedi." According to the plot of the picture, the Hutt gets Han Solo frozen in carbonite, delivered to him by the famous bounty hunter Boba Fett. He exposes his prey to the public in the throne room. Several friends of Khan, among whom were Leia, Lando, Chewbacca and droids, manage to penetrate the Mafiosi palace and lurk among the crowd. Soon, however, Princess Leia herself finds herself captured by the local guard and becomes the personal slave of the crime lord (a scene depicting Leah and Jabba the Hutt is still considered one of the cult in cinema).
After some time, Luke Skywalker arrives at the palace, who offers the Hutt a deal and asks him to let Khan go. In response, Jabba throws Luke into the pit with the terrible Rankor. When the young Jedi deals with the monster, the Hutt informs him that he, Solo and Chewbacca are sentenced to a slow and painful death.
Events at the Pit of Carcone
A little later, all the characters move to the tattoo Sea of Dunes, where a giant alien creature known as Sarlakk lives. Jabba intends to drop the sentenced directly into the jaws of the monster, but at the very last moment they manage to start a shootout. During the confusion, the princess and Jabba the Hutt are left unattended by the latter's faithful bodyguards. Without thinking twice, the girl throws her chain around the creature’s neck and strangles him to death. After that, the character was considered dead.
Second appearance in the movie saga
For the second time, Jabba appeared in the special edition of The New Hope, published in 1997, on the twentieth anniversary of the original trilogy. The hero can be seen in one of the deleted scenes that were intended for the initial show. Jabba, along with other bounty hunters, visits the hangar that houses the Millennium Falcon. He confirms the information about placing the reward for Solo’s head and insists on reimbursement of the cost of the lost cargo.
Initially, the scene was shot with the participation of the Irish actor Deckland Mulholland, who portrayed Jabba the Hutt in a special furry suit. In the reissue of the film, the old alien mafia image was replaced by CGI.
Third appearance
The next, this time the third, appearance of Jabba the Hutt in "Riding Wars" took place in "The Phantom Menace". A small episode with his participation is very insignificant and has nothing to do with the main storyline. The character sits on one of the stands during races on the planet Tatooine, in which young Anakin Skywalker takes part. Several close associates accompany Jabba, among whom a Hutt woman named Gardula stands out. In this scene, the character of Jabba acts as a race manager, however, judging by his appearance, he is clearly not interested in the event and even falls asleep at the very beginning.
The fourth, final appearance in the movie saga
The last return of Jabba the Hutt to the "big" screens took place in the animated film "The Clone Wars" (2008). In it, viewers also met with the son of a famous bandit, who was captured by the separatists. To help Rotta (the name of the son of Jabba), Anakin Skywalker arrives with his Padawan Ahsoka Tano. The heroes manage to save the little Hutt and pass it on to his father, who, as a token of gratitude, allows the ships of the Republic to pass through their territories.
Soon after the full-length cartoon, the series of the same name was followed - in it you can also see Jabba. He appears in only three episodes and participates in several new story arches. In addition, one of the series shows us our old acquaintance Rotta, and the other shows us unheard of uncle Jabba named Ziro.
Comics before 1977
The character began his appearance in literature with a comic strip of The New Hope, which became part of the expanded Star Wars universe. At that time, the final version of the appearance of Jabba had not yet been approved, so in the comics he appeared as a tall humanoid, resembling a walrus and dressed in a bright yellow color.
One of the storylines for the following Star Wars-based comics was dedicated to Jabba and his hunt for Khan and Chewbacca. It is believed that the artists from Marvel took one of the aliens who participated in the tavern scene in the movie "New Hope" as the basis for the appearance of the Hutt. In the novelization of the 1977 scenario, Jabba is described as a huge movable pedestal consisting of muscle and fat. The overall picture is completed by a shaggy skull, on which numerous scars are visible.
Character in literature after 1977
In subsequent Star Wars novels and comics, Jabba completely resembled his cinematic image. Some stories describe the life of a criminal authority even before the events of the movie saga, some trace his path from a simple gangster to the leader of the Desilijiks.
In "Tales from the Palace," Kevin Anderson talks about the life of various servants and slaves of Jabba the Hutt, as well as their relationship to their formidable master. From the stories it becomes clear that most of the servants participated in a conspiracy against the Hutt, while some of them felt a sense of loyalty to him. After the death of Jabba, his surviving retinue entered into a truce with former opponents of the mafia on Tatooine.
Thus, all the wealth of the Hutt for a long time remained beyond the reach of his relatives. In The Heir to the Empire (1991), readers learn that the criminal empire of Jabba was ultimately taken "under the wing" by the smuggler Talon Card.