| Jabba the Hutt | |
|---|---|
| Star Wars character | |
.png) Jabba the Hutt inReturn of the Jedi (1983) | |
| First appearance | Return of the Jedi (1983) |
| Created by | George Lucas |
| Voiced by |
|
| Performed by | Declan Mulholland David Barclay Toby Philpott Mike Edmonds Himself[i] |
| In-universe information | |
| Full name | Jabba Desilijic Tiure |
| Species | Hutt[2] |
| Gender | Male[3] |
| Occupation | Crime lord[3] |
| Affiliation | Grand Hutt Council[4] Crymorah Syndicate[4] |
| Family | |
| Children | Rotta (son)[13] |
| Homeworld | Nal Hutta[14] |
Jabba Desilijic Tiure,[15] better known asJabba the Hutt (/ˈdʒɑːbə/JAH-bə), is a fictional character in theStar Wars franchise. Initially performed byDeclan Mulholland as a human in theoriginalStar Wars film, Jabba first appeared properly in the 1983 filmReturn of the Jedi as a large,slug-like crime lord of theHutt species. In the film, Jabba was voiced byLarry Ward and depicted by a one-ton puppet operated by several puppeteers. In 1997, Jabba's deleted scene was restored in the originalStar Wars film's Special Edition – retitledA New Hope – where Mulholland was replaced withcomputer-generated imagery. Jabba made his third film appearance in the 1999prequel filmThe Phantom Menace, with Jabba being credited as portraying "himself". Jabba was voiced by Scott Schumann inThe Phantom Menace, while his voice actor inA New Hope is unknown.
Jabba lives in a palace on the desert planetTatooine. He places abounty on the smugglerHan Solo, and sends bounty hunters to capture him. AfterDarth Vader freezes Solo incarbonite, the bounty hunterBoba Fett delivers the frozen Solo to Jabba, who puts him on display in his palace. Solo's friends then save him, but are captured by Jabba; he enslavesPrincess Leia and plans to feedLuke Skywalker,Chewbacca, and Solo to aSarlacc. After they enter to the Sail Barge, Leia strangles Jabba to death, and the group destroy the Sail Barge and escape from Tatooine.
George Lucas wrote and directedStar Wars, which was released in 1977. The script included a scene in which the smuggler Han Solo negotiates with Jabba about a payment he owes him. The scene was meant to give Solo the motivation to transport dangerous passengers for a high fare. It was also meant to explain why Solo was imprisoned in the following film,The Empire Strikes Back.[16]
In a 1985 interview, Lucas said that he originally imagined Jabba as a furry creature that resembled aWookiee. By the time he completed theStar Wars screenplay, Jabba had evolved into a fat, slug-like creature with a gaping mouth and eyes on extended feelers. When filming Jabba's scene,Declan Mulholland served as astand-in for the crime lord. Lucas planned to replace Mulholland inpost-production with an animated creature.[17] Lucas ultimately cut the scene due to budget and time constraints, and because he felt it did not contribute to the film's plot.[18] Additionally, problems with focus pulling on the footage he had captured rendered it unusable until the advent of digital manipulation allowed it to be salvageable. According toPaul Blake, who plays the bounty hunterGreedo, his character's scene was added toStar Wars after Lucas decided to cut the scene with Jabba.[19]
Although Jabba did not appear inStar Wars, he is mentioned in the film and its first sequel,The Empire Strikes Back. He finally appeared in the second sequel,Return of the Jedi (1983). His appearance is similar to the way he was described in theStar Wars script: He is a large, slug-like creature with a wide mouth. Before Lucas settled on this design, he considered other versions of the character. At various points, Jabba resembled an ape, a worm and a snail. One design made Jabba appear too human—almost like aFu Manchu character.[20][21] Nilo Rodis-Jamero, the costume designer forReturn of the Jedi, said he had envisioned Jabba as a refined, intelligent man resemblingOrson Welles.[20]
After an initial design was approved, further design work was done byPhil Tippett, the film's visual effects artist. He based Jabba's body structure and reproductive system on the anatomy ofannelid worms. He modeled Jabba's head on that of a snake, complete with bulbous, slit-pupilled eyes and a mouth that opens wide enough to swallow large prey. He gave Jabba's skin a moist, amphibian quality.[22][23][24]
The next task was to create the Jabba puppet, a process which took three months and cost $500,000.Stuart Freeborn and theIndustrial Light & Magic Creature Shop designed the one-ton puppet, while John Coppinger sculpted its latex, clay, and foam pieces. The puppet had its own makeup artist and required three puppeteers to operate, making it one of the largest puppets ever used in a film.[21][24] The puppeteers includedDavid Barclay,Toby Philpott, andMike Edmonds, who were members ofJim Henson'sMuppet group. Barclay operated the right arm and mouth, while Philpott controlled the left arm, head, and tongue. Edmonds was responsible for the movement of Jabba's tail. The character's eyes and face were operated by radio control.[17][21][25][24] Lucas complained about the difficulty of moving the massive puppet around the set. He was also disappointed by its appearance, later stating that Jabba would have been acomputer-generated character if the required technology had existed at the time.[25]
Jabba's voice was provided byLarry Ward,[26][24][27][28] who was uncredited in the film.[29] A heavy, booming quality was given to Ward's voice bypitching it anoctave lower than normal and processing it through asubharmonic generator.[30][26][31][27][28] Jabba's burping sounds were provided by sound engineer Howie Hammerman.[32][33] A soundtrack of wet, slimy sound effects was recorded to accompany the movement of Jabba's limbs and mouth.[34] The film's composer,John Williams, arranged a musical theme for Jabba that is played on a tuba.[35] Williams later turned the theme into asymphonic piece which he performed with theBoston Pops Orchestra. Themusicologist Gerald Sloan said the Jabba theme "blends the monstrous and the lyrical".[36] According to the film historianLaurent Bouzereau, Jabba's strangulation by Leia was inspired by a scene fromThe Godfather (1972), in which the obese characterLuca Brasi isgarroted by an assassin.[37]
In 1997, theSpecial Edition ofStar Wars was released, now titledStar Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope. Lucas revisited the Jabba scene he had filmed (and ultimately cut) and completed it for the Special Edition, replacing the stand-in actor Mulholland with a computer-generated version of Jabba. He also replaced the English dialogue withHuttese, a fictional language created byBen Burtt, the film's sound designer. The scene consisted of five shots and took over a year to complete. Joseph Letteri, the visual effects supervisor for the Special Edition, said his goal was to make Jabba look as realistic as a flesh-and-blood character.[38][39] The scene was refined for the 2004 DVD release, with improvements to Jabba's appearance made possible by advancements inCGI.[40][better source needed]
At one point during the scene, Ford walks behind Mulholland. This became a problem when adding the CG Jabba, since his tail would be in Solo's path. The solution was to have Solo step on Jabba's tail, causing him to yelp in pain. In the 2004 DVD release, Jabba reacts more strongly, winding up as if to punch Solo. In this version, shadows cast by Solo were added to Jabba's body to make the CGI more convincing.[25] According to Lucas, some viewers were disappointed with the digital Jabba's appearance, complaining that the character did not look realistic. Lucas dismissed this criticism, saying that regardless of whether a character is portrayed by a puppet or CGI, it will always look unrealistic to some degree.[25]
Jabba has been described as an exemplar of lust, sloth, gluttony, and greed.[41] His criminal operations include slavery, gunrunning, spice-smuggling and extortion.[42] He amuses himself by torturing, humiliating and killing both his enemies and his own subordinates.[43] He surrounds himself with scantily-clad slave girls of various species, often chained to hisdais.[44] Jabba's appetite is insatiable, and he sometimes threatens to eat his underlings.[45][46]
InReturn of the Jedi, Solo calls Jabba a "slimy piece of worm-ridden filth". The authors Martha andTom Veitch called his body a "miasmic mass" that seems to release "a greasy discharge, sending fresh waves of rotten stench" into the air.[47] Arthur Knight ofThe Hollywood Reporter described Jabba as a "truly frightening ... walrus-shaped grotesque."[48] The science fiction writerJeanne Cavelos wrote that he deserves an award for "most disgusting alien", while the film criticRoger Ebert described him as loathsome and evil.[49][50]
Although he was mentioned in previous films, Jabba was first seen inReturn of the Jedi (1983), the third film of theoriginal trilogy. The beginning of the film features the attempts of Princess Leia, Chewbacca and Luke Skywalker to rescue Han Solo, who was imprisoned in carbonite inThe Empire Strikes Back (1980). Jabba has put the hibernating Solo on display in his throne room as a decoration. Leia is able to free Han from the carbonite, but she is caught and enslaved by Jabba, who forces her to wear ametal bikini. Luke arrives to bargain for Solo's life, but Jabba rejects his offer and attempts to feed him to arancor. After Luke kills the monster, Jabba decrees that he, Solo and Chewbacca will be fed to a Sarlacc, a deadly ground-dwelling beast. Luke orchestrates an escape with the help of R2-D2, and defeats Jabba's thugs. During the chaos, Leia strangles Jabba to death with the chain used to enslave her. As Luke and his friends depart, Jabba's sail barge explodes.
Jabba appears in the Special Edition ofStar Wars, which was released in 1997. In the film, Jabba meets with Solo, who pledges to pay Jabba for lost cargo. Jabba threatens to place a large bounty on him if he does not follow through. Jabba also appears briefly in the 1999 prequel filmThe Phantom Menace. He launches apodrace atMos Espa, then falls asleep and misses the conclusion of the race.[51]
Jabba's son Rotta is captured by Separatists in the animated filmThe Clone Wars (2008). It is later revealed that Ziro, Jabba's uncle, took part in the kidnapping as part of his plan to take control of the Hutt Clan. The Jedi KnightAnakin Skywalker and his apprenticeAhsoka Tano return Rotta to Jabba in exchange for the safe passage ofRepublic ships through his territory.Padmé Amidala exposes Ziro's crimes to Jabba; outraged by his uncle's betrayal, he vows to ensure that Ziro will be severely punished.[52]
Jabba appears in several episodes ofThe Clone Wars series (2008–2014; 2020). In "Sphere of Influence", he is confronted byChairman Papanoida, whose daughters were kidnapped by Greedo. Jabba allows a sample of Greedo's blood to be taken to prove he is the kidnapper.[53][54] In "Evil Plans", Jabba hires the bounty hunterCad Bane to bring him plans for the Galactic Senate building. When Bane returns with the plans, Jabba and the Hutt Council send him to free Ziro from prison.[55][56] Jabba makes a brief appearance in "Hunt for Ziro", in which he laughs at his uncle's death at the hands ofSy Snootles, and pays her for delivering Ziro's holo-diary.[52][57] In "Eminence", Jabba and the Hutt Council are approached by the Shadow Collective leadersDarth Maul,Savage Opress andPre Vizsla. Jabba is not willing to ally with them, and sends the bounty huntersEmbo,Dengar, Sugi and Latts Razzi to capture them. After a battle, the Shadow Collective confronts Jabba at his palace on Tatooine, where he finally agrees to an alliance.[58][59]
Jabba is voiced byEd Asner inthe radio dramatizations of the original trilogy.[60]
Following the acquisition ofLucasfilm byThe Walt Disney Company in 2012, most of the licensedStar Wars novels and comics produced between 1977 and 2014 were rebranded asStar Wars Legends and declared non-canon to the franchise. TheLegends works comprise a separate narrative universe.[k]
The first appearances of Jabba in any visual capacity were inMarvel Comics'adaptation ofA New Hope, which includesSix Against the Galaxy (1977),What Ever Happened to Jabba the Hut? (1979)[l] andIn Mortal Combat (1980). In these comics, Jabba appears as a tall humanoid with a walrus-like face, atopknot, and a brightly-colored uniform.[65] He was based on a character later named Mosep Binneed, who appears briefly in theMos Eisley Cantina scene inStar Wars.[17][66][67]
While awaiting the sequel toStar Wars, Marvel kept the monthly comic going with its own stories, one of which depicts Jabba tracking down Solo and Chewbacca to an old hideaway they use for smuggling. Circumstances force Jabba to lift the bounty on Solo and Chewbacca, which enables them to return to Tatooine for an adventure with Luke. In another story, Solo kills the space pirate Crimson Jack and busts up his operation, which Jabba bankrolled. Jabba then renews the bounty on Solo.[66][67]
The 1977novelization of Lucas'sStar Wars script describes Jabba as a "great mobile tub of muscle andsuet topped by a shaggy scarred skull", but gives no further detail about his appearance or species.[68]
Zorba the Hutt's Revenge (1992), ayoung-adult novel byPaul and Hollace Davids, identifies Jabba's father as another powerful crime lord namedZorba and reveals that Jabba was born 596 years before the events ofA New Hope, making him around 600 years old at the time of his death inReturn of the Jedi.[69] Four comics exploring Jabba's backstory were written byJim Woodring and released byDark Horse Comics between 1995–1996; these were published collectively asJabba the Hutt: The Art of the Deal in 1998.[70][71]Ann C. Crispin's novelThe Hutt Gambit (1997) explains how Jabba and Solo become business associates and depicts the events that lead to a bounty being placed on Han's head.[72]
Tales from Jabba's Palace (1996), a collection of short stories edited byKevin J. Anderson, pieces together the lives of Jabba's various minions and their relationship to him during the last days of his life. These stories reveal that many of Jabba's servants are resentful towards him and want to assassinate him. After Jabba is killed inReturn of the Jedi, his surviving courtiers join forces with his rivals on Tatooine. At the same time, Jabba's family on the Hutt homeworldNal Hutta make claims to his palace, fortune, and criminal empire.[14]Timothy Zahn's novelHeir to the Empire (1991) reveals that a smuggler namedTalon Karrde eventually replaces Jabba as the "big fish in the pond" and moves the headquarters of his criminal empire off of Tatooine.[73]
The Telegraph called Jabba one of the most memorable creatures in theStar Wars franchise.[74]Business Insider's Travis Clark said, "Like Stormtroopers or Darth Vader, some villains just come to mind when you think ofStar Wars. Jabba is another one of them."[75]Rolling Stone said that Jabba is "without a doubt the finest Star Wars portrait of theid" and that one has to "admire his dedication of being his true, absolutely horrendous self".[76]The Denver Post applauded the special effects team onReturn of the Jedi for making Jabba look like a "horrid creature".[77]
Several commentators have derided the computer-generated versions of Jabba and other Hutts. Phil Owen ofTheWrap said the digital Jabba in the 1997 release ofA New Hope looked "incredibly horrible", while Matt Goldberg ofCollider called it "awful".[78][79] After the appearance of theHutt Twins in the seriesThe Book of Boba Fett, Matt Singer ofScreenCrush wrote that no Hutt should ever be CG, as it does not appear realistic.[80]
Jabba's voice was performed by linguist Larry Ward, who had a deep voice to begin with... "but not deep enough," said Ben Burtt. He pitch-shifted a low as it would go and retain intelligibility, and added a subharmonic generator in short bursts. Then he added the sound of a macaroni cheese for the slurping!
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