Klaatu

Klaatu

He waskilled aboard Jabba'ssail bargeKhetanna onTatooine during thefailed execution ofLuke Skywalker and his companions.

Biography[]

Klaatu was aKadas'sa'Nikto^[1]male^[4] from theplanetKintan^[1] who served as abodyguard^[5] for theHuttcrime lordJabba Desilijic Tiure in the criminal'spalace on thedesertplanetTatooine. At the palace, Klaatu spent histime repairingskiffs and amassing larger and largergambling debts.^[4] During the childhood ofLuke Skywalker, who was raised as amoisture farmer on Tatooine^[5] from19 BBY,^[6] Klaatu became infamous across the planet for his dark deeds.^[5] In4 ABY,^[2] the guard was present early onemorning^[5] when thedroidsR2-D2 andC-3PO arrived at the palace, carrying a message for Jabba from Skywalker, who was now aJedi Knight. In the message, Skywalker asked to bargain with the Hutt for the freedom of thesmugglerHan Solo and then gifted the droids to Jabba as a sign of good will. After viewing it, Jabba declared that^[7] he^[8] had no interest in losing Solo, who was frozen incarbonite and kept displayed on the wall of the Hutt'sthrone room.^[7]

Skywalker's allyPrincessLeia Organa later arrived at the palace in order to try andrescue Solo, and presented^[7] herself^[9] to Jabba while disguised as thebounty hunterBoushh. After handing over theWookieeChewbacca as aprisoner to Jabba, Organa snuck back into the throne room at night to unfreeze the smuggler;^[7] however, having been tipped off by thebounty hunterBoba Fett, the Hutt knew Boushh was not who they seemed,^[5] and had laid a trap for Organa. Klaatu and a number of other court members lay in wait behind curtains for the princess,^[7] and after anhour^[5] she snuck into the throne room, believing the court to all beasleep. After she released Solo and removed her helmet, Jabba sprung the trap. The curtains were pulled back to reveal Klaatu and many otherguards stood on the stairway^[5] to the throne room's exit, blocking Organa and Solo's escape.^[10] Jabba then had the pair taken prisoner, with Solo dragged off to the dungeons while Organa was forced closer to the Hutt.^[7]

With his allies captured, Skywalker^[7] himself^[11] then arrived at the palace early in the morning while Jabba and much of his court still slumbered. After the crime lord'smajordomo, wasmind tricked by Skywalker into waking the Hutt, theJedi demanded that Solo and the others be freed. Klaatu stood with^[7] fellow guardsVizam andNysad^[10] on the steps beside Jabba's throne, as the Hutt refused the demands, causing Skywalker to threaten the Hutt with ablaster pistol. The crime lord quickly dropped Skywalker, and the unfortunateGamorrean guardJubnuk, into the pit beneath the throne room where they were attacked by Jabba's petrancor,Pateesa. Klaatu rushed forward to the grating above the pit to watch the execution, but after Pateesa devored Jubnuk, Skywalker managed to slay the beast. Outraged, Jabba had Skywalker and his allies dragged up to the throne room and sentenced the Jedi to death along side Solo and Chewbacca. Klaatu then joined the crowd of courtiers that followed the prisoners as they were marched from the throne room.^[7]

Klaatu then traveled on board Jabba'ssail barge, theKhetanna, to theGreat Pit of Carkoon, where the prisoners would be fed to thesarlacc that dwelt there. Upon reaching the pit, Klaatu took up position on the sail barge's top deck and looked down on the prisoners, who had been brought above the pit on separateBantha-II cargo skiffs, while they were given a chance to plead for mercy. After refusing to beg, Skywalker was pushed forward into the pit, but then leapt back onto the skiff carrying the prisoners armed with hislightsaber, which R2-D2 had launched to him from the barge. As Skywalker defeated the guards on the skiff with him, Klaatu rushed around toward the rear of the deck as more of his colleagues emerged to begin firing at the Jedi.^[7]

Skywalker soon worked his way up onto the deck of the barge, killing Vizam, Nysad, and several others, before Klaatu confronted him alongside a human guard. The Jedi disarmed the pair with a stroke of hislightsaber, and both fled back through one of the hatches into the barge's interior. Organa, who had already strangled Jabba, then aimed the barge'sdeck cannon down at the vehicle itself and fired before escaping with Skywalker and her other allies. The blast from thecannon caused the sail barge to explode,^[7] and Klaatu perished when he was pulverized in the blast.^[10]

Personality and traits[]

Klaatu was a thug with the blood of innocents on his hands, but ultimately proved a coward when he fled from Skywalker on the sail barge.^[5] Also a gambler, the Kadas'sa'Nikto eagerly awaited executions while at the palace^[4] and enjoyed viewing those held in the pit below Jabba's throne room. He possessed a gift for repairing the skiffs that he worked on.^[10] As a Kadas'sa'Nikto, Klaatu hadgreen skin and blackeyes.^[7]

Equipment[]

Klaatu wore a tunic, which was still wet with blood when R2-D2 and C-3PO first arrived in the palace.^[5]

Behind the scenes[]

Klaatu was portrayed by the actorJohn Simpkin.^[12] InStar Wars: Card Trader'sGalactic Underworld set, an image of^[13]Yotts Oren^[14] was used to depict Klaatu.^[13]

Appearances[]

• Return of the Jedi – The Rebellion 1(Variant cover only)
• Star Wars: Episode VIReturn of the Jedi(First appearance)
• Return of the Jedi: Beware the Power of the Dark Side!(andaudiobook)
• Star Wars Galaxy of Adventures — "Luke vs. Jabba - Sail Barge Escape"
• Return of the Jedi – Max Rebo 1(Variant cover only)

Sources[]

• Ultimate Star Wars
• Star Wars Helmet Collection 19Weapons & Uniforms: Jabba's Skiff Guards
• Star Wars Helmet Collection 33Databank A-Z: Admiral Kilian–Kowakian
• Star Wars Helmet Collection 36Weapons & Uniforms: Jabba's Courtiers(Picture only)
• Star Wars: Card TraderSet:Galactic Underworld, Card:Klaatu(Visual misidentification ofYotts Oren)
• Star Wars: Geektionary: The Galaxy from A - Z
• Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary, New Edition(Picture only)
• Star Wars: The Vintage Collection(Pack:Klaatu (Skiff Guard)) (backup link)
• Ultimate Star Wars, New Edition
• Star Wars: The Vintage Collection(Pack:Jabba's Sail Barge (TheKhetanna)) (backup link)(Picture only)
• Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian — "Legacy"
• Star Wars Day-at-a-Time Calendar 2021
• "Boba Fett and Other Characters of the Underworld" —Star Wars Encyclopedia(Picture only)
• Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian — "Making of the Season 2 Finale"
• Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy
• Klaatu in theDatabank(backup link)
• Nikto (Green) in theDatabank(backup link)(First identified as Klaatu)

Notes and references[]