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Rancor

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Rancor

Biological classification

Designation

Semi-sentient^[1]

Classification

Reptile^[2]

Subspecies

Physical characteristics

Average height

4.2meters(14feet)^[1]
5 meters^[3]

Average mass

1,650kg(3,638 lbs)^[5]

Skin color

Brown^[6]
Dark blue^[7]
Gray^[8]

Eye color

Black^[6]
Brown^[9]
Green^[10]

Sociocultural characteristics

Point of origin

Dathomir^[11]

Habitat

Grottos^[1]
- Plains^[1]

Diet

Carnivore^[6]

"Rancor are emotionally complex creatures."

―Boba Fett's rancor keeper^[9]

Rancors were very large,semi-sentient reptilian carnivores native to theplanet Dathomir, although they were also introduced to and present onFelucia,Tatooine,Ottethan^[12] andKoboh.^[13] Rancors were often seen as mindless, violent creatures, due to their extensive use as fighters across the galaxy, but were also capable of being trained and bonding well with their handlers and acquaintances.

Biology and appearance[]

Standing around fivemeters tall,^[1] with their long arms, clawed fingers, immense, toothy jaws, andarmored hides (which could withstand muchblaster fire), rancors were a sight to behold, and made formidable predators;^[2] however, they were not inherently vicious tosentient life,^[3] despite their infamous and often-intimidating outbursts when threatened or antagonized.^[4] A subspecies known as thejungle rancor populated the planetFelucia.^[3]Rage rancors were taller than other rancor subspecies, and had an even nastier temperament.Shadow rancors, named for their darker hides, had a notorious penchant for destruction.^[4] The proper plural term for a group of rancors inGalactic Basic Standard was acrash.^[14] Rancors had redblood; when theSith Lord Darth Vader cut into a rancor enhanced via the cyberanimate program, blood flowed from its body instead of the wound cauterizing.^[15]

Behavior[]

"The Rancor is a truly marvelous opponent. They're not very bright, but they more than make up for that with their ferociousss strength."

―The Trandoshan hunter Charr^[16]

Rancors adhered to a social hierarchy, where an alpha was dominant over the other rancors until otherwise defeated.^[10] Despite their massive size and extremely intimidating appearance, the creatures were, inherently, benign. Wild rancors were eventually domesticated by theWitches of Dathomir, usingwitchcraft and darkforce magick, though they still were formidable animals with a short fuse that could be provoked easily into a violent mood.^[17] Though they were often bred for fighting or battle purposes, rancors could be very loving to their owners and handlers if trained and properly socialized.^[9] Rancor younglings tended to be very energetic and blissfully unaware of their own strength and its effect on others, but they could be easily soothed with a chewing bone or a favorite toy; once they were taught basic obedience, young rancors could calm easily and grow to be very gentle, protective companions.^[18] The mouth andteeth of rancors were often cleaned by scavengingbirds, the giants simply laying in-wait for the avian cleaners with their mouths open. However, with larger lifeforms, rancors wouldeat anything that they were capable of swallowing.^[8]

History[]

Pre-Clone Wars[]

"The Force protects me,Terec."
«A pity the same cannot be said for yourrancor. The beast iscorrupted.»
«Myarga! That was a living being!»
«Bleeding hearts rarely win wars, Marshal. You would do well to remember that.»"

―Avar Kriss and Myarga Anjiliac Atirue^[19]

In response to the Drengir threat, Jedi rode rancors into battle alongside the Hutt Clan's forces.

Rancors lived on the planet^[20] that would one day be dubbedDathomir by theNightsisters. Before the arrival of the Nightsisters, however, the planet was home to theFromprath,^[21] who exploited the natural resources of the planet.^[20] Hundreds ofyears before theClone Wars, the Nightsisters laid claim to the planet and named it Dathomir. Seeking to claim the planet from the Fromprath^[21] and spurred by their exploitation of natural resources, the Nightsisters formed a symbiotic "alliance" with the native rancors in order to drive out their rivals,^[20] whom they successfully forced intoexile.^[22] TheHutt Clan used rancors as mounts for its enforcers, such asGamorrean Warriors.^[23] During theHigh Republic Era, when theJedi Order and theHutts were forced to make an alliance against theDrengir, theJedi of theGalactic Frontier would ride rancors into battle alongside Hutt forces. In response to theslaughter on Daivak,Jedi Master Avar Kriss andJedi Knight Terec rode atop rancors into battle against the Drengir, while Terec'sbond-twin (and fellow Knight)Ceret and Hutt leaderMyarga Anjiliac Atirue rode beside them onspeeders. The Drengir would begin to overwhelm their enemies over the course of the battle, with one managing to extend its tenacle-like vines into the mouth and nostrils of Kriss' rancor, forcing her to jump from the beast as it succumbed to the Drengir infection.^[19]

To Kriss' horror, Myarga quickly executed the rancor when it began to rise against them. After the Drengir suddenly began to scream out, the battle reconvened, with Jedi KnightKeeve Trennis infiltrating the species' root-mind. After discovering the location of theGreat Progenitor on the planetMulita, Terec's rancor reached out and grabbed one of the botanical monsters.^[19] The Jedi and Hutts would launch a massive strike against the Drengir during theassault on Mulita,^[24] in whichTrandoshan Jedi MasterSskeer rode a rancor into battle. Although Sskeer tried to cut through the vines, his rancor was subdued by Drengir vines. In the end, however, the battle would end victoriously for the Jedi and Hutts, as the Great Progenitor was forced back into slumber.^[25]

Clone Wars era[]

The jungle rancors lived on the planet Felucia.

The jungle rancor subspecies lived on the world of Felucia; after thedestruction of the Felucia Medical Station HCTFF2,Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi,Jedi General Anakin Skywalker, andJedi Commander Ahsoka Tano saw a group of such rancors on planet. While they were careful to not scare the creatures,^[7] the jungle rancors lived a relatively peaceful co-existence with the nativeFelucian farmers.^[26]

Imperial Era[]

"A rampaging adolescent rancor is not the distraction I was anticipating."

―Tech, on Muchi^[10]

After therise of theGalactic Empire,Clone Force 99 was hired byCid torescue Muchi, an adolescent rancor onOrd Mantell, though they were not informed she was a rancor. Muchi was released byOmega in order to help the squad and someslaves escape from a group ofZygerrian enslavers, andEcho expressed surprise upon discovering that Muchi was the rancor, not one of the slaves.^[10]

On Koboh, Jedi Knight Cal Kestis killed a rancor after the beast attacked him during his search for the missing prospectors.

In9 BBY, arancor killed some prospectors on the planetKoboh. The rancor was eventually killed byCal Kestis when theJedi Knight was sent to investigate the prospectors' disappearance. Later on, the latter discovered another rancor in the aptly-namedPhon'Qi Caverns, that had apparently lived there for some time, feeding upon those unfortunate enough to incur its wrath, including theBedlam Raiders. Cal reacted with noticeable disbelief upon killing the second rancor.^[13]

After the Sith LordDarth Vader killed aTrandoshan enhanced via theCylo Directive's cyberanimate program, the Cylo Directive instead implanted the cyberanimate into a rancor.^[27] The system connected directly to the creature's brain to try and circumvent any weakness it could be faced by. In particular, the rancor was equipped with neural dampeners to prevent it from feeling pain, adrenal stimulants, and a plate-reinforced thorax.^[15] In the lead up to thehijacking of theExecutor, by which point the rancor was the most recent creation of the labs, the cyborg creature was unleashed against Vader byDoctor Tulon Voidgazer^[27] in what she dubbedexperiment 428. The rancor approached Vader viavector e on her order and did not react when Vader cut off some of the creature's hand, as per its neural dampeners, before rushing Vader in a rage upon being shocked by its adrenal stimulants. While Voidgazer regarded that as an unsipirising response, she was pleased by the thorax resisting Vader'sForce choke attack. All the same, once she explained the system, Vader bested the beast by throwing his lightsaber into its brain, killing it.^[15]

A massive rancor namedPateesa^[28] was kept as a pet byJabba theHutt in a shadowy chamber beneath hispalace court, to which he fed his enemies or any who displeased him. During themission to rescueHan Solo, Jabba dispatched the young Jedi KnightLuke Skywalker into the pit. After the terrifying creature ateone of Jabba's Gamorrean guards, the young Jedi defeated the rancor to the shock of all watching. Pateesa's human handler,Malakili, mourned the rancor's death, while an outraged Jabba ordered the public execution of the Jedi and his friends.^[6]

Post-Imperial Era[]

Boba Fett rides his rancor as it tears apart a scorpenek droid.

In9 ABY,^[29] the Hutts known asThe Twins presented arancor toDaimyo Boba Fett onTatooine as tribute and an apology for sending theWookiee gladiator Krrsantan toassassinate Fett. The rancor was equipped with blinders, which itskeeper explained was because a rancor would "imprint" on the firsthuman it saw. Boba removed the rancor's blinders and began to bond with his new creature, asking the rancor keeper to teach him to ride the rancor as the Witches ofDathomir had.^[9] When thePyke Syndicate began using Tatooine as part of theirspice trade, Fett met with Mos Espa's criminal leaders at his palace to try to convince them to join him against the Pykes. During the meeting, Fett's guests were surprised at the rancor that was just below them.^[30]

Duringthe battle that took place in Mos Espa, Fett and his allies were being outnumbered by the Pykes, which was made worse when the Pykes brought inScorpenek droids equipped with deflector shields, against which their weapons were nearly useless. To balance the fight, Fett withdrew from the battle and returned riding his rancor,^[31] using his bond with the creature and its species' legacy to instill fear into the Pyke forces.^[32] The rancor's appearance changed the course of the battle,^[31] with the creature, interestingly, showcasing a superior combat style to the Scorpenek units.^[32]

Boba Fett rode his rancor into battle defending Mos Espa.

When bounty hunterCad Bane, Fett's former mentor and rival who was working for the Pykes, arrived, the rancor was scared away by Bane's flamethrower, and Fett fell from his perch on its back. Without Fett to keep the beast under control, the rancor began to destroy the city.Mandalorian bounty hunterDin Djarin, who had been recruited by Fett, faced the rancor and was nearly killed, but before the rancor could kill him,Grogu, a Force-sensitive child ofYoda's race who was in Djarin's care, placed himself between the two and used the Force tocalm the beast and put it to sleep, which Grogu also did alongside the rancor due to the tiredness caused by the act.^[31]

In 9ABY,^[33] theTrandoshan Hunter Charr owned an outfit of rancor bones, which he wore during theHunters of the Outer Rim tournament at theGrand Arena on the planetVespaara.^[16]

When theSupreme Leader of theFirst Order andMaster of the Knights of Ren,Kylo Ren, went to a fortress belonging toGardulla Besadii the Elder onTatooine while learning about the past of his grandfather, theDark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader, in34 ABY, he faced off against guards of the fortress who were riding two rancors. Ren killed one of the beasts by piercing its skull withhis lightsaber and incapacitated the other by cutting off its left leg, which caused thedeath of the guard standing on it, being crushed by the rancor against the fortress.^[34]

Behind the scenes[]

The rancor was originally to be portrayed by a man in a suit.

The concept for the rancor inReturn of the Jedi was described by its creators as "a cross between abear and apotato."^[35]George Lucas requested the rancor be "the best" Godzilla-like monster to ever be created, as recalled byPhil Tippett. Much like Godzilla,^[36] the rancor was first to be played by an actor in a suit.^[35] Specifically, the costume called for two actors: one actor controlled an arm, whereas the other controlled the other arm and the rancor's body. After costume tests,^[37] no one was satisfied with the results^[35] even though shooting was scheduled to begin in several days. Visual effects supervisorDennis Muren had believed the team was on route to a good end product with the suit, especially after lighting, cutting, and camera angles were factored in. However, it wasGeorge Lucas himself who decreed the design was not working and would not in the final film.^[37]

After plans for suit actors to portray the rancor fell through,^[37] Tippett and company—as recalled by puppeteerTim Rose toStar Wars Insider—had intended for the rancor to be portrayed bygo-motion,^[38] a form ofstop motion animation^[39] that creates smoother results than traditional stop motion, until Tippett saw what Rose's work on Ackbar.^[38] Additionally, as noted by Insider in an interview with Muren and fellowReturn of the Jedi visual effects supervisorKen Ralston, there was not enough time in production to film the rancor as a go-motion or stop motion character. In the end, turning to a puppet was a simpler solution that worked with the time constraints.^[37] Both interviews were published inStar Wars Insider 222 as "Inside the Mind of the Puppetmaster" and "Together Again, Huh?," respectively.^[38]^[37] In his interview, Muren recalled that the team had looked for other ways to perform the rancor before finally settling on rod puppetry.^[37] According to the Rose, seeing Rose's work onAdmiral Gial Ackbar—whose head Rose puppeteered in close-up shots for the film—and enjoying it so much "influenced" Tippett's decision to change course for puppetry.^[38]

In the end, the rancor was made as a rod-operated puppet.^[35] The puppet was operated by Rose, who specifically described the rancor as an act ofBunraku rod puppetry.^[38] It was filmed with a high-speed camera to slow its movements down to give the illusion of a much larger creature.^[35] Trying to experiment with anything that could to make the rancor, in Muren's words, "more real" and authentic, the team hoped to get the scale and fluidity of the creature across on screen. To those ends, the crew, in addition to shooting it at high speeds, filmed the puppet in reverse—with Tippett himself being the one to move the rancor puppet backwards—and at extremely low speeds. One shot was done in at least ninety takes over the course of what Muren estimated to be around ninety minutes in order to secure all the "little sequences of frames." During the process, the crew knew what the cuts in the scene would be and just had to fit them into the overall edit. Overall, Muren recalled the experience as them "just [shaking] it up."^[37]

Had the puppet not worked, Muren reflected that the crew would have been forced to rely on the lengthy process that is stop motion. While Muren did give Tippett credit for the rancor's strong design, he confessed to Insider that, whenever he sees the rancor pit sequence, all he sees is the effort put into it. As such, he was surprised by how much the scene grabs the attention of fans.^[37]