Mission to Jabba ' s Palace ( Galactic Civil War ) The Mission to Jabba ' s Palace involved key players of the Rebel Alliance , including Leia Organa disguised as Boushh , Luke Skywalker , Chewbacca , Lando Calrissian , and Han Solo . The objective was to free Han Solo from carbonite and rescue him from Jabba the Hutt ' s possession . Prelude . After the Galactic Empire arrived on Bespin , the Rebel leader Han Solo was frozen in carbonite and handed over to the bounty hunter Boba Fett to be brought to the crime lord , Jabba the Hutt , as a trophy . Luke Skywalker returned to Tatooine and traveled to Obi - Wan Kenobi ' s old hut in the Jundland Wastes . There he discovered Jedi training material , from which he learned how to build himself a new green - bladed lightsaber . After this , the Rebels set in motion the plan to rescue Han by first having Lando Calrissian infiltrate Jabba ' s palace , disguised as the guard Tamtel Skreej , all of them having slipped through the Imperial blockade of Tatooine after starting at Kothlis ' s asteroid field . The Mission . C - 3PO and R2 - D2 Arrive . The two droids , C - 3PO and R2 - D2 , arrived at Jabba ' s Palace to deliver a message to Jabba . They were greeted and interrogated by a TT - 8L / Y7 gatekeeper droid before being granted access . R2 - D2 went first , followed reluctantly by C - 3PO . Once inside , with the doors closed , they were stopped by Jabba ' s Gamorrean guards and greeted by Bib Fortuna . After refusing to give the message to Fortuna , they were brought before Jabba to present the offer . Luke Skywalker ' s holographic message offered a peaceful resolution in which Jabba would release Solo and in turn would be given the two droids as a show of good faith . Jabba refused , but chose to keep the droids anyway . C - 3PO and R2 - D2 were brought to EV - 9D9 and given jobs in Jabba ' s service . C - 3PO became Jabba ' s translator , and R2 - D2 was given the task of serving drinks on the Hutt ' s sail barge . Around the time EV - 9D9 had given C - 3PO and R2 - D2 their orders , one of the Gamorrean guards , Jubnuk , attempted to ask the droid inspector about a Tusken battle talisman that Jabba had misplaced in the palace , but his requests were ignored . He eventually rummaged through the junk , although he eventually resorted to asking the B ' omarr monks about its location due to the noise driving him crazy . Leia and Chewbacca . Realizing that Jabba likely wouldn ' t agree , Leia Organa entered the palace disguised as the bounty hunter Boushh , who had by that point been deceased . With her she brought a " captured " Chewbacca for the bounty on his head . In order to ensure that Jabba agreed to the deal , she brought along a thermal detonator with the intention of setting it off in the event that Jabba refused the bounty price of no less than 50 , 000 . Jabba then laughed it off , impressed with " Boushh ' s " fearlessness and inventiveness , and they agreed to a reduced price of 35 . The same night , Organa sneaked into Jabba ' s throne room and succeeded at freeing Han Solo from the carbonite . However , Jabba suspected treachery and was waiting to surprise and capture the Rebels . Solo was taken to the dungeons and placed in a cell with Chewbacca , and Organa was brought before Jabba , whom he decided to make into his newest slave girl after he executed Oola by feeding her to his pet Rancor . Jabba ordered his female dancers to strip her down , and dressed her in a revealing slave girl costume , which consisted of a skimpy brassiere and g - string thong made of brass . He put a collar on her neck and chained her to his throne , forcing her to lay before him . Solo and Chewbacca were kept in the cells for several days , while Organa was kept by her master ' s side , where she became fearful and obedient towards Jabba . Skywalker then entered the palace and , after gaining access to the throne room , attempted to influence Jabba to release his friends by using a mind trick . When this failed , Skywalker attempted to assassinate the crime lord with an appropriated blaster . Jubnuk , having arrived to inform Jabba of the bad news regarding his search , witnessed this and attempted to defend Jabba . Battle in the rancor pit . In the scuffle that ensued , Jabba opened a trap door dropping Skywalker and Jubnuk , into the rancor pit . The rancor ate Jubnuk and continued to head for Skywalker . Skywalker found a large oblong bone and inserted it vertically into the rancor ' s mouth as it lifted him up . He then hid in a nook in the wall before running under the rancor and over to a metal grate door in a smaller area of the pit . He attempted to open the door , but it was closed . The area was separated by an open gate through which the rancor was now approaching . Next to the gate was a switch . Skywalker picked up the skull of a previous prisoner and threw it at the switch . The lever broke and the gate crushed the rancor ' s head , killing it . Enraged , Jabba sentenced Solo , Skywalker and Chewbacca to death by means of feeding them to the sarlacc located in the Great Pit of Carkoon in the Dune Sea . While Leia was not sentenced to death , her master had plans of gaining pleasure from his new slave . After the Rancor ' s death , its body was cut up , and Jubnuk was learned to have survived his being eaten by the Rancor , in large part due to a lucky talisman that he was tasked with finding for Jabba . Aftermath . Jabba and his court then traveled aboard his luxury sail barge " Khetanna " while the prisoners were transported by cargo skiff . Skywalker assured Solo that he had a plan to destroy the Hutt and escape the sarlacc . They were brought to the Sarlacc ' s resting place , but Skywalker used his skill with the Force and a lightsaber to free both Solo and Chewbacca . With the assistance of Calrissian on the skiff , plus R2 - D2 and Organa on the barge , the Rebels were able to destroy the Hutt crime lord and escape aboard a second skiff . In addition , R2 - D2 , as part of the Rebel ' s extraction plan once they rescued Solo , planted misinformation directed towards Jabba ' s gang that indicated that the Imperial blockade was going to descend to the planet and specifically arrest them . It worked on two fronts : It evaded the possibility of retribution from Jabba ' s fleet , and in addition , the massive evacuation of Jabba ' s criminal empire also overwhelmed the Imperial fleet , distracting the Imperials long enough for the " Millennium Falcon " and Luke ' s X - wing to escape the Tatooine system . Parting ways when they left Tatooine , Skywalker returned to Dagobah with R2 - D2 to fulfill his promise to Yoda and complete his training , while the others returned to the Alliance fleet , which was currently stationed near Sullust . Behind the scenes . The Mission was an event that incorporated the beginning of the film " " , which picked up where " " left off . Although it was popularly assumed that George Lucas had thought up the opening , it had actually been the idea of writer and director Richard Marquand and Lawrence Kasdan , which had eventually been revealed via transcripts of meetings included in " The Making of Return of the Jedi " . In " " , Leia is making her offer to Jabba of Chewbacca in an attempt to gain the Hutt ' s trust . But things go horribly wrong . When C - 3PO is knocked down by Jabba following her demand of " fifty thousand , no less , " the droid ' s head comes off , leaving her with no means to communicate with the Hutt . With no translator and forced to reveal herself to the entire assembly , she pulls the thermal detonator and threatens to use it unless Jabba cooperates to release Solo . Lando Calrissian , noticing Boba Fett drawing his weapon , knocks him aside , sending his shot into Leia ' s elbow , accidentally activating the thermal detonator . As the crowd scatters , Fett takes the carbonite block of Han Solo away , and Leia and Chewbacca chase after him . Leia attempts to stop him , but is unsuccessful , one shot accidentally hitting the block ' s control panel and two other shots missing him . With no other option , she , Lando , and Chewbacca escape the palace shortly before it blows up when the thermal detonator goes off ; C - 3PO is destroyed in the explosion , and Jabba and Bib Fortuna are killed . Boba Fett brings Solo aboard the " Slave I " and flees Tatooine .