Hutt Hutts were a large slug - like sentient species who were native to the planet Nal Hutta . They were well known as galactic gangster s whose Grand Hutt Council controlled the Hutt Clan crime syndicate . One famous Hutt was the crime lord Jabba , who ruled a massive criminal empire from his palace on Tatooine . Biology and appearance . Hutts were a massive slug - like species who had large mouth s and stubby arms . They were tough and muscular with thick leathery skin , which was wrinkled and slimy . Hutts often had watery eye s and slack facial expressions . Their tails were supported by a skeletal spine . Despite their legendary adult size , Hutts start out as tiny Huttlets less than half a meter in height . Their homeworld of Nal Hutta had a hot atmosphere and was frequently streaked by greasy rains , creating a fetid sauna in which Hutts were most comfortable . Hutts could live for centuries – Jabba was 604 when he was killed – and could grow to enormous sizes . Some Hutts suffered from a genetic defect that caused their skin to be bereft of pigment and prone to cracking . History . Pre - Clone Wars . For centuries , the Hutts dominated much of the organized criminal activities in the galaxy . They dominated the Twi ' lek s of Ryloth and the Nikto species for several centuries . Clone Wars . During the Clone Wars , the Galactic Republic forged a tacit alliance with the crime lord Jabba Desilijic Tiure after the Jedi Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan Ahsoka Tano rescued his son Rotta . The Republic Senator Padmé Amidala also foiled a plot by Jabba ' s uncle Ziro to overthrow his nephew with the collusion of the Confederacy of Independent Systems . Age of the Empire . The Hutts also had extensive dealings with the Galactic Empire and helped run several black site prisons . During the Age of the Empire , the Hutts and other organized criminal groups exercised a powerful grip on the Galaxy . Following the liberarion of Akiva , the New Republic took steps to curtail the influence of the Hutts and other organized groups by introducing financial regulations and undertaking comprehensive patrols of the galactic shipping lanes . Still , the Hutts were able to exercise some influence over the Nikto species and their government . Post - Galactic Civil War . During the New Republic era , the Hutts lost much of their former power over the galactic underworld and were supplanted by Nikto crime cartels like Rinnrivin Di ' s cartel . The Hutts were disliked by both the Populists and the Centrists , the two main factions in the New Republic ' s Galactic Senate . Several Nikto like Rinnrivin admired Leia Organa for her role in killing Jabba and christened her " Huttslayer . " Culture . Most Hutts were crime lord s who lived opulent lives overseeing criminal underworld activities like spice smuggling , slavery , gambling and bounty hunting in Hutt Space . They were typically obese , with the muscular Nar Shaddaa kingpin Grakkus being an exception . The Hutt Clan was divided into families known as kajidic s : Jabba ' s family was the Desilijic kajidic , whose sigil was tattoo ed on his arm . Hutts bandaged and buried their dead . The Hutts believed that at least one of their own , Boonta Hestilic Shad ' ruu , had ascended to godhood , and held the Boonta Eve holiday in their honor . Classical architectural Hutt style could be seen on the planet Mataou . It was characterized by terraced buildings with sloping gates , and white and red colors . Clothing was optional for Hutts , and some would use live Sha ' rellian toop s as hairpieces . Hutts liked to eat gorg s , slime pod s and Klatooine paddy frog s , and were known to smoke hookah pipe s . Behind the scenes . It was revealed by Pablo Hidalgo at Celebration Anaheim that Hutts have separate sexes in canon , no longer being hemaphroditic as they were in the " Star Wars Legends " continuity .