Jabba Desilijic Tiure Jabba Desilijic Tiure , more commonly referred to as Jabba the Hutt or simply Jabba , was a Hutt gangster and crime lord , as well as a member of the Grand Hutt Council , who operated and led a criminal empire from his palace on the Outer Rim world of Tatooine . Jabba was a major figure on Tatooine , where he controlled the bulk of the trafficking in illegal goods , piracy and slavery that generated most of the planet ' s wealth . He was also highly influential in the entire Outer Rim as one of its most powerful crime lords . During the Clone Wars , Jabba ' s influence and power over the Outer Rim , specifically its hyperlanes , was sought by both the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems , who both courted Jabba ' s approval . When Rotta , Jabba ' s son , was kidnapped , the crime lord promised his support to whomever returned his son . When the Separatists were revealed to have orchestrated Rotta ' s kidnapping , Jabba pledged his support to the Republic . Jabba continued to operate in the Outer Rim after the end of the Clone Wars and the rise of the Galactic Empire , preserving his power base , despite the interference of Darth Sidious , the Galactic Emperor . After the destruction of the Death Star by the Rebel Alliance , the Emperor sent Darth Vader to negotiate a deal with Jabba to secure raw materials for Imperial military production . Jabba ' s alliance with the Empire allowed him and the Hutts to survive the Imperial crackdown against criminal elements in the Outer Rim , as well as rid the Hutt of his competitors . After the smuggler Han Solo failed to repay him for lost cargo , Jabba placed a high price on his head . Solo was eventually delivered to him by one of his bounty hunter s , Boba Fett , as a gift from Darth Vader . However , this capture brought him to the attention of Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker , who sought to rescue his friend from Jabba ' s imprisonment . As he attempted to execute the Jedi and his allies in the Great Pit of Carkoon , Jabba was choked to death by Leia Organa . Biography . Tatooine crime lord . Jabba Desilijic Tiure was a Hutt who hailed from Tatooine , a desert world in the Outer Rim Territories . He was the grandson of Mama and Papa the Hutts , and the nephew of Ziro and Ebor . His mother left enough of a mark on him that , years later , he would force the Askajian dancer Yarna d ' al ' Gargan to wear special makeup to make her look more like his genitrix . Several centuries before the Galactic Civil War , he became the reigning crime lord in the Outer Rim . He gained a seat on the Grand Hutt Council , and also became affiliated with the Crymorah syndicate . As a crime lord , Jabba based his illicit operation out of his palace in the Northern Dune Sea of Tatooine , from where he spread his operations and influence across the Outer Rim by employing a network of smuggler s who moved his goods across the galaxy , forming a powerful criminal empire . His operations grew to include slavery , arms dealing , spice smuggling , and gambling . Gambling was a prominent feature of the Mos Espa Grand Arena , where Jabba built grandstands from which he could control the gambling and concessions during podraces . Shortly after the start of the Invasion of Naboo , Jabba presided over the Boonta Eve Classic podrace , where his entrance in the stands was greeted with cheers from the spectators who came to watch the race from all corners of the Outer Rim Territories . Jabba signaled the start of the race and the podracers began their laps , at the end of which Anakin Skywalker , a young slave from Mos Espa , emerged victorious . Jabba had to be awoken after falling asleep during the race , as podracing did not interest him — aside from the gambling involved . The Clone Wars . Alliance with the Republic . Ten years after the Naboo Crisis , the galaxy was plunged into the chaos of the Clone Wars , a massive galactic conflict between the Grand Army of the Republic and the droid armies of the Confederacy of Independent Systems . Shortly after the outbreak of the war , Jabba ' s infant son , Rotta , was kidnapped . Though Jabba did not know who the kidnapper was , it was carried out by his uncle , Ziro , and the Separatist Alliance , both of whom had their own schemes at play . Jabba requested the assistance of anyone who could help , and the Republic and the Jedi Order answered the call . It was the hope of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine that the Republic would be able to negotiate an alliance with Jabba for use of Hutt hyperspace lanes in the Outer Rim , as the Separatists controlled the major lanes . The Jedi sent General Anakin Skywalker , who had become a Jedi Knight in the years since his victory in the Boonta Eve Classic , and his Padawan , Ahsoka Tano , to the Teth system to find Rotta . General Obi - Wan Kenobi , meanwhile , traveled to Tatooine to personally negotiate a treaty with Jabba . While the Jedi Master was en route , Jabba was presented with the heads of bounty hunter s he had sent to Teth to find his son . Infuriated by the lack of progress , Jabba contacted Chancellor Palpatine and , through his translator droid , TC - 70 , demanded to know why the Jedi were not searching for his son . The chancellor assured the crime lord that the Jedi were on their way , of which Jabba said the treaty with him depended on . Kenobi soon arrived at Jabba ' s Palace and was taken before the Hutt ' s court . Kenobi told Jabba that Skywalker , who he described as one of the Order ' s most powerful Jedi , was on his way to Teth to rescue Rotta and that the Jedi would not let the Hutt down . Jabba attached one additional condition to the proposed treaty — that the Jedi deliver him the kidnapper as well , dead or alive . Jabba also leveled a threat against the Jedi : if they did not succeed , the Separatist leader Count Dooku and the Separatist Droid Army would — still not knowing that Dooku himself was behind the kidnapping , in a plot to turn the Hutt Clan into an enemy of the Republic . Kenobi briefly departed the palace , which was followed by the arrival of Count Dooku himself . The Sith Lord claimed that it was the Jedi who kidnapped Rotta and that the Jedi were plotting to destroy Jabba . Jabba demanded proof , which Dooku delivered in the form of a manipulated holographic recording allegedly showing Skywalker and Tano , who had found Rotta on Teth , harming the child , when in reality they were caring for it after he had fallen ill . Dooku told the crime lord that the Separatist Droid Army was initiating a rescue mission and would soon deliver the Huttlet to his father . All Dooku asked in return was that Jabba join the Separatist cause . Dooku ' s Sith acolyte , Asajj Ventress , contacted the count , who played her message in front of Jabba and his court . Ventress claimed that Skywalker killed Rotta and was on his way to Tatooine . Jabba questioned why the Jedi would come to Tatooine , to which Dooku said that the Jedi plot had become clear and that Skywalker would soon arrive to kill the crime lord and wipe out the entire Hutt Clan . Dooku promised Jabba that he would personally deal with Skywalker and , despite fighting the Jedi Knight in a lightsaber duel in the desert , Skywalker managed to reach Jabba ' s Palace . Once there , Skywalker found that Tano , who had Rotta and from whom he had become separated , had not yet reached the palace . Jabba ' s henchmen drew their weapons on Skywalker , so the Jedi Knight drew his lightsaber and pointed it at Jabba — seemingly confirming Dooku ' s claims . Jabba said that this was proof that Skywalker had arrived to kill him , but the Jedi said he had only come to negotiate . Just as Jabba ' s henchmen prepared to kill Skywalker , Tano arrived and delivered Rotta to his father . Despite the happy reunion with his son , Jabba ordered Skywalker and Tano ' s execution . They were saved , however , by a message from Senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo , who had discovered Ziro ' s involvement in the plot . Ziro entered the holographic transmission and admitted to conspiring with Dooku to kidnap Rotta and frame the Jedi , so Jabba told the senator that the Hutt Clan would severely punish Ziro . Amidala asked him if the hostilities between Jabba and the Jedi could cease and if he would open his hyperspace lanes to the Republic , to which Jabba agreed . The two sides signed a treaty allowing the Grand Army of the Republic through Jabba ' s territories , a decision Amidala assured him he would not regret . Grand Master Yoda and clone forces soon arrived at Jabba ' s Palace , signaling a new era of cooperation between the Republic and Jabba the Hutt . Eliminating Ziro . Later in the war , Jabba was visited by Baron Papanoida , the chairman of the moon Pantora , whose daughters , Che Amanwe Papanoida and Chi Eekway Papanoida , had been kidnapped by Greedo , a bounty hunter in Jabba ' s employ . The chairman was able to reason with the Hutt crime lord , who , like Papanoida , knew all too well what it was like to have his child be taken from him . Greedo insisted that he was not responsible , but Jabba allowed a blood sample to be taken from his bounty hunter so it could be compared to blood found at the scene of the crime . Greedo admitted to kidnapping the chairman ' s daughters at the behest of the Separatists , who wanted leverage against the pantorans , and Papanoida was soon reunited with his children . Shortly thereafter , the Grand Hutt Council became concerned that Ziro , who was in Galactic Republic custody , was planning on turning over incriminating evidence about the council ' s illicit activity , as the imprisoned Hutt had a journal secretly hidden on Teth that contained the evidence . Jabba hired bounty hunter Cad Bane to free Ziro from prison , so he could be imprisoned by the Hutt Clan instead . Bane took members of the Galactic Senate hostage inside the Senate Building , offering their safety in return for Ziro ' s freedom . Chancellor Palpatine refused the demands , but Palpatine soon changed his mind and allowed Ziro to be freed . Bane brought Ziro to the Grand Hutt Council on Nal Hutta where Ziro was imprisoned once more , though Jabba himself was not presented . Gardulla Besadii the Elder instead acted as a representative . Jabba instead planned Ziro ' s elimination . He hired Ziro ' s old girlfriend , the singer Sy Snootles , to find the records and eliminate Ziro . Snootles freed Ziro from his imprisonment and tricked him into believing that she was on his side , so he brought her to Teth where he planned to recover his records . Once there , however , Snootles killed the crime lord and brought the records to Jabba , who expressed his gratitude for her work . Forced into the Shadow Collective . Jabba later found himself roped into the schemes of Darth Maul , a renegade Sith Lord who hoped to regain the status he lost after his defeat during the Battle of Naboo over a decade earlier . As part of his plan , Maul formed the Shadow Collective , an alliance between the Mandalorian faction Death Watch and various elements from the criminal underworld , including Black Sun and the Pyke Syndicate . Their goal was to takeover the planet Mandalore and , despite their combined might , the Shadow Collective still required additional resources , including muscle and supplies , to achieve their goal . To find the resources they needed , they went before the Grand Hutt Council to negotiate an alliance between the Hutt Clan and the Shadow Collective . Maul , his brother Savage Opress , and Death Watch leader Pre Vizsla met with the Hutt leaders , where Maul negotiated the terms and conditions of the alliance with Jabba himself . The Hutts wanted to know what they could offer and how much their assistance was worth . Maul proposed an exchange : in return for Hutt Space and everything in its borders , he would spare their lives . Jabba and the Council were dismissive of Maul ' s threats , which resulted in a skirmish between the Shadow Collective and the Grand Hutt Council ' s forces . Maul , Opress , and Vizla fought off various enforcers and bounty hunters , until their Death Watch reinforcements arrived . With the additional troops , Maul , Vizla and Opress were able to rout the enemy forces and secure a victory . Although the Collective was triumphant , the ensuing conflict and chaos allowed all but one Hutt to escape — Oruba . Maul interrogated Oruba , threatening to kill him unless he revealed where the others had escaped to . Under duress , Oruba informed Maul that he could find Jabba in his palace on Tatooine . The Shadow Collective soon arrived , facing little resistance as they made their way into Jabba ' s court . Maul ordered Jabba and the council to submit to his demands and join the Shadow Collective , lest they suffer his wrath . With little choice in the matter , Jabba agreed to assist the Shadow Collective in its takeover of Mandalore . The resources the Hutt Clan provided aided the Shadow Collective in its successful takeover of Mandalore , with Maul declaring himself the new leader of Mandalore . However , the Sith Lord Darth Sidious — secretly Chancellor Palpatine himself — came to regard Maul as a threat and targeted the Shadow Collective . The group fractured under assault by the Sith and their Separatist puppets , and Maul ' s plan was resoundingly defeated by Darth Sidious . Age of the Empire . At the end of the Clone Wars , the Republic was transformed into the Galactic Empire , and the chancellor declared himself Emperor . Jabba continued his illicit operations during the Age of the Empire , continuing to hold influence as a crime lord . During a particularly bad drought on Tatooine , Jabba began collecting a hefty water tax from local moisture farmer s . This earned his thugs an unpleasant encounter with Obi - Wan Kenobi , who was watching and protecting a young Luke Skywalker . When Skywalker attempted to steal the thugs ' collections for the day , they caught and threatened to kill him . It was at that moment that Kenobi took down the thugs with the Force . Under cover of darkness , the gangsters were unable to identify Kenobi . Most displeased with his loss of tax revenue , Jabba hired the Wookiee bounty hunter Black Krrsantan to track down and identify the former Jedi Master . One smuggler Jabba hired for his operations was Han Solo , who became the best smuggler on Jabba ' s payroll . Solo ' s standing was jeopardized , however , when his ship , the " Millennium Falcon " , was boarded by Imperial authorities , forcing Solo to jettison his cargo . Jabba demanded compensation for the lost cargo and , when Solo could not pay , the crime lord sent bounty hunters after him . One such hunter was Greedo , who confronted Solo in a cantina in Mos Eisley , but Solo killed the Rodian bounty hunter before he could kill Solo . Jabba learned of this and found Solo in Docking Bay 94 , where the smuggler said that he had no choice but to dump his cargo . Jabba agreed to give Solo an extension on the payment in exchange for additional interest . Solo accepted the offer , but he soon became involved in the Alliance to Restore the Republic and once again failed to pay Jabba . When Jabba learned that Solo had joined the Rebellion , Jabba placed a large bounty on the smuggler ' s head . Shortly after the Battle of Yavin , in which the Alliance — with Solo ' s help — destroyed the Imperial , planet - destroying battle station known as the Death Star , the Empire was left in dire need of additional military resources . To increase its supply of weapons , the Empire planned to negotiate with an envoy in Jabba ' s employ on Cymoon 1 , in the Corellian Industrial Cluster . The Sith Lord Darth Vader — formerly Anakin Skywalker — was tasked as the Imperial negotiator , with the intent of forcing Jabba ' s envoy in a deal favorable to the Empire . The envoy ' s vessel was hijacked by the Rebel Alliance , however , and a team of Rebels , including Solo , used it to assault and destroy Weapons Factory Alpha on Cymoon 1 , leveling another critical defeat against the Empire . The Emperor ordered Vader to travel to Tatooine and negotiate with Jabba personally . The Sith Lord arrived a day ahead of schedule , using his early arrival to carry out a personal mission in Jabba ' s Palace . Vader told Jabba that he would return on official Imperial business the next day but , for that moment , he wanted to discuss his own mission . Jabba believed that Vader would attempt to use a mind trick to force him into doing the Dark Lord ' s will , but Vader said he would not , as mind tricks were not the way of the Sith . Jabba briefly considered collecting the bounty that the Rebel Alliance placed on Vader ' s head and throwing him into a rancor pit beneath his court , but he opted not to once he realized Vader was aware of the trap . Jabba continued his discussions with Vader and incorrectly referred to the Sith Lord as a Jedi , resulting in Vader igniting his lightsaber and becoming a target of Jabba ' s henchmen . The Dark Lord wiped many of the guards out before using the Force to choke Jabba , an attack that left the crime lord more amenable to Vader ' s demands . With Jabba ready to comply , Vader explained that he needed two of Jabba ' s best bounty hunters to work on a personal mission . Jabba agreed to the demands and provided him with Boba Fett and Black Krrsantan . As promised , Vader returned to Jabba ' s court the next day to continue the official negotiations on behalf of the Empire . The negotiations concluded with Jabba agreeing to provide the Imperial war machine with whatever resources it required . Jabba requested only that the Emperor pay him well , to which Vader said that the Empire would pay him whatever they felt was appropriate . Additionally , as long as Jabba complied with Imperial demands , the Empire would allow Jabba to continue operating his criminal empire . Jabba convinced Vader to briefly stay on Tatooine for a feast and entertainment in the Sith Lord ' s honor , and the entertainment proved to be the hunting of wild bantha . Jabba hosted the Sith Lord on his sail barge , where Jabba inquired as to whether the two bounty hunters had proven themselves useful thus far . Vader stated that their missions would be simple enough : capture an Imperial agent working for the Emperor , and locate the pilot who destroyed the Death Star . Vader also demanded to know everything that Jabba knew about Obi - Wan Kenobi , who lived in exile on Tatooine for nearly two decades . Jabba told him only that Kenobi had proven to be a thorn in his side in those years . Slaying of the Hutt . Three years after the Battle of Yavin , Fett was once again hired by Darth Vader to track down the " Millennium Falcon " , which Vader used in his hunt for Luke Skywalker — whom he had discovered was the pilot who destroyed the Death Star . The resulting capture of the Rebel vessel led to Solo ' s capture , and he was frozen in carbonite as a test to ensure the process would work on Skywalker . Fett was given the frozen smuggler and brought him to Tatooine , where he collected the bounty Jabba placed on Solo ' s head . Solo was kept encased in carbonite and put on display in Jabba ' s court , as Jabba believed it was his favorite decoration . Unknown to Jabba at the time was that Solo ' s friends were plotting his rescue , and that one of his friends , Lando Calrissian , had already infiltrated Jabba ' s Palace and disguised himself as a guard . The plan was put in place upon the arrival of the protocol droid C - 3PO and astromech droid R2 - D2 . Artoo carried with him a message from Skywalker , who declared himself a Jedi Knight and announced his intention to bargain for Solo ' s life . The young Jedi said he would arrive soon , and he offered the two droids as a gift for the crime lord . Jabba boasted that there would be no bargain , however , and conscripted the two droids into his service . Threepio became his new translator , while Artoo would serve drinks on Jabba ' s sail barge . Later , during a performance of the song " Jedi Rocks " by the Max Rebo Band , Jabba ' s personal dancer , Oola , attempted to resist his advances toward her , and the Hutt activated the trapdoor and sent her to her death in the rancor pit . The chaotic moment was followed by the arrival of Prince ss Leia Organa , who , as part of the rescue plan , came disguised as the bounty hunter Boushh and brought with her Chewbacca , Solo ' s Wookiee companion , as her " prisoner . " Tipped off by Boba Fett , Jabba knew it was not really Boushh under the helmet , but he thought the imposter was just a short lowlife smuggler . The disguised Organa demanded the bounty on the Wookiee ' s head and insisted on 50 , 000 credit s , which Jabba balked at . Organa threatened him with a detonator , leading Jabba to compliment Boushh , and the two came to an agreement of 35 , 000 credits . Chewbacca was imprisoned in Jabba ' s dungeons , while Organa waited in the palace so she could free Solo after the court had gone to sleep . Organa successfully freed Solo from carbonite that evening , but Jabba and his court discovered them . Solo tried to bargain with the crime lord , saying he was on his way to pay Jabba when Fett captured him , but Jabba said it was too late to pay him . The gangster imprisoned Solo and took Organa as his new companion , replacing the deceased Oola . Shortly thereafter , Skywalker finally arrived at the palace and was able to gain entry through the use of a mind trick , despite Jabba ' s order not to allow the Jedi to enter . Jabba ' s majordomo , Bib Fortuna , presented the Jedi to his master and Skywalker demanded that Jabba free Solo and his friends , or else face his destruction . Jabba refused and Skywalker pulled a gun on him , at which point Jabba activated the trapdoor and sent Skywalker and a Gamorrean guard into the rancor pit . The rancor ate the guard but Skywalker was able to kill the beast , infuriating the gangster . As punishment for the outrage , Jabba ordered that Skywalker , Solo , and Chewbacca be executed by being fed to the sarlacc , a creature that dwelled in the Great Pit of Carkoon . Jabba and his court traveled to the Great Pit of Carkoon for the execution . As the proceedings were about to begin , Skywalker offered one last opportunity to free them and threatened to kill Jabba if he did not . The crime lord refused and ordered the prisoners into the pit , but Artoo revealed Skywalker ' s hidden lightsaber and the Jedi attacked Jabba ' s henchmen . The ensuing battle led to chaos on Jabba ' s sail barge , as his enforcers attempted to kill the Jedi and the Rebels . In the ensuing panic , Organa wrapped the chain she was bound in around Jabba ' s neck and strangled him to death , bringing an end to the criminal reign of Jabba the Hutt . After his death , Solo and his friends were able to successfully escape , and Jabba ' s corpse was blown up when his sail barge exploded over the sarlacc pit . Legacy . After Jabba ' s demise , the Hutt Council was left to determine who would fill Jabba ' s seat and take reins of his criminal empire . Several months after Solo ' s rescue , a decision had yet to be made . Immediately following Jabba ' s demise , in order to determine the exact nature of the Hutt ' s death and settle the debate over the matter of his will , the Hutt Clan had the wreckage of the " Khetanna " examined . What they found was only a holorecording of Organa choking Jabba in his last moments . Most of the circulated copies of this footage and their vendors were hunted down by the Clan to prevent proof of their own vulnerability from circulating . Many of Jabba ' s slaves were freed after the battle at Carkoon , leading the prominently enslaved Nikto s to admire Organa for choking the Hutt , earning her the nickname " Huttslayer " . Over the years following Jabba ' s death , a Huttese song known as " Jabba Flow " , composed by the Shag Kava band , was named after Jabba . In 34 ABY , during his self - imposed exile on Ahch - To , the Jedi Master Luke Skywalker had a dream where he ignored Organa ' s message and never joined the rebellion , thus he never caused Jabba ' s death . In his dream , Jabba was still operating at Tatooine following Skywalker ' s marriage to Camie Marstrap and was still charging water taxes to the moisture farmers . Behind the scenes . Jabba the Hutt was first mentioned in the 1977 film and was mentioned again in the 1980 sequel . He made his first appearance in 1983 in the final film of the original trilogy , , and he was later added into Episode IV when a previously - deleted scene was restored to the film . Declan Mulholland was cast as Jabba in the deleted scene from the original " Star Wars " , in which he was depicted as a rotund Human dressed in a shaggy fur coat , but the scene was cut as George Lucas wanted to depict Jabba as an Alien creature , but the special effects technology of the time was not up to the task of replacing Mulholland . For " Return of the Jedi " , Jabba was portrayed by puppeteers Toby Philpott , David Barclay , and Mike Edmonds , and voiced by Larry Ward . In " Return of the Jedi " , Jabba ' s slimy sound was primarily made using a bowl of melted cheese . In 1999 , he appeared in the first chapter of the prequel trilogy , , and made several appearances in the animated television series " " and the , where he was voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson . George Lucas originally placed off - limits the possibility to use Jabba in the series when writer Henry Gilroy was writing the show bible , but by the time of the next meeting , Lucas changed his mind and Jabba was allowed to be used in both " The Clone Wars " film and the subsequent TV show . A running gag in the " Star Wars Rebels " TV show involves Ezra Bridger identifying himself as " Jabba " whenever he wants to keep his real name secret , for example to Imperial officers . In " Angry Birds Star Wars " , Jabba ' s appearance is short and he doesn ' t die choked by Leia Organa . He takes Leia as his slave , but when Luke Skywalker appears , he ties Jabba with his sister ' s chains and later escapes with Leia and Han Solo from the palace , leaving Jabba ' s fate unclear .