15 Things You Didn't Know About Jabba The Hutt

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Everybody knows and loves Jabba the Hutt in the Star Wars universe, but do you really know Jabba the Hutt? That's what we're here to discuss today. There's bits and pieces of information thrown into the universe that are never shown on the big screen, probably due to the directors being more interested in the action scenes than actual character development and background. Jabba the Hutt has a lot more going for him than being the big slimy guy that you come to hate in the end. He hasn't generally been this huge, insidiousness scum bucket that we've come to know and despise today. Interestingly, he really has a quite fascinating foundation that I feel ought to have been worth saying in any one of the Star Wars films. It's sad when a character gets put on the sidelines and winds up being detested by the better part of the movie community, rather than being associated with what the character had experienced in their past. Much like serial killers these days, some of them are splendid and brilliant minded, however they are just truly known for the violations they submitted. I'd like to personally shine some light on Jabba the Hutt and educate individuals of a few realities that may not be as known as they ought to be.

So, before your eyes, here are 15 not so well known facts about Jabba the Hutt, though I imagine if you're as big of a Star Wars fanatic as I am, you probably know more than half, if not all, of these little tidbits.

15. Original Look

Jabba the Hutt (Jabba Desilijic Tiure) didn't always take on the look that is portrayed in the Star Wars movies. In fact, he was put through several different concepts before ending up taking the look of a slime ball that he does in today's popular culture. George Lucas mentioned that the original Jabba the Hutt was meant to resemble more of a wookie creature and less of a fat slug like creature. Concept art and other variances of Star Wars literature show off the various different looks of Jabba the Hutt; one specifically being a creature on two feet with whiskers coming off the side of his face resembling more of the original idea stated by George Lucas. This adaptation can be seen in the Marvel comic adaptation of the first Star Wars film. It's interesting to look back and imagine what the film would have been like had the ending result not been a slug-like creature.

14. The Huttese Language

Much like a lot of languages spoken throughout the Star Wars universe, Huttese is a species specific language known only by Hutts. Although this language was made easy to learn due to its sentence structures, it was not well known to stormtroopers or the soldiers of the Galactic Empire as the only language they know is Galactic Basic. Some examples of the Huttese language are as follows: "H'chu apenkee!" means "Hello!", "Bonapa keesa. Tolpa da bunky na booty cha naga o wanna meete chobodda" meaning "Better stop your friend's betting or I'll end up owning him, too." Various other phrases can be found with an English to Huttese equivalent which could make it interesting for those interested in speaking the Star Wars universe tongue. There is not only that, but it could potentially allow you to watch the Star Wars films and not have to read the subtitles that show up during the times we see Jabba the Hutt speak.

13. His Interesting Vocal Sounds

Jabba the Hutt has seen a surprisingly vast amount of voice actors spanning through different takes on the Star Wars universe. Throughout the Star Wars video game universe with titles of Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace and Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds, Jabba the Hutt was voiced by Clint Bajakian, who is also known for his work on various video game soundtracks with Star Wars, appearing on the semi-regular basis. Other various voice actors span through The Clone Wars TV show being voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson, and Larry A. Ward, who voiced Jabba the Hutt in Return of The Jedi. Although Jabba the Hutt has seen a number of different voice takes, we all can come to agreement and admit that we will always know Jabba the Hutt through his use of gargling and mushy sound bites that have become an iconic vocal adaptation throughout the games and spin-offs.

12. His Comic Book Adaptations

Among the movie appearances in the Star Wars universe, Jabba the Hutt also appears in a comic book anthology named Jabba the Hutt: The Art of The Deal which is a comic book collection published between 1995 and 1996. The comic book adaptations of Jabba the Hutt follow his story as you watch his trade deals and dangers take place more than you would find in the movie universe. The collected issues you will find displayed throughout Jabba the Hutt: The Art of the Deal are as follows: The Gaar Suppoon Hit, The Hunger of Princess Nampi, The Dynasty Trap, and Betrayal. This entire collection was released by Dark Horse Comics in 1998 and stretches through the Rise of the Empire era as well as being based specifically on Jabba the Hutt. If you're one of those people that are more interested in the deals that Jabba the Hutt saw himself intertwined with, this collection is certainly worth the pickup. Not to mention it's rather cheap for a collection of comics.

11. The Impact on Pop Culture

One thing that seems to be a recurring theme birthed from the Star Wars universe is the influence on popular culture. Lightsabers, Force powers, and outfits are just some examples of how the Star Wars universe has had such an impact on people's daily lives. Just look around on Halloween. How many little kids are dressed up as Kylo Ren? Milliions.

This has also happened with Jabba the Hutt in popular culture. The name alone has become an insult for those to use for people that want to display a negative quality onto morbid obesity. The term "Jabba the Hutt" is used to describe political characters and others related to that of Jabba the Hutt. Going back to the slurs, if someone finds distaste in someone's weight or they feel they need to insult someone solely based on that, they will say things like "you look like Jabba the Hutt" or "yeah, that person resembles Jabba the Hutt inside and out." While I don't necessarily condone the use of slurs relating to someone's weight or appearance in general, it's interesting to see that it has reached the point that it has, solely based on the physical appearance of Jabba the Hutt.

10. Mama & Papa Hutts are His Family

Believe it or not, Jabba the Hutt wasn't just brought into the Star Wars universe by random chance. The slimy creature has relatives and family. Just imagine a Thanksgiving with the Hutts. Yikes. Anyway, Jabba the Hutt claimed his home world of Tatooine and was born 600 years before the Battle of Yavin. His family includes being the grandson of Mama and Papa the Hutts and is the nephew of Ziro and Ebor. Both Ziro and Ebor can be seen throughout The Clone Wars TV series, but there isn't a whole lot of information pertaining to them specifically. Much like Ziro and Ebor, Mama and Papa Hutt are also seen throughout The Clone Wars during the Hunt For Ziro. Both Mama and Papa Hutt are affiliated with the Hutt Clan much like Ziro and Ebor. Jabba the Hutt however is not only affiliated with the Hutt Clan as he became a very prominent gangster and crime lord.

9. He Had a Crazy Original Design

Something I always find interesting is looking into the design elements of certain characters that show up throughout different movies, and Jabba the Hutt is no exception. Alongside going through several different appearances until they reached what we know today, the design was taken into consideration in much of the same ways. For example, his body structure and reproductive organs were based off of annelid worms. His head was based off of a snake in regards to his eyes and wide mouth and his skin was given a moist and amphibian like quality. This design became a popular representation of how the Hutts would look in further adaptations of Star Wars media. As far as I can tell, this design went alongside the different physical appearance choices that you read about in Star Wars lore until they finally came to the conclusion that Jabba the Hutt will look the way he does in every film and TV show adaptation we see him in today, give or take a few differences.

8. He Has Many Political Affiliations

With being a part of the Hutt Clan, Jabba the Hutt has been discovered to be affiliated with multiple clans and political operations. Some of which include but are not limited to: Galactic Empire which is controlled by Darth Sidious, the Crymorah Syndicate which was operated during the reign of the Galactic Empire, and Shadow Collective which was founded during The Clone Wars. While Jabba the Hutt is affiliated with multiple political founders and criminal families, most of his time is used operating around Tatooine as he traffics illegal trades, piracy, and slavery. He's become a prominent figure in that regard in the sense that whoever double crosses him or refuses to pay up their end of the deal, the end would not look very good for the person in question. An example of this is seen as Han Solo refuses to pay his debt to Jabba the Hutt, and Jabba proceeds to place a large bounty on his head.

7. Casting

We've talked about the voice actors for Jabba the Hutt which there are plenty, but there are also a pretty good number of people in charge of the acting and portrayals of Jabba the Hutt. Three of the most prominent actors to ever be involved with Jabba the Hutt go by the names of David Alan Barclay, Toby Philpott and Mike Edmonds, who were in charge of puppeteering Jabba the Hutt in Return of the Jedi. David Alan Barclay has been known for his puppeteer work in The Muppets, Labryinth, and Alice in Wonderland. Toby Philpott became known for Labyrinth, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, and Little Shop of Horrors to name a few, and Mike Edmonds who was known for his work in The Dark Crystal, Snow White, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? among many other puppet works in various films. It's interesting to look at Return of the Jedi in today's day and age now knowing that Jabba the Hutt was a puppet being controlled by three separate people. Makes it feel more life-like and believable.

6. His First Appearance Was In Return of the Jedi

Although Jabba the Hutt plays a huge part in the Star Wars universe, his existence wasn't actually fully known until the 1983 release of Return of the Jedi. Of course, most people consider Return of the Jedi to be the best in the original trilogy, and I don't necessarily disagree. It's got a lot going for it, and for Jabba the Hutt to show his existence first and foremost in this film just makes the film that much more of a success. Being birthed into the universe with this movie, Jabba the Hutt to become such an unforgettable and important figure in Star Wars that it'd almost be an insult not to include him in the spin-offs and Jabba the Hutt related lore. I can't imagine being one of the first people to see the original trilogy and come to find out that Jabba the Hutt was to make his debut. It's been over 30 years since Return of the Jedi came out and Jabba is just as popular today as he was then.

5. Jabba's Appearances are Across the Entire Star Wars universe

Once becoming a superbly important inclusion into the Star Wars universe, Jabba the Hutt saw himself thrown into the other Star Wars related spin-offs and TV shows - one specifically being The Clone Wars. His inclusions into The Clone Wars would be his final appearance and he portrays it through making a deal with Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano as they look for a way to transport Republic ships through his area of work. From then on, he did appear in a couple episodes throughout the TV show's existence.

As mentioned before, although this was his final appearance in the Star Wars related universe, he was also seen in Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. Alongside this, he was also seen in Spaceballs although given the moniker of Pizza the Hutt. If you're unaware, Spaceballs is meant to be a spin-off spoof of the original Star Wars, and close to every character was involved, including of course - Jabba the Hutt.

4. Jabba is Gang Affiliated

With Jabba the Hutt being affiliated with Kajidic, this does also branch off to other well known sections within the Kajidic. Alongside the Kajidic you of course have the leader by the name of Desilijic and the branches that fall from that by the names of the Hutt Clan and the Grand Hutt Council. Jabba the Hutt specifically is a part of the Hutt Clan and the Grand Hutt Council with him being the leader of the second mention. Being within the Grand Hutt Council, this affiliation as a whole allows for the collection of the more high profiled crime leaders as they stand for the ruling body of the Hutts and their criminal enterprise respectively.

You can see all the work of the Grand Hutt Council in several TV and movie adaptations such as a few episodes of The Clone Wars and Darth Maul - Son of Dathomir (Part 1)

3. He's Been Featured in Video Games

As much as people find the Angry Birds franchise to be on par with the ridiculousness of Five Nights at Freddy's and the like, you can't dismiss the creativity that the developers have when creating the game revolving around certain forms of entertainment. Angry Birds Star Wars evidently does exist, and apparently it is a lot of fun especially considering it includes a lot of the characters we've come to know and love today, even Jabba the Hutt. People know the death of Jabba the Hutt being strangled by Princess Leia during the attempted imprisonment of Luke Skywalker, but in Angry Birds Star Wars, Jabba the Hutt doesn't admit defeat to Princess Leia. Instead, he takes Princess Leia as a slave much like he did in his own chamber in the original series. However, this is quickly resolved when Luke Skywalker appears and wraps Jabba the Hutt with chains allowing him to escape with Princess Leia and Han Solo.

2. He Wasn't Always a Puppet

This was very well known for some, but a lot of people don't realize that the prequel trilogy of Star Wars is heavily regarded as the worst trilogy in the Star Wars franchise, and one of the big reasons for this is due to the over usage of special effects. It's blatantly obvious in specific scenes throughout the prequels that a green screen was used due to the poor attempts of hiding the fact. Now, fortunately for Jabba the Hutt, this allowed him to be included into the prequel trilogy, making his name known across the entire Star Wars movie line. However, when the 1997 re-releases of the original trilogy were sent out, Jabba the Hutt's original puppet like stature was replaced with a computer generated copy of Jabba the Hutt and was subsequently voiced by an uncredited actor for this portrayal and his portrayal in Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace.

1. Forbes Fictional 15

If you're unaware of what Forbes Fictional 15 is, it's a list generated by Forbes magazine that brings together 15 of the richest people in fiction be it movie characters, books, cartoons, television, video games and anything else. The earliest list to date can be found back in 2002 with Santa Claus ranking #1 with a net worth of $∞.

Jabba the Hutt was featured on a Forbes Fictional 15 back in 2008 being ranked at #5 with an estimated net worth of $8.4 billion. To add a bit of comedy to this list, they also added in the fact that he exceeds 600 years old and has a marital status of single. So, in case you're looking for a crime lord that can help you with any of your monetary needs and you don't mind being married to one of the most successful crime lords in the Star Wars galaxy, it may be time to give Jabba the Hutt a call. The worst that can happen is you'll become his slave for the rest of eternity, but I imagine it's still worth a shot.

Source: Forbes, Wookieepedia, Wikipedia