The siege of Jabba's Palace was conducted in 4 ABY by key members 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.^[6] 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.^[7] After this, the Rebels set in motion the plan to rescue Solo by first having Lando Calrissian infiltrate Jabba's palace, disguised as the guard Tamtel Skreej.^[8]

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.^[4]

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.^[4] 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.^[9]

Rescue Attempt and Capture[]

Later, Jabba and his court witnessed a performance by the Max Rebo Band, during which Jabba fed the enslaved dancer Oola to his rancor. Immediately afterwards, 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 her fearlessness and inventiveness, and they agreed to a reduced price of 35,000. Chewbacca was imprisoned, while Organa remained in the palace.^[4]

That same night, Organa sneaked into Jabba's throne room and succeeded at freeing Solo from carbonite. As Solo was unable to see his savior due to being blinded by hibernation sickness, Organa revealed her identity and kissed him. However, Jabba suspected treachery and was waiting to capture the Rebels. After trying to plead with Jabba, Solo was taken to the dungeons and put in a cell with Chewbacca.^[4] Meanwhile, Calrissian tried to sneak away with Organa, but Jabba instead demanded that she be brought to him.^[10] Though she tried to threaten the crime lord, Organa recoiled in disgust as Jabba proceeded to lick her face.^[4] Jabba then ordered the Max Rebo Band to play music while his dancers stripped her down and dressed her in a Huttese slave-girl costume. Having been chained to the crime lord's throne, Organa was forced to serve Jabba as his personal slave.^[11]

Afterwards, Boba Fett came to see Solo in his prison cell. Though he claimed to have defeated Solo, the smuggler hurled insults and threats at him. Calrissian also checked in on Organa, who assured him that she was alright despite her discomfort. Calrissian decided it would be unsafe to make another escape attempt until Skywalker arrived. They both expressed hope that he would appear soon, as Organa admitted that the thought of having to dance for Jabba made her concerned for her safety.^[8]

While the Rebels remained in captivity over the next several days, Jabba's chef Porcellus offered to sneak Organa food and prepared meals for Solo to help cure his hibernation sickness.^[12] One night, Jabba sent Organa to Boba Fett's quarters, but the bounty hunter was not interested in her and instead gave her a sheet to cover herself. When Fett declined Organa's offer to help them escape, the two began to argue about Solo and the Rebellion before Fett eventually grew tired and fell asleep.^[13] Meanwhile, Solo and Chewbacca were visited in prison by the B'omarr Monk Sai'da, who offered to do what he could to protect Organa in exchange for Solo telling him stories.^[14]

During this time, several of Jabba's court members were secretly plotting to kill him. The accountant Tessek had a bomb planted on Jabba's sail barge.^[15] J'Quille, who was working as a spy for Lady Valarian, paid a kitchen boy to poison Jabba's food. When this plan fell apart, he came into possession of Organa's thermal detonator,^[16] though Fortuna stole it from him as part of his own plan to kill Jabba.^[17] Ree-Yees also plotted to murder Jabba, but he was unaware that the Hutt had a bomb planted in his body in case he tried to betray him.^[18] Mara Jade was also at the palace disguised as a dancer named Arica. She was under orders by Emperor Palpatine to kill Skywalker.^[19]

Battle in the rancor pit[]

After a late-night celebration, Jabba and his court were asleep when Skywalker entered the palace.^[20] After bypassing the guards with the Force, Skywalker gained access to the throne room by mind tricking Fortuna. As Jabba awoke, Skywalker similarly attempted to influence the Hutt to release his friends with a mind trick. When this failed, Skywalker tried to assassinate the crime lord with an appropriated blaster.^[4] Jubnuk, having arrived to inform Jabba of the bad news regarding his search, witnessed this and attempted to defend Jabba.^[9] In the scuffle that ensued, Jabba opened a trap door dropping Skywalker and Jubnuk, into the rancor pit.^[4]

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.^[4] Skywalker picked up the skull of a previous victim and threw it at the switch.^[21] The lever broke and the gate crushed the rancor's head, killing it.^[4]

Enraged, Jabba sentenced Solo, Skywalker and Chewbacca to be executed by feeding them to the sarlacc located in the Great Pit of Carkoon in the Dune Sea. While Organa was not sentenced to death, Jabba planned to keep her as his companion.^[4] Tessek, believing Skywalker to be a true Jedi, begged the palace head of security Ephant Mon to persuade Jabba to free Skywalker. Mon visited Skywalker in the dungeons, and after sensing the Force in Skywalker, he decided it would be best to let him go. As Jabba boarded his sail barge, Khetanna, Mon met with the Hutt, though he was unable to change his mind about executing the Rebels.^[22] Mara Jade also tried to board the sail barge in order to fulfil her mission to assassinate Skywalker, but because she had come under suspicion by the palace security detail, she was told to leave and never return.^[19]

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.^[9]

Aftermath[]

Main article: Battle of the Great Pit of Carkoon

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.^[4] 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.^[8] 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.^[4]

Behind the scenes[]

The siege of Jabba's Palace^[23] was an event that incorporated the beginning of the film Return of the Jedi, which picked up where The Empire Strikes Back 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.^[24]

In Star Wars Infinities: Return of the Jedi, 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.^[25]

Appearances[]

• "Of the Day's Annoyances: Bib Fortuna's Tale" — Tales from Jabba's Palace
• Return of the Jedi radio drama — "Tatooine Haunts"
• Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
• Star Wars: Return of the Jedi novelization (and unabridged audiobook)
• Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi junior novelization
• Return of the Jedi 1
• ° Tales from Jabba's Palace
• Return of the Jedi radio drama — "Fast Friends"
• Heir to the Empire (and unabridged audiobook) (Mentioned only)
• Specter of the Past (and unabridged audiobook) (Mentioned only)

the Jedi novel]] (First appearance)

Non-canon appearances[]

• LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
• LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga

Sources[]

• "Anthony Daniels: Remembering That Galaxy Far, Far Away" — The Lucasfilm Fan Club Magazine 1 (Picture only)
• "Mark Hamill: 10 Years Later" — The Lucasfilm Fan Club Magazine 3 (Picture only)
• The Secrets of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
• 1996 Topps Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (Card: Luke Plans Han's Rescue) (backup link)
• Return of the Jedi: The National Public Radio Dramatization
• Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (Pack: Leia (In Boushh Disguise)) (backup link)
• Top Trumps: Star Wars Episodes IV-VI (Card: Princess Leia Organa) (backup link) (First identified as siege of Jabba's Palace)
• The Essential Atlas
• The Essential Reader's Companion
• Star Wars: Force Collection (Card: Boushh (★★★★))

Notes and references[]