Jabba Desilijic Tiure

Jabba Desilijic Tiure was a Hutt originating from Nal Hutta. He was born in the year 600 BBY. He was the grandson of Mama and Papa the Hutts, and he was also the nephew of Ziro and Ebor, as they were siblings to his father. His mother had such an impact on him that, in later years, he compelled the Askajian dancer Yarna d'al' Gargan to apply specific makeup to resemble his biological female parent more closely. Additionally, he had a cousin named Crakka and a nephew named Gorga.

For several centuries before the events of the Galactic Civil War, he rose to become the dominant crime lord within the Outer Rim, possessing numerous criminal enterprises which involved activities such as smuggling, dealing in glitterstim spice, trading in slaves, orchestrating assassinations, and engaging in piracy. At some stage, Jabba formed an association with the Crymorah Syndicate. As a consequence of his partnership with the Crymorah, he secured a position on the Grand Hutt Council. As a crime lord, Jabba established his illegal operations from his palace situated in the Northern Dune Sea of the desert planet Tatooine, from which he expanded his influence and activities across the Outer Rim by utilizing a network of smugglers to transport his goods throughout the galaxy.

By establishing a formidable criminal empire, his operations expanded to encompass slavery, arms trafficking, spice smuggling, and gambling. Gambling was a prominent aspect of the Mos Espa Grand Arena, where Jabba managed the gambling activities and concessions during the widely attended podraces. The spice trade played a crucial role in Jabba's empire, evolving into one of the main avenues through which the Hutt amassed wealth. To those who acknowledged his authority, albeit very few, he was formally addressed as "His Excellency Jabba Desilijic Tiure of Nal Hutta, Eminence of Tatooine."

In the years leading up to the Great Disaster, Jabba, along with other Hutts, participated in a banquet held on Hynestia as part of treaty negotiations between the Hynestian royal family and the Grand Hutt Council. The Hutts strategically introduced Povo Punch into the drink selection with the intention of provoking a diplomatic incident. When Jedi Master Lynela Kabe-Oyu, Stellan Gios, and his padawan Vernestra Rwoh, identified the presence of Povo Punch and attempted to safeguard the Hutts, the Hutts retaliated by opening fire on the banquet, asserting that the incident constituted an insult warranting violent action against Hynestia.

Following the resolution of the situation by the Jedi, Jabba and his fellow Hutt conspirators attempted to flee, only to be intercepted by the Jedi themselves. Queen Nyla, the Ruler of Hynestia, intervened to formally apprehend Jabba and his Hutt accomplices for their attempts to disrupt the treaty and assassinate attendees of the diplomatic banquet, placing him for ransom to the Hutt Council.

Shortly after the commencement of the Invasion of Naboo in 32 BBY, Jabba presided over the Boonta Eve Classic podrace, where his arrival in the stands was met with enthusiastic cheers from spectators who had gathered from across the Outer Rim Territories to witness the race. Jabba signaled the race's commencement, and the podracers began their circuits, ultimately leading to the victory of Anakin Skywalker, a young slave from [Mos Espa](/article/mos_espa]. Jabba had to be awakened after dozing off during the race, as he found podracing uninteresting—except for the gambling aspects.

A decade after the Naboo Crisis, the galaxy was plunged into the turmoil of the Clone Wars, a widespread galactic conflict between the Grand Army of the Republic and the droid armies of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Shortly after the start of the war, Jabba's infant son, Rotta, was abducted. Although Jabba was unaware of the identity of the kidnapper, the act was carried out by his uncle, Ziro, and the Separatist Alliance, both of whom had their own agendas. Jabba sought assistance from anyone who could provide it, and the Republic and the Jedi Order responded to the call. It was the aspiration of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine that the Republic would succeed in negotiating an alliance with Jabba to gain access to Hutt hyperspace lanes within the Outer Rim, as the Separatists controlled the primary routes.

The Jedi dispatched General Anakin Skywalker, who had become a Jedi Knight in the years following his triumph in the Boonta Eve Classic, and his Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, to the Teth system to locate Rotta. Meanwhile, General Obi-Wan Kenobi journeyed to Tatooine to personally negotiate a treaty with Jabba. While the Jedi Master was in transit, Jabba was presented with the heads of bounty hunters he had dispatched to Teth to find his son. Enraged by the lack of progress, Jabba contacted Chancellor Palpatine and, through his translator droid, TC-70, inquired as to why the Jedi were not searching for his son. The chancellor reassured the crime lord that the Jedi were en route, which Jabba stated the treaty with him depended on.

Kenobi soon arrived at Jabba's Palace and was brought before the Hutt's court. Kenobi informed Jabba that Skywalker, whom he described as one of the Order's most skilled Jedi, was on his way to Teth to rescue Rotta and that the Jedi would not fail the Hutt. Jabba added an additional condition to the proposed treaty—that the Jedi also deliver the kidnapper, dead or alive. Jabba also issued a threat against the Jedi: if they were unsuccessful, the Separatist leader Count Dooku and the Separatist Droid Army would—still unaware that Dooku himself was the mastermind behind the kidnapping, in a scheme to transform the Hutt Clan into an adversary of the Republic. Kenobi departed the palace, followed by the arrival of Count Dooku himself. The Sith Lord asserted that it was the Jedi who had kidnapped Rotta and that they were plotting to destroy Jabba. Jabba demanded evidence, which Dooku provided in the form of a manipulated holographic recording purportedly depicting Skywalker and Tano, who had discovered Rotta on Teth, harming the child, when in reality they were tending to him after he had fallen ill. Dooku informed the crime lord that the Separatist Droid Army was launching a rescue mission and would soon deliver the Huttlet to his father. All Dooku requested in return was that Jabba align himself with 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 had killed Rotta and was en route to Tatooine. Jabba questioned why the Jedi would come to Tatooine, to which Dooku replied that the Jedi plot had become clear and that Skywalker would soon arrive to assassinate the crime lord and eradicate the entire Hutt Clan. Dooku assured Jabba that he would personally handle Skywalker and, despite engaging the Jedi Knight in a lightsaber duel in the desert, Skywalker managed to reach Jabba's Palace. Upon arrival, Skywalker discovered 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, prompting the Jedi Knight to draw his lightsaber and point it at Jabba—seemingly validating Dooku's claims. Jabba stated that this was proof that Skywalker had come to kill him, but the Jedi asserted that 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 joyous reunion with his son, Jabba ordered the execution of Skywalker and Tano, believing they had kidnapped his son. However, they were saved by a message from Senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo, who had uncovered Ziro's involvement in the plot. Ziro entered the holographic transmission and admitted to conspiring with Dooku to kidnap Rotta and frame the Jedi, leading Jabba to inform the senator that the Hutt Clan would severely punish Ziro. Amidala inquired whether hostilities between Jabba and the Jedi could cease and whether he would open his hyperspace lanes to the Republic, to which Jabba agreed. The two parties signed a treaty granting the Grand Army of the Republic access 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, marking a new era of cooperation between the Republic and Jabba the Hutt.

Later in the war, Jabba was visited by Baron Notluwiski Papanoida, the chairman of the moon Pantora, whose daughters, Che Amanwe Papanoida and Chi Eekway Papanoida, had been kidnapped by Greedo, a bounty hunter employed by Jabba. The chairman managed to reason with the Hutt crime lord, who, like Papanoida, was well aware of the pain of having a child taken away. Greedo maintained his innocence, but Jabba permitted a blood sample to be taken from his bounty hunter for comparison with blood found at the crime scene. Greedo confessed to kidnapping the chairman's daughters at the behest of the Separatists, who sought 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 to reveal incriminating information about the council's illegal activities, as the imprisoned Hutt possessed a journal secretly hidden on Teth containing the evidence. Jabba hired bounty hunter Cad Bane to liberate 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 exchange for Ziro's freedom. Chancellor Palpatine initially refused the demands, but later relented and allowed Ziro to be freed. Bane brought Ziro to the Grand Hutt Council on Nal Hutta, where Ziro was imprisoned once more, although Jabba himself was not present. Gardulla Besadii the Elder served as a representative instead.

Jabba instead plotted Ziro's demise. He hired Ziro's former girlfriend, the singer Sy Snootles, to locate the records and eliminate Ziro. Snootles freed Ziro from his imprisonment and deceived him into believing she was on his side, leading him to take her to Teth where he intended to retrieve his records. However, once there, Snootles killed the crime lord and delivered the records to Jabba, who expressed his gratitude for her efforts.

Jabba Desilijic Tiure later found himself entangled in the schemes of Maul, a rogue Sith Lord who aimed to reclaim the status he had lost following his defeat during the Battle of Naboo over a decade prior. As part of his plan, Maul established 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 objective was to seize control of the planet Mandalore. Despite their combined strength, the Shadow Collective still required additional resources, including manpower and supplies, to achieve their goal. To secure these resources, they approached 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 sought to understand what they could offer and the value of their assistance. Maul proposed an exchange: in return for Hutt Space and everything within its borders, he would spare their lives. Jabba and the Council dismissed Maul's threats, leading to a skirmish between the Shadow Collective and the Grand Hutt Council's forces. Maul, Opress, and Vizsla fought off various enforcers and bounty hunters, until their Death Watch reinforcements arrived. With the additional troops, Maul, Vizsla and Opress were able to defeat the enemy forces and secure a victory.

Although the Collective emerged victorious, the ensuing conflict and chaos allowed all but one Hutt to escape—Oruba. Maul interrogated Oruba, threatening to kill him unless he revealed the whereabouts of the others. Under duress, Oruba informed Maul that he could find Jabba in his palace on Tatooine. The Shadow Collective soon arrived, encountering minimal resistance as they entered Jabba's court. Maul ordered Jabba and the council to submit to his demands and join the Shadow Collective, or face his wrath. Left with little choice, Jabba agreed to assist the Shadow Collective in its takeover of Mandalore. The resources provided by the Hutt Clan 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 view 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 decisively defeated by Darth Sidious.

At the close of the Clone Wars, the Republic was transformed into the Galactic Empire, with the chancellor proclaiming himself Emperor. Jabba continued his illegal activities throughout the Age of the Empire, maintaining his influence as a crime lord. Approximately a year into the Empire's reign, former Padawan Ahsoka Tano decided against seeking assistance from Jabba while evading the Imperial Military, believing the Hutt would not aid her despite her role in saving his son during the Clone Wars.

During a particularly severe drought on Tatooine, Jabba began imposing a substantial water tax on local moisture farmers. This led to an unpleasant encounter between his thugs and Obi-Wan Kenobi, who was observing and safeguarding a young Luke Skywalker. When Skywalker attempted to steal the thugs' collections for the day, they apprehended and threatened to kill him. It was at that moment that Kenobi subdued the thugs using the Force. Under the cover of darkness, the gangsters were unable to identify Kenobi. Greatly displeased by the loss of tax revenue, Jabba hired the Wookiee bounty hunter Krrsantan to locate and identify the former Jedi Master.

Street orphan and later rebel Jedi Ezra Bridger would use the alias "Jabba" when he wanted to conceal his real name, such as when interacting with Imperial officers.

In 10 BBY, the scoundrel Tobias Beckett made contact with Jabba and intended to travel to Tatooine to work for him once he decided to leave Crimson Dawn, but he was killed by Han Solo at Savareen before that could happen. Consequently, Jabba hired Solo for his operations, and Solo became the most skilled smuggler on Jabba's payroll. However, Solo's position was jeopardized 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 was unable to pay, the crime lord dispatched 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 explained that he had no choice but to dump his cargo. Jabba agreed to grant Solo an extension on the payment in exchange for fifteen percent interest. Solo accepted the offer, but he soon became involved in the Alliance to Restore the Republic and again failed to pay Jabba. When Jabba learned that Solo had joined the Rebellion, Jabba placed a substantial bounty on the smuggler's head.

Shortly after the Battle of Yavin, in which the Alliance—with Solo's assistance—destroyed the Imperial, planet-destroying battle station known as the Death Star, the Empire was left in desperate need of additional military resources. To bolster 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 assigned as the Imperial negotiator, with the intention of compelling Jabba's envoy to agree to a deal favorable to the Empire. However, the envoy's vessel was hijacked by the Rebel Alliance, and a team of Rebels, including Solo, used it to attack and destroy Weapons Factory Alpha on Cymoon 1, inflicting another critical defeat on the Empire.

The Emperor instructed Darth Vader to journey to Tatooine for direct talks with Jabba. The Dark Lord of the Sith arrived a day sooner than expected, using this time to pursue a personal agenda within Jabba's Palace. Vader informed Jabba that he would return the following day on official Imperial business, but at that moment, he wished to discuss his own private matter. Jabba anticipated that Vader might try to employ a mind trick to manipulate him into fulfilling the Sith Lord's desires, but Vader assured him that he would not, as such techniques were not the Sith way. Jabba briefly entertained the idea of claiming the bounty placed on Vader by the Rebel Alliance and casting him into a rancor pit beneath his court, but he decided against it upon realizing Vader was aware of the trap. Jabba continued his conversation with Vader and mistakenly referred to the Sith Lord as a Jedi, which prompted Vader to ignite his lightsaber, making him a target for Jabba's guards. The Dark Lord eliminated many of the guards before employing the Force to choke Jabba, an action that made the crime lord more receptive to Vader's requests. With Jabba now willing to comply, Vader explained that he required two of Jabba's most skilled bounty hunters for a personal assignment. Jabba conceded to the demands, providing him with Boba Fett and Black Krrsantan.

As agreed, Vader returned to Jabba's court the subsequent day to resume the formal negotiations on behalf of the Empire. These negotiations concluded with Jabba's agreement to supply the Imperial war effort with all necessary resources. Jabba only stipulated that the Emperor compensate him handsomely, to which Vader responded that the Empire would pay him what it deemed appropriate. Furthermore, provided Jabba adhered to Imperial directives, the Empire would permit him to continue managing his criminal enterprise. Jabba persuaded Vader to extend his stay on Tatooine for a celebratory feast and entertainment in the Sith Lord's honor, the entertainment taking the form of a wild bantha hunt. Jabba hosted the Sith Lord aboard his sail barge, where he inquired whether the two bounty hunters had thus far proven useful. Vader replied that their missions would be relatively straightforward: capture an Imperial agent working for the Emperor, and locate the pilot responsible for destroying the Death Star. Vader also pressed Jabba for any information he possessed regarding Obi-Wan Kenobi, who had lived in exile on Tatooine for nearly two decades. Jabba only revealed that Kenobi had been a constant source of annoyance during those years.

After the smuggler Sana Starros sold a crate of stolen Imperial blasters for 5,000 credits to a gang of Krawg pirates and the name and location of the blasters for 20,000 credits to an Imperial office on Coruscant with Lando Calrissian, they went to Jabba in order to purchase twelve boxes of blasters, as Starros had only stolen one box and sold it to the pirates; the other twelve were taken by Jabba's men from an Imperial ship abandoned over Tatooine. Jabba initially told them that he didn't handle such weapons, as it was forbidden by Imperial law. When Starros inquired about the twelve crates, Jabba suggested that Starros herself could be the thief, and mentioned her relationship with Han Solo. Starros denied any relationship with Solo and then demanded 20,000 credits for the names of the thieves, who, according to her, were the Krawg pirates. At that moment, a Krawg pirate appeared behind them and accused them of lying, but Starros shot him dead. He had one of the blasters, so Jabba believed her and paid her. Starros, however, stole the other twelve crates from the Hutt.

On one occasion, a Rodian male and a human male sought out Jabba in his palace to obtain some Tusken wine from him, after discovering that it was highly sought after within the upper class of Canto Bight on Cantonica. There they encountered several Tusken Raiders, who demanded that Jabba prevent Jawas and Imperials from continuing to trespass on their dunes. However, Jabba disregarded their concerns, mocked them, and eventually issued an indirect threat, though he ultimately assured them that he would address the situation. When Cantonica's two traders made their requests, Jabba presented them a purchase, but refused to give it to them, emphasizing that this was the only quantity of desert wine on Tatooine and they should not come up with the idea of stealing the Tuskens' property during one of their night prayer at highmoon at the Great Dune, because then they would die.

However, the traders decided to steal the desert wine in a bar in Mos Eisley, especially since the price had risen. A Jawa overheard them and immediately informed his people about the valuable wine. However, an Imperial droid observed them and, in turn, informed an Imperial captain about the wine. During the night, the two traders ventured to the Great Dune, where they found no Tuskens. Shortly after, a group of Jawas with battle droids appeared, along with Imperial stormtroopers and their captain. They all demanded that each other lower their weapons. Before any shots were fired, the Rodian attempted to convince all parties that there desert wine and someone had planned for them to be there. At that moment, Boba Fett, who was concealed in the dunes, shot and killed the Imperial captain. A battle then erupted, which the Tuskens, who had camped nearby, noticed. The following day, the Tuskens rode their banthas to Jabba's palace, dragging the corpses of stormtroopers behind them. At the palace, Bib Fortuna and some Gamorrean guards briefly stopped them, but Jabba ordered his people to lower their weapons and accepted the Tuskens' tribute.

Shortly afterward, Fortuna informed him that a Coruscant cartel had discovered a way to artificially produce the desert wine, rendering it worthless, according to Fortuna. Jabba told his majordomo that he was a fool, took a large gulp of the wine, and dropped the empty container to the ground, declaring that it was priceless.

Three years after the Battle of Yavin, Darth Vader once again enlisted Fett's services to locate the Millennium Falcon, which Vader was using in his pursuit of Luke Skywalker—the pilot he had identified as the one who destroyed the Death Star. The subsequent capture of the Rebel ship resulted in Solo's capture at Cloud City, Bespin, where he was frozen in carbonite as a test to ensure the process would work on Skywalker, despite Fett's concerns that Solo could be killed. Despite Vader's assurance of compensation if Solo died, Solo survived unharmed, and Fett was tasked with delivering the frozen smuggler to Jabba to claim the bounty in exchange for his services to the Empire. Solo's friends attempted a rescue, but were unsuccessful, and Fett departed with Solo aboard Slave I.

Shortly after the Empire seized control of Cloud City, Lando Calrissian, accompanied by Chewbacca, Solo's Wookiee companion, traveled to Tatooine aboard the Millennium Falcon to determine if Fett had already delivered Solo to Jabba, so they could search for leads on Fett if he hadn't. By deceiving the Harlok Gang into escorting them to Jabba's Palace after rescuing them from a squadron of TIE starfighters by claiming that as Baron Administrator of Cloud City, he wished to negotiate a deal with Jabba for shipments of tibanna gas, Calrissian was taken to Jabba's Palace. After a period of waiting, Biff Fortuna brought Calrissian before Jabba. To his relief, Calrissian discovered that Solo had not yet been delivered, as Fett was nowhere to be seen and Jabba was unaware of Solo's capture.

However, Jabba demanded to know why Calrissian had lied to the Harlok Gang, as no tibanna arrangement between them had occurred and he had lost his position as Baron Administrator since the Imperial takeover. Calrissian admitted his deception and proposed that Jabba lend him some of his fighters to reclaim Cloud City and provide him with tibanna gas at a favorable price, only to learn that Jabba had already entered into a tibanna agreement with the Empire. Recognizing that the former Baron Administrator had arrived on Tatooine aboard the Millennium Falcon, Jabba decided to seize the Falcon as partial payment and feed Calrissian to his rancor unless he had something else valuable to offer. In desperation, Calrissian offered Jabba information about who had Solo in their possession, but Jabba demanded more. With nothing else to offer, Calrissian informed Jabba that he was currently working with the Rebellion, enabling him to provide tips on any information Jabba desired.

During Bokku the Hutt's strike against the Empire, as Bokku was actually an agent of the reemerging Crimson Dawn syndicate, Vader boarded the War barge of the Hutt Council and slaughtered the council members aboard to end the attack. Vader's massacre left Jabba as the sole surviving member of the Hutt Council, granting him complete control over the Hutt Clans. Subsequently, Fett brought Solo to Tatooine, where he collected the bounty Jabba had placed on Solo's head. For a year, Solo remained encased in carbonite, displayed in Jabba's court, as Jabba deemed it his favorite decoration. Unbeknownst to Jabba at the time, Solo's friends were plotting his rescue.

When Nix, a creature of the rare merqaal species, was stolen and ended up in Jabba's possession, criminal Kay Vess infiltrated Jabba's Palace to retrieve her companion. Nix exhibited aggression towards Jabba by attacking him. Following a confrontation, Jabba decided to dispatch Vess, along with Vail Tormin, a bounty hunter who was pursuing Vess and attempted to escape from the Palace with her, to uncover the identity of a spy that the crime syndicate Zerek Besh had placed within Jabba's Palace. In exchange, Jabba would forgive them for the disturbance at the Palace, return Nix, and permit them to leave Tatooine alive. The mission proved successful, and the spy was identified. Jabba opted to collect on the debt owed to him by Vess' fellow BX commando droid, ND-5, tasking Vess with acquiring compromising information against Governor Thorden, an Imperial who wielded significant influence over the Empire's presence on the moon Toshara. Jabba intended to leverage this information to compel Thorden to utilize his control over the moon to benefit the Hutt Cartel, thereby gaining an advantage over the Pyke Syndicate, which dominated almost all of Toshara. Vess succeeded and delivered the information to Jabba at his palace.

The plan to liberate Solo commenced with the arrival of the protocol droid C-3PO and astromech droid R2-D2. R2 carried a message from Skywalker, who identified himself as a Jedi Knight and declared his intention to negotiate for Solo's life. The young Jedi announced his impending arrival and offered the two droids as a gift to the crime lord. Jabba declared that there would be no negotiation and conscripted the two droids into his service. 3PO became his new translator, while R2 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, resisted his advances, and the Hutt activated the trapdoor, sending her to her death in the rancor pit. This chaotic moment was followed by the arrival of Princess Leia Organa, who, as part of the rescue plan, arrived disguised as the bounty hunter Boushh and presented Chewbacca as her "prisoner." Having been tipped off by Boba Fett, Jabba knew that the person under the helmet was not Boushh, but he believed the impostor was merely a short, insignificant smuggler. The disguised Organa demanded the bounty on the Wookiee's head, insisting on 50,000 credits, which Jabba refused. Organa threatened him with a detonator, prompting Jabba to compliment Boushh, and they agreed on 35,000 credits. Chewbacca was imprisoned in Jabba's dungeons, while Organa waited in the palace to free Solo after the court had retired for the night.

That evening, Organa freed Solo from carbonite, but Jabba and his court discovered them. Solo attempted to negotiate with the gangster, claiming he was on his way to pay Jabba when Fett captured him, but Jabba said it was too late to pay him and imprisoned Solo. Having now recognized Organa's true identity, Jabba ordered his guards to bring her to him. Ignoring the princess's threats, Jabba licked Organa's face. He then instructed his dancers to clean and dress Organa in a dancing-girl costume. The crime lord chained Organa to his throne, forcing her to replace Oola as his favorite slave. Jabba and his court continued to celebrate late into the night.

The following morning, Jabba and his thugs were awakened by Skywalker's arrival at the palace. Skywalker gained entry by using a mind trick on Fortuna, despite Jabba's strict orders not to admit the Jedi. Skywalker demanded that Jabba free Solo and his friends, or face his destruction. Jabba refused, causing Skywalker to draw a blaster on him, at which point Jabba activated the trapdoor and sent Skywalker and a Gamorrean guard into the rancor pit. The rancor devoured the guard, but Skywalker managed to kill the beast, infuriating the gangster. In his anger, Jabba choked Organa and demanded that Solo and Chewbacca be brought before him.

As retribution for the outrage, Jabba sentenced Skywalker, Solo, and Chewbacca to be executed by being fed to the sarlacc, a creature that resided in the Great Pit of Carkoon. Meanwhile, Organa was to remain enslaved to the Hutt, as Jabba found her attractive. Jabba and his court traveled to the Great Pit of Carkoon on his sail barge, while the prisoners were transported on a smaller skiff. En route, Jabba briefly allowed Organa to leave his side so she could watch her friends from a window, but later recalled her to his throne to inform her that she would soon learn to appreciate him. Jabba toasted his plans by sharing his drink with Organa.

Upon arriving at Carkoon, Jabba offered his prisoners a chance to beg for mercy. Solo rejected the suggestion, while Skywalker offered one final opportunity to free them and threatened to kill Jabba if he refused, much to the amusement of Jabba and his guests. The crime lord refused and ordered the prisoners into the pit, but R2 revealed Skywalker's hidden lightsaber, and the Jedi attacked Jabba's thugs. The escalating 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, after smashing Jabba's control panel and disabling the lights in the room, wrapped the chain she was bound in around Jabba's neck and strangled him to death, ending the criminal reign of Jabba the Hutt. After his death, Solo and his friends escaped, and Jabba's corpse was destroyed when his sail barge exploded over the sarlacc pit.

Following Jabba's death, the Hutts were left to determine who would succeed him and take control of his criminal empire. Several months after Solo's rescue, a decision had yet to be made. Immediately after Jabba's demise, the Hutt Clan had the wreckage of the Khetanna examined in order to determine the exact nature of the Hutt's death and settle the debate over the matter of his will. They discovered only a holorecording of Organa choking Jabba in his final moments. The Clan hunted down most of the circulated copies of this footage and their vendors 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 Niktos to admire Organa for choking the Hutt, earning her the nickname "Huttslayer." Coupled with the Empire's collapse, Jabba's death created significant power vacuums in the Kessel spice trade, leaving trade routes once guarded by Hutt-hired mercenaries vulnerable. In the years following Jabba's death, a Huttese song known as "Jabba Flow," composed by the Shag Kava band, was named after Jabba, as was a non-alcoholic beverage known as "Jabba Juice."

Bib Fortuna returned to the palace and assumed control of Jabba's criminal operations. Around 9 ABY, Boba Fett, accompanied by his accomplice Fennec Shand, stormed the palace. Fett killed Fortuna and seized control of the remnants of Jabba's criminal empire. Jabba's cousins, "the Twins," attempted to seize control of his territory, but they fled Tatooine upon learning that the Pyke Syndicate was moving in. Standing his ground, Fett and his allies defeated the Pykes, claiming Tatooine as the former bounty hunter's domain.

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 and never caused Jabba's death. In his dream, Jabba was still operating on Tatooine following Skywalker's marriage to Camie Marstrap and was still charging water taxes to moisture farmers.

As the leader of one of the most notorious cartels in the galaxy, Jabba Desilijic Tiure effectively controlled Tatooine's underworld. He was renowned for his fierce temper, insatiable greed, grotesque appetite, and fondness for violent entertainment. The Hutt was also known for collecting various trophies that symbolized his power. A prominent example was his display of Han Solo's carbonite-frozen body on the wall of his throne room as a decoration. Unlike his uncle Ebor, Jabba possessed remarkably poor table manners. Jabba had a tattoo of the Desilijic kajidic symbol on his right arm.

Jabba had a predilection for young female humanoids, often enslaving them as dancers or companions. He would chain his favorite slave girls to his throne and force them to sit with him when they weren't dancing, as was the case with Oola and Leia Organa. According to Jess, Jabba's favorite slave received better protection from harassment from the palace guards and guests, although this protection came at the expense of dealing with Jabba's advances. Jabba's inclination towards female humanoids would ultimately lead to his demise when Organa used her proximity to the Hutt to kill him.

Jabba did not tolerate liars. When Lando Calrissian was brought before him by the Harlok Gang, claiming he had arranged a deal with Jabba for tibanna gas, Jabba made it clear that he knew no such deal had ever occurred, leading the Hutt to threaten Calrissian with being fed to his rancor for daring to seek an audience with him under false pretenses. He also did not tolerate those who rebelled against him, imposing severe punishments, such as throwing Oola into the rancor pit for disobeying him during a dance.

Despite his ruthless reputation and cruel personality, Jabba nevertheless had a caring side: he deeply loved his son Rotta and became enraged when he was kidnapped by the Separatists, willing to punish those responsible with death. His tender affection for his son was evident in his willingness to work with the Jedi, despite their mutual resentment, and to endanger himself to ensure their successful rescue of him. Jabba had a friend, his only friend in fact, in Ephant Mon. However, Boba Fett wondered if he was the closest person Jabba saw as a friend. Some nights in the Palace, Jabba shared incredibly personal things with Fett that Fett believed weighed heavily on the crime lord's soul, although Fett was unsure if Jabba had a soul. Fett also did not understand what Jabba said to him. However, he enjoyed the drink offered during such moments and, considering how much Jabba paid him, found the company tolerable.

Jabba the Hutt was initially referenced in the 1977 film, Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, and again in the 1980 sequel, Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back. His first on-screen appearance was in 1983 in the final film of the original trilogy, Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi.

Declan Mulholland was chosen to play Jabba in the unfinished scene from the original Star Wars, where he was depicted as a portly human wearing a shaggy fur coat. However, the scene was removed because George Lucas wanted to portray Jabba as an alien creature, but the special-effects technology at the time was inadequate to replace Mulholland. The scene, featuring a CGI Jabba, was eventually added to the Special Edition of Episode IV when a previously unfinished scene was restored to the film.

For Return of the Jedi, the corpulent Jabba was brought to life by the puppeteering skills of Toby Philpott, David Barclay, and Mike Edmonds, while his voice was provided by Larry Ward. Ward had previously lent his vocal talents to the character of Greedo, specifically for his Huttese dialogue, in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. Prior to the commencement of filming, sound engineer Ben Burtt meticulously scripted Jabba's Huttese lines, ensuring that the puppeteers could synchronize Jabba's mouth movements accordingly.

During the post-production phase, Burtt manipulated Ward's already deep voice to achieve an even greater depth, combining it with rumble-like sounds generated by a subharmonic generator, and the squelching sound of pasta being handled in a bowl. The character's burps were created by sound engineer Howie Hammerman, famous for his loud belches after consuming soda. The slimy sound of Jabba was primarily achieved by using a bowl of melted cheese.

In 1999, Jabba made an appearance in the opening installment of the prequel trilogy, Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, and subsequently featured in multiple episodes of the animated television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars and its associated film, with Kevin Michael Richardson providing his voice. Initially, George Lucas had forbidden the use of Jabba in the series when writer Henry Gilroy was developing the show bible. However, by the time of the subsequent meeting, Lucas reversed his decision, allowing Jabba to be incorporated into both The Clone Wars film and the television series that followed. Guillermo del Toro was at one point slated to helm a Star Wars film centered around Jabba's rise to power and eventual downfall.

In 2024, Jabba appeared in Star Wars Outlaws, with Dee Bradley Baker providing his voice.

The design of the crime lord Azmorigan was influenced by early concept artwork of Jabba the Hutt, initially created for Return of the Jedi.

From May of 2016 to mid-2023, the entry for Jabba on the Databank section of StarWars.com incorrectly identified his species as "Hutt, B'omarr Monk."