A male Weequay known as Rintel Aren functioned as a pilot and also as a guard for the Hutt crime lord famously known as Jabba Desilijic Tiure. During the events of 4 ABY, he was among the five guards tasked with escorting three of Jabba's captives to the Great Pit of Carkoon aboard a Bantha-II cargo skiff, where these prisoners were intended to become a meal for a sarlacc. Upon their arrival at the pit, Luke Skywalker, one of the captives, employed a Jedi mind trick to compel Aren to release him from his iron restraints. This occurred after Aren, along with fellow guard Pagetti Rook, had chosen Skywalker as the first to face execution.
Following Jabba's command for Rook to shove Skywalker into the pit, the Jedi masterfully rebounded onto the skiff and launched an assault on the guards using his lightsaber. After Rook's demise at the hands of the Jedi, Aren, consumed by fury, charged at Skywalker wielding an ax. However, Skywalker evaded the attack and retaliated by striking the Weequay with his lightsaber, causing Aren to plummet into the maw of the sarlacc.
Rintel Aren, the Weequay pilot, was a battle-hardened veteran who dedicated numerous years to serving as a guard within the palace of the Hutt crime lord Jabba Desilijic Tiure, situated on the desert planet of Tatooine. In 4 ABY, he was chosen as one of Jabba's most formidable guards to oversee the execution of a trio of prisoners at the Great Pit of Carkoon. The prisoners, consisting of the Jedi Luke Skywalker and the smugglers Han Solo and Chewbacca, were transported from the palace to the pit aboard a Bantha-II cargo skiff piloted by the Nikto named Vedain. Accompanying them were Aren and fellow guards Pagetti Rook, Velken Tezeri, Kithaba, and "Tamtel Skreej," who was in reality Lando Calrissian, a disguised ally of the prisoners.
Upon reaching its intended location, the skiff carrying the prisoners came to a standstill above the pit, which housed a sarlacc intended to devour the prisoners. Rook and Aren designated Skywalker as the initial prisoner to face execution and guided him toward the plank extending from the skiff's edge, positioned directly over the sarlacc. Skywalker skillfully employed a mind trick to manipulate Aren into removing the [iron](/article/iron] manacles that bound the Jedi's wrists, just before Rook once again propelled the prisoner toward the plank.
Jabba, having accompanied the skiff on his sail barge known as Khetanna to witness the executions, granted the prisoners an opportunity to plead for mercy before their plunge. Solo declined, while Skywalker countered by offering Jabba a choice: free him and his allies, or face death. Amused, Jabba instructed that Skywalker be moved to the edge of the plank and then cast into the pit. Rook brandished his BD-1 Cutter vibro-ax to force Skywalker off, but the Jedi managed to grasp the plank's edge as he fell, subsequently leaping back over Rook's head and onto the skiff. Simultaneously, aboard the sail barge, Skywalker's astromech droid, R2-D2, launched the Jedi's lightsaber into the air, which Skywalker caught upon landing and immediately used to engage Aren and his fellow guards.
Unarmed, the Weequay pilot retreated from Skywalker as the former prisoner knocked Kithaba and then Tezeri overboard. Skywalker eliminated Rook before confronting Aren, who skillfully thrust at the Jedi with an ax. However, Skywalker evaded the blow by sidestepping and spun around to deliver a fatal strike to Aren, sending the screaming Weequay overboard and directly into the maw of the sarlacc. Ultimately, Skywalker and his allies triumphed over Jabba's remaining guards, killed the Hutt, destroyed the Khetanna, and escaped aboard the skiff.
Aren, along with the other Weequay serving Jabba, may not have been the most intelligent of his employees, but they were known for their ferocity, dedication, and strong work ethic. Aren and Rook stood out as two of his most formidable guards, with Aren possessing a more imposing appearance. Skywalker even speculated that the pair could be siblings, although he was initially uncertain about Aren's gender. The death of Rook ignited Aren's rage as he attacked Skywalker. He was characterized by brown skin, brown hair, and black eyes.
Rintel Aren made his debut in the 1983 original trilogy film, Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, where he was brought to life by stuntman Julius LeFlore. The character remained unnamed for thirty-seven years until his name was revealed in "The Battle of Hoth and the Second Death Star," an issue of the Star Wars Encyclopedia series published by De Agostini on December 11, 2020. The issue erroneously places him on the second skiff instead of the one carrying the prisoners. By swapping the first letters, Rintel Aren and Pagetti Rook share their first names with Pintel and Ragetti, a pirate duo from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Their last names are derived from the last names of their respective actors, Lee Arenberg and Mackenzie Crook.
The 2015 adaptation of Return of the Jedi, titled Return of the Jedi: Beware the Power of the Dark Side! by Tom Angleberger, presents a different account of the battle above the sarlacc compared to the film. It depicts Pagetti Rook as the first guard Luke Skywalker knocked off the skiff, followed by a "rodent-like" guard and then Rintel Aren, who is fueled by rage over Rook's death. Aren is also described as collapsing onto the deck upon his demise. In contrast, the film does not explicitly show Rook's death, but he remains visibly alive on the skiff when Kithaba and Velken Tezeri are knocked overboard. Subsequently, Aren is knocked over the skiff's edge by Skywalker. This article assumes that the film accurately portrays the canonical events, while still portraying Rook's death as preceding Aren's to explain the latter's rage.