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Jabba's rancor
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| Jabba's rancor | |
|---|---|
| Biographical information | |
| Died |
4 ABY (39:3:4 GrS), Tatooine |
| Physical description | |
| Species | |
| Gender | |
| Height | |
| Mass | |
| Hair color |
None |
| Eye color | |
| Chronological and political information | |
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| Affiliation | |
| Known owners | |
- "Oh no! The rancor!"
- ―C-3PO
Jabba's rancor was a rancor Jabba Desilijic Tiure kept beneath a trapdoor in his chamber. He was fond of dropping people into the rancor's pit and watching them be eaten. It was cared for by Malakili.
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Biography
Edit
The rancor was being transported from the Tarsunt system by Grizzid for a Bothan merchant named Grendu, when it broke out, killing Grizzid and his crew, and causing the ship to crash on Tatooine. A Jawa Sandcrawler captain named Tteel Kkak discovered the wreckage and informed Jabba's servants Bib Fortuna and Bidlo Kwerve. They presented it to Jabba as a birthday present. Fortuna was rewarded by being made Jabba's Majordomo, while Kwerve was fed to the rancor.
Malakili was bought from the Circus Horrificus in order to care for the rancor. He became very emotionally attached to it. While he took the rancor for a walk in the desert, it saved him from a small gang of Sand people. Jabba enjoyed pitting the rancor against other exotic monsters for his amusement. It always won, but was seriously wounded by three Caridan combat arachnids. When Malakili discovered that Jabba planned to pit the rancor against a krayt dragon, which would surely kill it, he made plans to betray Jabba to Lady Valarian and escape Tatooine with the rancor.
Jabba frequently used his rancor as an amusing form of execution. Oola the Twi'lek dancing girl was dropped in for resisting Jabba. Later, Jabba used it against Luke Skywalker, accidentally dropping a Gamorrean guard named Jubnuk in as well. The rancor ate Jubnuk, but Skywalker tricked him and crushed him under a heavy portcullis, piercing and crushing it's skull, killing it.
Jubnuk was later cut out of the rancor's stomach, still alive due to the lucky talisman he found inside the stomach.[2]
Later, Luke stated that he had another reason for killing him, other than defending himself. The rancor was so abused and mistreated that rehabilitation for him would have been impossible, and Luke believed that it would be best to put the poor creature out of his misery.
Even two decades after the fact, Luke expressed that it was an unfortunate shame that he had to kill the rancor. He felt that as a species, they were such fine creatures.[3]
Behind the scenes
Edit

An image often mistaken to be the rancor battling a krayt dragon is, in reality, a joke from the crew of ILM. They placed a model of one of the dragons from the film Dragonslayer in the arms of the model of the rancor and took a picture. The picture was included in the book Star Wars: Chronicles. A creature based on the appearance of this dragon appears in one of Jabba's monster pens in Inside the Worlds of Star Wars Trilogy.
The rancor was originally supposed to be a man in a suit, but the results weren't satisfyingly realistic, so it was filmed in the form of a puppet.
During his fight with Luke Skywalker in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, the rancor appeared to have an earring in his right ear.
The rancor is a mini boss in Lord Starkiller's Mission To Tatooine
Appearances
Edit

- The Clone Wars: Decide Your Destiny: Crisis on Coruscant
- A Boy and His Monster: The Rancor Keeper's Tale
- We Don't Do Weddings: The Band's Tale (Mentioned only)
- Nightlily: The Lovers' Tale (Mentioned only)
- Nightlily: The Lovers' Tale audio drama (Mentioned only)
Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided
- Payback: The Tale of Dengar
- Star Wars: Demolition
- Shadows of the Empire comic (Mentioned only)
- The One That Got Away
- Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (First appearance)
- Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi junior novel
- Star Wars: Return of the Jedi 2: The Emperor Commands
- Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
- Han Solo's Rescue
- Taster's Choice: The Tale of Jabba's Chef
- A Time to Mourn, a Time to Dance: Oola's Tale (Mentioned only)
- Sleight of Hand: The Tale of Mara Jade
- A Free Quarren in the Palace: Tessek's Tale
- And the Band Played On: The Band's Tale (Mentioned only)
- Jabba's Palace Pop-up Book
- Heir to the Empire (Mentioned only)
- Dark Force Rising (Mentioned only)
- Jedi Search (Mentioned only)
- Young Jedi Knights: Diversity Alliance (Mentioned only)
- Young Jedi Knights: Jedi Bounty (Mentioned only)
- Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse (Mentioned only)
Non-canon appearances
Edit
- LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
- Star Wars: Battlefront (patch only)
- Star Wars: Battlefront II
- Star Wars: The Force Unleashed video game — Ultimate Sith Edition
- LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
Sources
Edit
- The Illustrated Star Wars Universe
- Inside the Worlds of Star Wars Trilogy
- Star Wars: Head-to-Head Tag Teams
Rancor in the Databank (content now obsolete; backup link on Archive.org)
- Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side