- "Excuse my intrusion. However, I thought you should all be aware that a Huttian spacecraft has been spied approaching Tatooine, due north of our position. It appears to be the Zorba Express."
- ―MD-5
The Zorba Express, also known as Zorba's Express, was an ancient starship that belonged to Zorba the Hutt, shady businessman and father of the famous crime lord Jabba Desilijic Tiure.
Characteristics[]
A typical bell-shaped Huttian starship,[2] the Zorba Express belonged to a class of space yacht,[1] the design of which predated the Clone Wars.[5] When standing upright, the starship resembled a domed building distinguished by several spires. Its boarding hatch was shaped like a diaphragm shutter and could be accessed by a ramp. The cockpit of the Zorba Express was roomy enough to fit a Hutt, an astromech-sized droid and at least another passenger.[2]
History[]
Zorba Desilijic Tiure, owner of the Zorba Express
- "I want every inch of the Zorba Express searched from its Telgorn flight computers to its rear bulk storage compartments!"
- ―Bertroff Hissa
During the second month of 22 BBY, Zorba was imprisoned on the muddy planet of Kip for the illegal removal of ulikuo gemstones,[3] and the 'Zorba Express was abandoned on a cliff immediately after the Hutt's capture. However, the native inhabitants of Kip never figured out how to fly that spaceship. As a consequence, the Zorba Express was still waiting for its owner, when Zorba was freed by a group of pirates in 5 ABY. By that time, the Zorba Express was very much in disrepair; some observers believed that the vessel would not even be able to break the sound barrier after several more trips if it was not serviced.[2]
Despite that, Zorba still used his personal transport to get to Tatooine, a desert planet that had been the fiefdom of his son, Jabba. After discovering that Jabba had been murdered by Princess Leia Organa, Zorba laid claim to much of his son's properties throughout the galaxy. He took off in the Zorba Express, bound for the floating metropolis of Cloud City, in which Jabba once owned a casino.[2] He also traveled to Hologram Fun World, an amusement park that drove customers away from his newly acquired casino. While there, Zorba successfully captured Princess Organa, and he put her in the Zorba Express so he could bring her back to Tatooine and execute her.[4]
However, Zorba and his yacht were captured in orbit of Tatooine by Trioculus, Supreme Slavelord of the Kesselian Spice Mines and self-anointed Galactic Emperor. As Zorba refused to cooperate with Trioculus' plan, the Hutt was fed to the monstrous Sarlacc of Tatooine, and the Supreme Slavelord remained in possession of his battered yacht.[4]
Appearances[]
- Zorba the Hutt's Revenge (First appearance)
- Queen of the Empire
Sources[]
- A Guide to the Star Wars Universe, Second Edition, Revised and Expanded
- Star Wars Encyclopedia
"Hutt! Hutt! Hutt!" (original article link) on Wizards.com (content now obsolete; backup link)- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2
"Hutt! Hutt! Hutt!" (original article link) on Wizards.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Zorba the Hutt's Revenge
- ↑ 3.0 3.1
Zorba the Hutt Sentenced to 45 Years — HoloNet News Vol. 531 #48 (content now obsolete; backup link)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Queen of the Empire
- ↑ In the novel Zorba the Hutt's Revenge, it was stated that the Zorba Express was left on Kip following Zorba Desilijic Tiure's arrest. It was later precised in the HoloNet News Vol. 531 48 that Zorba was imprisoned shortly before the start of the Clone Wars.