Hutt (Star Wars)

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The Hutts are a fictional alien race in the Star Wars universe. They have appeared in The Phantom Menace and Return of the Jedi, as well as the special edition release of A New Hope, although it is only in The Phantom Menace that Hutts other than Jabba the Hutt are portrayed. They also appear in various Star Wars games, including those based on the movies, and the Knights of the Old Republic series. None of these, however, are very friendly and all are criminally involved.[1] However, in the comic book series Tales of the Jedi: Golden Age of the Sith and Tales of the Jedi: The Fall of the Sith Empire, there is a Hutt character named Aarrba who is sympathetic to the main characters, Gav and Jori Daragon.

The Hutts' native language, Huttese, is a lingua franca of galactic organized crime.

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[edit] Origins

The Hutts originated on a forest planet called Varl, in a binary star system consisting of the two stars Evona and Ardos, which the Hutts worshiped as gods. According to Hutt legend, Evona was absorbed by a black hole, and Ardos collapsed on itself over grief for its mate. Since the Hutts survived the deaths of their Gods, they believed they had become Gods, hence their egocentrism. Scientists believe the Hutts destroyed their world in a civil war.

After Varl's devastation, the Hutts migrated to a planet called Evocar, and displaced the peaceful natives through canny business practices, even going so far as to evict them. The Hutts renamed their new planet Nal Hutta—"Glorious Jewel" in Huttese. Nal Hutta is the capital of Hutt Space, the species' empire. The primary moon of Nal Hutta is Nar Shaddaa.

Before the establishment of the Old Republic, the Hutts were the dominant species in the galaxy, although they never built up an extensive empire; their dominance focused instead on trade and economic empires.

[edit] Physiology

Adult Hutts have no rear limbs and move in a manner reminiscent of Gastropods. However, in the novelization of Return of the Jedi, it is mentioned that Hutts are born bipedal, but their legs grow together over time due to lack of movement. They also have pouches that they nurse their young in like marsupials. They have two stubby arms, and a large mouth to consume food. Hutt skin is extremely thick, and when combined with their redundant organs and tough flesh, can result in Hutts being able to survive direct blaster fire hits. Hutts are hermaphrodites, bearing male and female reproductive organs; however, Hutts have distinct masculine or feminine personalities. Typically, Hutts are referred to as males, but in some cases, certain Hutts seem to assign themselves permanently female gender roles. Because of these roles Hutts can have homosexual qualities as it is written in the books. It is unknown whether this is a personal choice, or biological in nature. Hutts are also inedible by any life as even the Sarlacc can't digest them.

Jabba the Hutt is different from most of his race in that he has a continuing fascination, even borderline obsession, with bipedal humanoid females. Jabba has scantily-clad slave girls of various species to serve him at any of his dwellings, which include his throne room on Nal Hutta and his retreat on Tatooine. His most noteworthy slave girl was Princess Leia Organa, who eventually killed him. To judge by the reaction of his various slaves, Hutts, even in the exotic Star Wars universe, aren't considered very attractive themselves.

Hutts reproduce asexually, and apparently at a whim. When a Hutt decides that it is time for him to bear an offspring, he can change his gender and become pregnant without assistance from any other lifeform. An infant Hutt, known as a Huttlet, is the size of an orange when born, and lives in the parent's pouch for decades before becoming "fully developed." Hutts can claim a lifespan of 1,000 standard years. Adolescents become adults when they reach the age of 100 years.

Hutts are also unique in that they are one of the few species that are resistant to the Force, due to their unique thought patterns. Jedi mind tricks generally do not have any effect upon the Hutts (although in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Bastila Shan can successfully perform a mind trick on Motta the Hutt). Additionally, Hutts have the ability to see ultra-violet light and into the infrared.

[edit] Society

There is an old Hutt saying: Blood is thicker than slime. Nal Hutta is ruled by the Clans of the Ancients, which is composed of leaders of the eldest clans on Nal Hutta. Many Hutts leave their home world to form kajidics, or criminal empires, under the control of the Clan. Hutts hold their families in very high regard, except when leadership of the clan is available, and will kill members of their families, for personal advancement.

If a non-Hutt kills a Hutt, then it will usually result in a death-mark, or bounty, being put on the offending party. Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Leia Solo were the most famous recipients in their role in the death of Jabba the Hutt. The death mark against them lasted for about ten years before it was removed by Durga the Hutt during the Darksaber incident. However Hutts' grudges last a very long time and the deathmark was reinstated after Durga's death.

Hutts do not generally reveal their family names to non-Hutts (close subordinates, such as councilors, are very familiar with Huttese clan politics, as they must be to advise and orchestrate attacks and business well); as such only a few Hutt clans are known by name. The two most prominent are Desilijic, the Clan of Jabba the Hutt, and Besadii, the most powerful before the death of Durga the Hutt.

[edit] Notable Hutts

[edit] Beldorion the Hutt

Beldorion duels with Leia Solo
Beldorion duels with Leia Solo

Beldorion was a Hutt who trained to be a Jedi sometime before the Clone Wars (the only known Huttese Jedi). Beldorion journeyed to Nam Chorios with his fellow Jedi Taselda, ostensibly to investigate the Theran movement. When he arrived, Beldorion sensed that Nam Chorios itself was a potent nexus for the power of the Force. Therefore, Beldorion stayed and established himself as ruler of the planet, struggling for power with Taselda, who was also drawn in by Chorios' power. Beldorion become a pawn of the humanoid droch Dzym. He gave himself such titles as "Beldorion of the Ruby Eyes" and "Beldorion the Splendid." With the Force and Dzym's help, Beldorion remained strong and youthful, his body all muscle, avoiding the corpulence and immobility of most Hutts his age. However, at the onset of the Clone Wars, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine used special emergency powers to send Seti Ashgad to Nam Chorios in a political expansionist movement. Seeing that Beldorion the Hutt had no real interest in ruling Nam Chorios so long as his desires were satisfied, Ashgad rose to become the planet's unofficial ruler. But Ashgad soon realized that Beldorion had only been a figurehead for a more insidious figure, Dzym.

About thirteen years after the Battle of Yavin, Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa Solo traveled to Nam Chorios to meet with Ashgad. While there, Leia was taken prisoner and met Beldorion. While he held her captive, Beldorion told her stories of the ancient Jedi Masters such as Thon and Yoda, whose power he admired, if not their principles. Leia eventually escaped, and together with Luke uncovered Ashgad and Dzym's plan to unleash a plague throughout the sector. During the attempt to stop Ashgad, Leia was attacked by Beldorion. At nine meters, Beldorion was large even for a Hutt, and possessed none of the corpulent rolls that immobilized lazy Hutts like Jabba. The old Hutt was all muscle and fire, and attacked with his lightsaber with astonishing quickness. Although Leia had not been trained extensively in lightsaber combat, she did have combat training and a keen insight into the flow of the Force.[2][3]

[edit] Durga the Hutt

His Great Obesity, Lord Durga Besadii Tai was a Hutt and the successor of Aruk as head of the Besadii kajidic. Note also that he captured the Death Star's engineer and "hired" him to build him his own superlaser mechanism, which, before being destroyed in Hoth's asteroid belt, was known as Darksaber. A notable feature of Durga is his green birthmark that stretches along the side of his face.

[edit] Gardulla the Hutt

Gardulla the Hutt, also known as Gardulla the Elder, is one of the Hutt crime lords of Tatooine. Her assistant is Diva Funquita. She is best known for buying Shmi and Anakin Skywalker, then losing them to Watto, a junk dealer, whilst betting on the pod-races. Gardulla is a sometimes rival of Jabba the Hutt and appears briefly as his guest at the Podrace scene in The Phantom Menace. Gardulla also sponsors Podracers, including Gasgano. After the Boonta Eve Classic, Gardulla offered Watto a substantial sum to regain ownership of Anakin, but the Toydarian had already lost the boy to Qui-Gon Jinn.

Gardulla attempted to feed Jango Fett to her personal Krayt dragon, but was in turn killed by the bounty hunter by being pushed into the Krayt dragon's lair and devoured after being interrogated for information on the Bando Gora cult. Gardulla has a son, Gardulla the Younger and a daughter, Decca Besadii Diori

[edit] Gorga the Hutt

Gorga Desilijic Glooma, better known as Gorga the Hutt, is the great-nephew of Jabba the Hutt. He was referenced in the game Star Wars Bounty Hunter, posting several secondary bounties.

[edit] Grubba the Hutt

Grubba Desilijic Aarrpo (Grubba the Hutt) is a character in the fictional Star Wars universe. Grubba was the son of Pazda the Hutt, nephew of Jabba the Hutt and brother of Gorga the Hutt. On Nar Shaddaa, he lead a small crime syndicate called Varl's Children and never got much bigger in the crime business. When his uncle Jabba died, his brother proposed they take advantage of the situation. He immediately agreed, trying to boost his crime reputation. His laid-back attitude kept him from becoming a true crime lord. They tricked Jabba's father and took over Jabba's castle. Past then, he never really paid attention to what went on, and let his brother do all the handling as long as he got credit. One day while torturing a man who tried to oppose him, he heard news that they were to be bombed by some Hutt named Oopatcha who had come a few days earlier, so he warned everyone and they all evacuated to his ship. The B'omarr monks who lived in the bottom levels of the castle ratted them out and Grubba was killed with his brother, uncles, and father.

[edit] Kossak the Hutt

Kossak the Hutt is a powerful businessman said to have lived around the same time as Xim the Despot and was directly responsible for Xim's defeat at The Third Battle of Vontor. What is known of this is that Kossak the Hutt had tricked the Klatooians, Vodrans into signing themselves into virtual slavery and that it was Kossak that used the Vodrans and Klatooians during the final battle that ended the reign of Xim The Despot.

[edit] Jabba the Hutt

Main article: Jabba the Hutt

Jabba the Hutt is an antagonist who first appeared on film in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, and later in the re-release of Star Wars Episode IV. Jabba was originally portrayed by an immense latex puppet, but in later releases he is a computer-generated image (CGI). Besides the films, Jabba the Hutt is featured in Star Wars literature and is sometimes referenced by his full name, Jabba Desilijic Tiure.[4]

He is a 600-year-old Hutt crime lord and gangster who employs a retinue of criminals, bounty hunters, smugglers, assassins, and bodyguards to operate his criminal empire. Jabba the Hutt's palace on the desert planet Tatooine is a former monastery for a group of mystics known as the B'omarr monks. There, he keeps a host of entertainers, slaves, droids, and alien creatures at his disposal. Jabba has a grim sense of humor, a bellicose laugh, an insatiable appetite, and an affinity for gambling, slave girls, and torture.

The character was incorporated into the Star Wars merchandising campaign that corresponded with the theatrical release of Return of the Jedi. Jabba the Hutt's image has since played an influential role in popular culture, particularly in the United States. His name is used as a satirical literary device and a political caricature to underscore negative qualities such as morbid obesity and corruption.[5][6]

[edit] Vogga the Hutt

Vogga the Hutt is a Huttese businessman based on Nar Shaddaa who specialized in fuel--specifically high-grade fuel suitable for, among other things, Citadel Station. Like most Hutts, he technically is a hermaphrodite, but generally has a masculine personality. His first and only appearance is in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords. He enjoys watching scantily-clad female dancers, though this always puts him to sleep. One of the Jedi Exile's companions can dance for him; this is confirmed.

After the Jedi Exile inadvertently caused the destruction of the Peragus mining facilities, the biggest competitor to Vogga's importing of fuel from Sleheyron, Vogga began attempting to take advantage of the sudden shortage of fuel. G0-T0 opposed the Hutt's business plan. In retaliation, Vogga hired a considerable number of bounty hunters (like Hanharr) and bribed a number of G0-T0's underlings (like Visquis). The Exile took advantage of this when he registered the Ebon Hawk as a freighter of Vogga's; unsurprisingly, this resulted in G0-T0 intercepting the freighter, whereupon the Exile caused G0-T0's yacht to decloak. Vogga's waiting vessels promptly blew it out of space. Vogga further won in that following the destruction of G0-T0's yacht, the Jedi Exile arranged for shipment of fuel to Telos.

[edit] Zorba the Hutt

Zorba the Hutt is the father of Jabba the Hutt.[7] He did not immediately learn of his son's death because he was imprisoned on the planet Kip. Zorba resembled his son, though he had long, white hair braids and a white beard. All of Jabba's possessions were bequeathed to Zorba, including the desert palace on Tatooine. He blamed Princess Leia Organa Solo for the murder of his son Jabba. Zorba then challenged Lando in a game of sabacc and won Cloud City. Lando soon won back Cloud City in a future game. In one instance Zorba was referred to as 'Koztas'.

[edit] Grappa the Hutt

Grappa the Hutt appears in the Crimson Empire novels. He is in league with the Black Sun criminal gang and Itha spectral-like species known as the Zanibar. He first appears looking like Tarrant Snil and like Jabba appears to enjoy the company of slave female humanoids and big parties. However he is quick to lose his temper and ends up killing not only a Zanibar but a spokesman from the Black Sun. He allows both Mirth Sinn and her ex-lieutenant Massimo to be sacrificed to the Zanibar. Kir Kanos saves Mirth Sinn but Massimo is less lucky. Grappa was also scared when he received a telecom of a figure known as The Faceless One. After the Black Sun guards sent assassins after him, Grappa fled only to be caught by the Zanibar when he couldn't pay them the money he owed them. He was taken to be sacrificed on their homeworld of Xo.

[edit] Korpa the Hutt

Korpa the Hutt is cousin of Vogga the Hutt. He is a small-time crime lord, trying to take over his cousin's businesses. Following a starship duel with his would-be assassin in the twin system of Dva Lokwanya, he lands on a small planet Okopania, meeting with bounty hunter Ser Onja to arrange the assassination of Vogga. Receiving a payment of rare G'ovna crystals, Ser Onja doublecrosses Korpa, sabotaging his ship to explode on takeoff.

[edit] Rotta the Hutt

Rotta the Hutt is Jabba's son, set to appear in The Clone Wars TV series.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Hutt at theStar Wars Databank; last accessed November 16, 2006.
  2. ^ Barbara Hambley, Planet of Twilight (paperback; New York: Bantam Spectra, 1997), ISBN 0-553-09540-4.
  3. ^ The Essential Chronology (Star Wars), 1st edition, 2000. Kevin J. Anderson, Daniel Wallace, Bill Hughes, ISBN 0-345-43439-0
  4. ^ "Jabba Desilijic Tiure (Jabba the Hutt)", in Sansweet, Star Wars Encyclopedia, pp. 146-147.
  5. ^ For example, see "Fat Wars: The Obesity Empire Strikes Back" at Center for Consumer Freedom; last accessed July 3, 2006.
  6. ^ Koenraad Kuiper, "Star Wars: An Imperial Myth," Journal of Popular Culture 21.4 (Spring 1988): p. 78.
  7. ^ Hutt! Hutt! Hutt!

[edit] External links