Star Wars Is Finally Remembering How Powerful Jabba The Hutt Really Is

Star Wars: Visions and The Book of Boba Fett takes time to remind audiences of just how powerful the crime lord Jabba the Hutt truly is.

Disney’s anime addition to the Star Wars franchise, Star Wars: Visions, remembers how powerful and dangerous Jabba the Hutt is, and The Book of Boba Fett extends his dynasty. Visions episode 2, “Tatooine Rhapsody,” has Jabba the Hutt kidnapping a musician for execution. The artist, Geezer, is a Hutt with connections to Jabba and his syndicate but chose to eschew that lifestyle in favor of playing in a band. Jabba’s vengeful retaliation serves to remind viewers of his tremendous power and influence. Apart from being a reminder of what makes Jabba the Hutt powerful, this also provides answers for the question, "Why are the Hutts so powerful and feared throughout the galaxy?"

Jabba the Hutt is one of the most dangerous crime lords in the Star Wars galaxy. From his palace on Tatooine, Jabba commands influence and power that rivals that of the Black Sun, Zann Consortium, and Crimson Dawn. Though Jabba was the antagonist for much of Return of the Jedi’s first act, his other appearances have somewhat diminished his previously threatening reputation. In the 1997 Star Wars Special Edition, the additional Jabba scene had the crime lord confront Han Solo in person, groveling to the smuggler about his debt and allowing Solo to quite literally walk all over him. In 2008’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars movie, Jabba’s influence is sought after by the Republic and Separatists, but Jabba himself is easily manipulated by Dooku and the Separatists, who frame Republic forces as his son’s kidnappers.

Visions reminds viewers how dangerous that Jabba is. Frustrated by Geezer’s refusal to join his criminal empire, Jabba hires Boba Fett, one of the galaxy’s deadliest and most expensive bounty hunters, to capture the peaceful Hutt for a public execution. Although one of Geezer’s fellow band members was a former Jedi, they were powerless to stop Geezer from being abducted and they didn’t attempt to rescue him from Jabba’s clutches through direct means. For the first time in a long time, Jabba was a major threat once more.

How Star Wars Visions Made Jabba A Threat Again

Geezer’s band, the Star Wavers, ultimately couldn’t defeat Jabba or his henchmen, even with Jay’s Force powers. They were forced to play by Jabba’s rules, convincing the crime lord that it’d be more profitable to let them live. With a successful performance in Mos Espa to prove their marketability, Jay promised to make Jabba the band’s first investor. Geezer and the rest of his band survived because Jabba agreed to the terms.

This is a notably different depiction of Jabba when compared to the Star Wars special edition and The Clone Wars. One wrong move on Jay’s part, and Geezer (along with possibly the rest of the band) would have been executed by Jabba’s enforcers on the spot. None of the manipulations used by Han Solo or Count Dooku would have worked, and none of the band members could fight like Luke Skywalker, so they needed a legitimately good reason for Jabba to let them live.

The Star Wars: Visions portrayal of Jabba is how the crime lord should always be depicted. While Jabba doesn’t appear particularly threatening, he is one of the galaxy’s most dangerous crime bosses, even among the other Hutt clan leaders. While Jabba the Hutt doesn’t possess the power of the dark side, he commands the ubiquitous forces of the criminal underworld, and Disney remembered to show this in its Star Wars TV series.

How The Book of Boba Fett’s Hutt Twins Connect To Jabba

Jabba the Hutt is the cousin of the Hutt Twins who question Boba Fett's claim to Jabba's Mos Espa fiefdom in The Book of Boba Fett, and their presence on Tatooine was prompted by the death of Bib Fortuna, representing the Hutts' intentions to take back Jabba's territories. It was never made clear whether or not Fortuna was still working for the Hutts when he took over Mos Espa, although it's likely that this is the case, as the Hutts wouldn't have allowed Jabba's holdings to go unsupervised for five years. This is also likely why The Book of Boba Fett's Pyke Syndicate, who had more than enough firepower to lay their own claim to Mos Espa, held back during Bib Fortuna's rule: they were wary of the fact that the Hutts were the ones really in charge of Jabba's former territories. In fact, the Pyke Syndicate only moved in when the Hutt Twins announced that they were renouncing their claim for fear of a war against the Pykes.

Moreover, Jabba's cousins could've deliberately backed out to allow Boba Fett and the Pyke Syndicate to fight and expend resources, which means that the Hutts could sweep back into Mos Espa in The Book of Boba Fett season 2. This would be congruent with Jabba the Hutt's own cunning and patience – essential business traits that likely run in the family. Indeed, before The Book of Boba Fett's Hutt Twins leave Tatooine, they give the bounty hunter the baby of Jabba's rancor as a type of peace offering. Although the rancor helped Boba's cause during the series finale, it's still an unpredictable part of Boba's arsenal, which is likely in line with the Hutt Twins' long-term plans. Indeed, Star Wars' Jabba the Hutt may be dead, but his legacy of cunning and constant scheming continues to live on in the Hutts in Star Wars: Visions and The Book of Boba Fett.

Next: Star Wars Visions: Every Episode Ranked From Worst To Best