How did Jabba the Hutt die?

Safely ensconced in his palace throughout the Clone Wars and right up until the beginning of the end for the Empire, His Excellency Jabba Desilijic Tiure of Nal Hutta, Eminence of Tatooine (or “Jabba the Hutt”), was a seemingly invincible power player in the Hutt crime families.

Few tears were shed when he was killed on his sail barge, the Khetanna, falling to a band of rebel infiltrators who snuck into his home with the aim of rescuing the Rebellion’s soon-to-be General Han Solo.

The opening scenes of Return of the Jedi showcase the downfall of the great Hutt gangster. After a successful infiltration by the Rebel droids C-3PO and R2-D2, Princess Leia freed Han Solo from his encasement in carbonite where he hung on Jabba’s palace walls. Upon the initial rescue of Han, the Princess learned it was a trap. She was forced to serve as a trophy on Jabba’s throne until the arrival of Luke Skywalker.

What caused Jabba the Hutt’s death?

Following the death of a rancor at the nascent Jedi’s hands, Jabba declared all the Rebel infiltrators’ lives forfeit, holding a ceremony for their sacrifice at the Pit of Carkoon, the nesting place of an ancient Sarlacc. It was during the ceremony that R2-D2 returned the Jedi’s lightsaber, and a disguised Lando Calrissian helped the saboteurs escape but not before Leia strangled Jabba the Hutt with the very chain he used to tether her to his throne.

Many of the partygoers died alongside Jabba, as twins Luke and Leia Skywalker seized control of the main gun of the Khetanna and forced it to fire into the barge. The resulting explosion left few survivors, though at least Jabba’s majordomo, Bib Fortuna, was spared. Bounty hunter and Clone Wars survivor Boba Fett was also flung into the Pit of Carkoon during the event.

Jabba the Hutt was survived by his son Rotta and, potentially, his rival and former voice on the Hutt Council, Gardulla Besadii the Elder.

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