Leia’s takedown of Jabba in Star Wars original trilogy had a majorly devastating impact
By Meg Dowell
It’s impossible to think back to Return of the Jedi and not recall the iconic moment Leia Organa took things into her own hands – literally – on Jabba’s sail barge, freeing herself and all who had previously been oppressed by the Hutt’s rule over the planet,
It’s unlikely Leia knew in that moment exactly how much eliminating Jabba would impact the planet – and the underworld ecosystem as a whole. According to The Mandalorian co-creator Jon Favreau, The Book of Boba Fett will further explore this devastation and more.
Empire recently revealed more details about the upcoming Disney+ series, specifically the state viewers can expect to see Tatooine in now that both Jabba and Bib Fortuna are gone.
“There is a power vacuum,” Favreau explained, “because Jabba is gone. Jabba was clearly a very strong and imposing leader, who people were very scared of, and who seemed to rule with an iron fist. You pull somebody like that out of the ecosystem of Tatooine – and Hutt Space in general – and you have the opportunity that’s ripe in the gangster genre.”
Back on that sail barge on Tatooine, Leia likely had one goal in mind: to rid the galaxy of the Hutt that had brought misery to so many beings for so many years. She wasn’t thinking about who would take over after Jabba was no more. She had no reason to. Yet like so many of her actions throughout the overarching Star Wars saga, that one choice made major sand-filled waves across the galaxy.
While many may have briefly benefited from Jabba the Hutt‘s demise, there were also plenty who’d been waiting in the wings to take first advantage of the crime lord’s departure. The Book of Boba Fett will be an intense, gritty, and violent series to say the least. But it will likely also explore what happens when there’s a major power shift on a planet like Tatooine … and what someone like Boba Fett might decide to do with his newfound throne.
The Book of Boba Fett premieres on Disney+ December 29.