Star Warshas revealed the canon history of Jabba’s Palace, bringing back some seriously deep cut Legends lore. Luke Skywalker may have considered his homeworld to be something of a galactic backwater, butStar Warskeeps returning to Tatooine. Introduced inA New Hopeback in 1977, the planet returned at the end of the original trilogy when Luke headed back there to free Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt.Return of the Jedirevealed thatTatooine was the center of Jabba’s criminal empire, and it’s remained important ever since.
Amazonhas released new preview pages for the upcomingStar Wars: Complete Locations New Edition. One of these is dedicated to Jabba’s Palace, and it brings together Legends lore and previously-established canon information to establish the history of the palace. It’s believed to have been established by the secretive B’omarr monks centuries before colonists arrived on Tatooine, butit became the property of a bandit named Alkhara, who added the nine-story tower, the battlements, and the dungeons. Alkhara is a deep cut Legends reference it’s a delight to see brought back to canon.
Jabba the Hutt seized control of the building when he moved his operations to Tatooine, althoughhe still allowed the B’omarr monks to reside in the lower levels. Their uncanny rituals appealed to Jabba’s morbid side; the B’omarr monks are the ultimate ascetics, removing brains in pursuit of the ultimate state of illumination, and placing them in nutrient-filled jars carried about on droid legs. The B’omarr connections have been canon for some time, but this is the first time the whole history of Jabba’s Palace has been sketched out in canon.
What This New History Of Jabba’s Palace Means For Star Wars
Some incredibly deep Legends lore is canon again
Alkhara was first mentioned in Kevin J. Anderson’sDarksabernovel, published in 1995 as part of the now non-canonStar WarsExpanded Universe. Anderson revealed Alkhara was once the owner of Jabba’s Palace, and fleshed out his story inThe Illustrated Star Wars Universe, which revealed his hunting of Tuskens began the cycle of violence between the Sand People and human colonists on Tatooine. In 2001, aStar WarsRPG handbook revealed he was active roughly six centuries before the Skywalker saga.
Pretty much that wholeStar Warsstory is now officially canon. A short story inStar Wars Insiderconfirmed that - as in Legends - Alkhara initially hired Tuskens, only to betray them and trigger the longstanding blood feud between Tuskens and humans. Now the full backstory of Jabba’s Palace is fully confirmed as well. It’s a tremendous deep cut, and wonderful to see.
Our Take On Jabba’s Palace & Its New History
Jabba’s Palace remains important inStar Wars; afterThe Book of Boba Fett’s ending, it is now Boba Fett’s base of operations inThe Mandalorianera. But these revelations about the palace’s past are important, becauseStar Warstends to hop around the timeline. That means it’s entirely possible the story of Alkhara will one day be told in canon, which would be an exciting twist.
