The Surprising Reason Behind Jabba the Hutt's Human Origin in Star Wars

A human actor was originally cast to play Jabba the Hutt in Star Wars: A New Hope, but the scene was ultimately cut from the final version of the film in 1977. Despite this, Jabba is known as one of the main villains in the Star Wars saga, causing trouble for the heroes from the Clone Wars era to the rise of the Galactic Empire. Even though Jabba's major appearance was in Return of the Jedi, he was actually meant to make his debut in the first Star Wars movie.

Originally, Jabba was supposed to have a scene with Han Solo in A New Hope, but it was deleted along with many other scenes. However, in 1997, the scene was reinserted back into the film with the special editions of the original trilogy. Instead of the CGI version of Jabba, the original scene featured a human actor named Declan Mulholland. This casting choice left many viewers puzzled as to why Jabba was portrayed as a human when he is known as a distinctive alien character in the Star Wars universe.

Jabba's Final Look Wasn't Achievable In 1977 But Was Fixed Later

Star Wars A New Hope - Han Solo and Jabba the Hut - Jabba's Final Look Wasn't Achievable In 1977 But Was Fixed Later

The production of Star Wars faced many challenges. George Lucas had big ideas for his galaxy far, far away, but the technology of the time couldn't keep up, leading to limitations in both time and money. One casualty of these limitations was the original Jabba the Hutt scene, which was meant to be more elaborate. The plan was to have Declan Mulholland act as a stand-in for Jabba, with the intention of replacing him with a new creature using special effects. However, due to constraints, Lucas had to abandon this idea for the final cut of the film.

Fast forward to the late 1990s, where advancements in film technology finally made it possible to bring Lucas' vision to life. When working on the Special Edition of the first Star Wars film, Lucas revisited the Jabba scene and gave it a modern CGI makeover. A computer-generated Jabba, based on the design from Return of the Jedi, replaced Mulholland's portrayal entirely. Despite later improvements in CGI technology, this scene has remained a part of A New Hope. Mulholland's performance is now overshadowed by the iconic Jabba we see today.

How Muholland Reprised His Jabba Look In Time Bandits

declan-mulholland-time-bandits - How Muholland Reprised His Jabba Look In Time Bandits

Declan Mulholland's version of Jabba made a reappearance on the big screen in Terry Gilliam's 1981 film Time Bandits. In the movie, Mulholland played a minor role as one of a group of robbers. He donned a similar outfit to his scenes as Jabba, wearing a fur-covered vest and grungy clothing underneath. While the costume in Time Bandits was a bit fancier than the one in the A New Hope deleted scene, there is a clear resemblance to the original version of the powerful Jabba the Hutt.

The similarity between Mulholland's characters may have been an inside joke by Gilliam or Mulholland himself, though it's unlikely that many in the audience would have caught on. It's more probable that the resemblance was purely coincidental. Nevertheless, it serves as a fun and perhaps unintentional nod to a forgotten part of Star Wars history.

Editor's P/S:

Declan Mulholland's deleted scene from Star Wars: A New Hope is a fascinating glimpse into the evolution of the iconic Jabba the Hutt character. The original plan to have Mulholland stand in for Jabba and later replace him with a CGI version was ambitious for the time. However, the technology of the late 1970s couldn't keep up with Lucas' vision.

The eventual replacement of Mulholland with a CGI Jabba in the Special Edition of A New Hope was a significant improvement. The computer-generated Jabba more closely resembled the distinctive alien character that fans had come to know and love in Return of the Jedi. Mulholland's performance, while impressive, couldn't match the realism and expressiveness of the CGI version. Despite the advancements in CGI technology since the late 1990s, the CGI Jabba in A New Hope has remained unchanged, a testament to the enduring power of Lucas' original vision.