It’s been nearly four years since Star Wars made Jabba the Hutt’s original human actor official canon, bringing Declan Mulholland back into franchise lore. Now, it’s time for the franchise to fill out this new character’s backstory, tying him more fully into the lengthy backstory of the galaxy far, far away.
Why Jabba the Hutt Was Originally Human, And Why His Actor Was Replaced
George Lucas’ Updates Erased Mulholland’s Performance
In the first Star Wars movie, actor Declan Mulholland portrayed the interstellar gangster Jabba the Hutt, setting up Han Solo’s relationship with the vicious criminal. Ultimately, the scene was cut from the movie’s original 1977 release, and while it was restored in later versions, Mulholland was covered over with a CGI depiction of the slug-like alien. While Jabba the Hutt’s alien appearance is iconic, Mulholland originally played the character as a stocky gangster with graying temples, a black fur coat, and a Scottish accent, threatening Han with an even bigger price on his head unless he made up what he owes.
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George Lucas has since stated that Mulholland was never meant to visually depict Jabba, with a matte effect intended to be painted over his performance that ended up being scrapped along with the scene. Since the late 1990s, this has effectively been the case, with the scene restored to later versions of the movie with additional CGI and voice-work erasing Mulholland from the movie.
Of course, Jabba is more famously known as a gigantic puppet which took two people to operate, weighing over 2000 pounds in its finished form. This was the version of the character fans originally encountered in Return of the Jedi, rendering A New Hope‘s deleted (now restored) scene incongruous with the character’s canon depiction. Thankfully, it turned out there was a way to bring Mulholland back into the mix.
How Star Wars Made Declan Mulholland’s Character Canon
The Original Star Wars Actor Returns as a New Gangster
Mulholland’s character finally returned in 2021’s Star Wars #16, from Marvel Comics. The story – from Charles Soule, Ramon Rosanas, Clayton Cowles and Rachelle Rosenberg – sees various criminal syndicates tricked into battle with the Empire thanks to the machinations of Lady Qi’ra’s Crimson Dawn. While the syndicates originally hold back from inviting Imperial wrath, Luke Skywalker’s smart flying causes Imperials shots to hit the syndicate ships, giving them a pretense on which to enter the battle.
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One such ship is the Dark Sydnicate ship (part of the Son-tuul Pride criminal syndicate), which is captained by an incredibly familiar character. The issue uses Declan Mulholland’s likeness, turning him into another character with some major similarities to his original performance. Sadly, the villain is foolish enough to take on the Empire’s forces, and is blown to pieces as a result.
Ironically, the various syndicate figureheads killed in this battle leave a power vacuum which allows Jabba to take even greater power. Just as in real-life, Declan Mulholland’s character is killed off so that the alien Jabba can reign supreme. But while fans now know how this villain dies, that’s only the beginning of his story.
Declan Mulholland’s gangster character was technically brought back before in an audio play adaptation of Star Wars: A New Hope, depicted as a new character named ‘Heater.’ While non-canon, this could give the canon version of the character an established name.
Now That Declan Mulholland’s Star Wars Villain Exists, We Need to Know More
Star Wars Is Known for Exploring the Backstories of Minor Characters
Because the main canon of Star Wars is made up of three trilogies in three different eras, tie-in media is similarly expansive, having covered everything from the distant High Republic Era to the future era of Luke’s (now non-canon) descendant Cade Skywalker. It therefore makes sense for Marvel’s comics to jump back in time and reveal more about Mulholland’s villain and his role in the Son-tuul Pride syndicate, especially because the comics introduced him in the first place.
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One of the great things about Star Wars‘ comics is how they give new life to forgotten characters who still have interesting stories to tell, from Padmé’s body double Sabé attacking Darth Vader to bounty hunters 4-LOM and Zuckuss taking on new targets. Declan Mulholland’s villainous character deserves at least a one-off comic to expand his backstory, and perhaps explain why he was so enthusiastic to leap into conflict with the Empire.
Hopefully, Star Wars hasn’t forgotten that Declan Mulholland’s villain is now official canon, and it won’t be another four years before fans get to learn more about the Jabba the Hutt that almost was.
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Created by
George Lucas
First Film
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
Cast
Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor, Rosario Dawson, Lars Mikkelsen, Rupert Friend, Moses Ingram, Frank Oz, Pedro Pascal
TV Show(s)
The Mandalorian, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Lando, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Resistance, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, Star Wars: Visions
Movie(s)
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Star Wars: New Jedi Order
Character(s)
Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Rey Skywalker, Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Grand Inquisitor, Reva (The Third Sister), The Fifth Brother, The Seventh Sister, The Eighth Brother, Yoda, Din Djarin, Grogu, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, Leia Organa, Ben Solo/Kylo Ren
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.
