Sarlacc Tussle

Return of the Jedi

A plan is about to come to fruition – or perhaps, just the backup plan. Whatever Luke Skywalker’s strategy was to free his friend Han Solo from Jabba The Hutt’s clutches, the course of events had ultimately led to a final battle over The Great Pit of Carkoon – home to the hungry Sarlacc.

“Jabba, this is your last chance. Free us, or die.” Always thought that it’s a bit of a dark line from the black-robed Luke, as if it was almost telegraphing his tangles with the dark side that are to come later in the movie. But, that’s a through-line for another post. The point that I meant to make with this quote – Jabba really should have listened.

Luke’s pushed towards execution as he walks the plank above the awaiting Sarlacc, before a quick swivel, front-flip and unequivocally awesome lightsaber catch and we are away. The battle over the Sarlacc’s Pit has begun and so to has a classic Star Wars scene.

Classic because it has everything and everyone. We have witty banter between Threepio and R2-D2, Leia proving yet again that she can both kick ass and take names, Han and Chewie teaming up to save Lando from the clutches of the Sarlacc and all the while, Luke is swinging his newly constructed green lightsaber. This is a Jedi Knight in his prime and in action.

Despite Lando’s poor showing – obviously just saving his best plays for the Battle of Endor – this is a convincing victory for our heroes. The villains have an off-day.

Jabba gets strangled to death, Salacious Crumb gets zapped by R2, Bib Fortuna presumably does very little and they all eventually get blown up.

Boba Fett wasn’t on the barge but he ends up in the belly of the Sarlacc, which we’re reliably informed is a worse fate.

I’m sure someone reading this will probably suggest that Fett’s pitiful demise. (after a wayward swing of a staff by a nearly-blind Solo clouts his jet pack and sends him careering into the side of Jabba’s barge before rolling into the pit), ruins the entire scene.

Sure, this ice-cool bounty hunter was under-utilised in the story and did very little during the battle, but we all have off-days. Some of us may spill coffee on our freshly pressed shirt or lock ourselves out of our house – Boba Fett’s off day sees him become Sarlacc fodder.

I’m just glad that we got to see another great Star Wars character play a part in this already stacked scene, even if it was only a brief cameo in the end.