Why does HAN call JABBA a human being?
Most of us know that there was a stand in actor when shooting for Jabba the Hutt in A New Hope, but why does Han call Jabba a wonderful human being? Is it that Han Solo/Harrison Ford charm? Find out!
Star Wars has undergone many changes over the years since its release. Since 1997, we’ve gotten the scene between Han and Jabba in the Mos Eisley spaceport. One line particularly sticks out from right at the end of their conversation. Han says, you’re a wonderful human being Jabba.
Jabba is clearly not human, and definitely not wonderful, so what gives? Some of us know that this scene was originally shot with a stand-in named Declan Mulholland, back during the principle shooting of the 1977 release. George wanted Jabba to be added in via stop motion, but due to the shoe string budget and the pressing timeline, it was ultimately cut from the film. So Jabba made his debut in Return of the Jedi.
However, in the script, George had already imagined Jabba largely as how we see him today, a gross slug like figure. So, why was the dialogue written to call Jabba a human being if George already knew what he would look like?
It’s been said that George never really liked this scene, so my best guess is that he tinkered around with it, never really put too much effort towards it, and cut it. When he decided to add the scene back in, twenty years later, it was too late to change the line. Let me know what you think in the comments.