A villain from Star Wars does not appear in the movies or the series, but is still very important. He was fascinated by the Jedi and became dangerous to Luke.
Which villain is it? When one thinks of the Hutt from Star Wars, the first name that probably comes to mind is Jabba. The large and sluggish crime lord may not seem very threatening due to his appearance, but he is very powerful and rules as a ruthless crime lord. Interestingly, there have been several versions of him.
Another Hutt is much less known. He goes by the name Grakkus Jahibakti Tingi. Although he plays a role in the lore of Star Wars, no movie or series has yet dealt with him. He only appears in comics and non-fiction books – such as “Showdown on the Smuggler’s Moon,” a comic that was released in 2016 and tells the events after Episode 4.
Like Jabba, Grakkus is a powerful leader of numerous smugglers. However, the two differ in several ways. Notably, Grakkus does not crawl on the ground like the sluggish Jabba, but walks on twelve cybernetic legs. This makes him much more agile and unpredictable. You can get a visual impression of this at the official Fandom.
Moreover, he is after more than just money and power in the galaxy. Grakkus is fascinated by the Jedi and diligently collects artifacts – including ancient lightsabers or other valuable antiques for him.
This passion for collecting eventually caught the attention of the Galactic Empire, and soon Luke Skywalker became involved as well.
As a Gladiator in the Arena
What happened? While Grakkus continued to expand his treasure of Jedi artifacts, the Empire sent a Stormtrooper agent to him. It was Sergeant Kreel, who had been tasked with closely monitoring the Hutt. If someone was dealing with the Jedi, he was considered suspicious in the eyes of the Empire.
Without anyone noticing, the agent gained the trust of Grakkus and his entourage. He succeeded because he was a good fighter and initially competed in Grakkus’s own arena. The Hutt had another passion: gladiatorial combat.
He made his slaves fight against each other, including Sergeant Kreel. He quickly rose through the ranks and became the game master. As such, he was supposed to recruit and train new warriors.
What does Luke have to do with it? As luck would have it, Grakkus managed to capture the famous Jedi. This happened after the final battle of Episode 4. Luke had actually intended to visit Grakkus’s home moon to find allies there, but the plan ended in captivity.
First, the Jedi had to fulfill some services for the Hutt, including opening a holocron, which is an artifact containing important information. Grakkus then handed Luke over to his game master, who was still working undercover as the spy Sergeant Kreel.
This led to Luke Skywalker having to fight as a gladiator in the arena against Kongo, a fearsome monster from the planet Mustafar. Mustafar is the planet where Anakin was defeated by his former master Obi-Wan. And also when it comes to the word “arena,” fans of Star Wars would likely remember Anakin and think back to the battle in the arena of Geonosis.
However, Luke was not as successful there as his father. Kongo was much stronger than he was, and so the audience was treated to an exciting performance. Before the beast could finish off the Jedi, Sergeant Kreel sent his stormtroopers into the arena. They were supposed to capture Luke but were interrupted by the sudden arrival of old acquaintances: Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Leia.
What happened to Grakkus? The Hutt himself also faced consequences: He tried to take care of Kreel, whom he had by now unmasked as an imperial spy. But the sergeant destroyed some of the Hutt’s legs, causing him to fall and be easily overwhelmed. Thus, he fell into captivity by the Empire.
Grakkus is an intriguing character, who adds an interesting note to the Hutts and is not simply evil. Rather, his fascination with the Jedi ultimately led to his downfall. Perhaps we will see the character in the near future in a movie or series, even if just as a side note. A candidate for that seems to be 2026: The director of Iron Man brings “The Mandalorian” and Baby Yoda to the big screen
