Hutt! Hutt! Hutt!

A Bonus Expanded Universe Feature on Notorious Hutts of the Star Wars Universe

By Cory Herndon

Jee oto ta Huttuk koga

From Nar Shaddaa to the Outer Rim and everywhere in between, Hutts are bustin' out all over! But they can't help it -- they're just made that way.

Welcome to the first installment of a new Star Wars Roleplaying Game feature that will give you a closer look at some of the most notorious Hutts in the galaxy, without the nasty odors and dripping ooze you'd have to put up with if you met these guys in person. With luck, we might even dig up one or two that aren't crime lords!

This month, a pair of big slugs with blood ties to the mighty (and mighty infamous) Jabba Desilijic Tiure -- the Tatooine kingpin's jailbird pop Zorba and his ambitious nephew Gorga. Neither one was quite the legend Jabba was, but then, Jabba was one of the most powerful Hutts ever to lick a dancing girl.

Boska, shall we?

Zorba: Meet the Parent

They say the egg sac doesn't fall far from the worrt, but Jabba's father -- Zorba Desilijic Tiure -- has proved them wrong, time and again.

Zorba the Hutt is an ancient slug with wrinkled, leathery hide that long since faded from a vibrant ochre to pasty grey. Other than his age, extreme even for his long-lived species, Zorba's most recognizable features are his long, white dreadlocks and braided beard. Hair is exceptionally rare on any Hutt, but Zorba's locks and beard are the result of a recessive genetic trait. Though distinctive-looking to non-Hutts, they mark Zorba as a mutant of sorts, and other Hutts rarely disguised their distaste at his appearance -- until his son took over the family business, that is.

The Desilijic clan had a long and storied history on Nal Hutta, yet by the time Zorba took over major operations, the long-lived family had fallen on hard times. Zorba's mismanagement didn't help matters. The old Hutt was finally imprisoned just before the Separatist crisis erupted into full-scale war.

Zorba was as incompetent as the proverbial Nimbanese accountant. Accepting imprisonment on the trumped-up charge of illegally mining ulikuo gemstones, he was able to pass on what holdings he had to his son Jabba, a criminally gifted individual Zorba had propagated six centuries before. A 45-year sentence is but a blip in the lifetime of a Hutt, and Zorba knew that by circumstance of Hutt law, Jabba would be forced to re-sell the holdings he'd improved back to his father at the original sale price. In effect, Zorba would get a half-century vacation, and Jabba would have to deal with running the family empire -- something Zorba had never really been interested in, anyway. Zorba had no business savvy, but he knew his offspring had the parchee to deal father, son, and any other descendants that might come along back into what passes for Hutt respectability.

Jabba, of course, did far better than his father ever anticipated. The younger Hutt undertook a series of shrewd investments, nefarious dealings, successful bets, and outright murders to take control of the entire Desilijic clan, all within just a few years, and greatly expanded his influence throughout the galaxy. Zorba was delighted to see how "his" holdings became more and more valuable the closer his release date came. When Jabba was killed a short while before Zorba got out early on good behavior, the bearded Hutt saw the potential for a whole lot more.

As soon as he left Kip, Zorba spread word among the criminal empires of his claim on a "secret will" left by Jabba that entitled the father to virtually everything his son had. Zorba made good use of the startling document to consolidate what was left of Jabba's holdings, and he focused his attention on Cloud City, where he had inherited several businesses -- and where Jabba's killer had last been seen. Zorba rigged a sabacc game to take control of the city from Lando Calrissian, and attempted to murder Princess Leia Organa in a complicated revenge hit. Zorba disappeared when the plot failed, and his final reign as a crime lord was short-lived indeed.

Read the story of Zorba's attempt to kill Leia in the 1992 Bantam Books "Young Readers" novel Zorba the Hutt's Revenge!

In the years since the attempt on Leia's life, the so-called secret will has been declared a fraud by several Hutt courts, and many other relatives, employees, advisors and hangers-on have moved in on Jabba's fortune with their own claims. Zorba has not been seen in public for some time, and rumors of his death not long after the Cloud City debacle might not be too far off the mark.

Zorba (circa Episode VI): Male Hutt Noble 4/Scoundrel 4: Init -3 (-1 size, -2 Dex); Defense 12 (+5 class, -1 size, -2 Dex); Spd 2 m; VP/WP 27/10; Atk +5/+0 melee (1d3, unarmed strike) or +5/+0 melee (1d6, knife) or +3/-2 ranged (3d4, holdout blaster); SQ +6 bonus on Will saves against mind-affecting Force powers, bonus class skill (Gamble), can't be knocked prone, favor +2, coordinate +1, illicit barter, inspire confidence, lucky (1/day), precise attack +1; SV Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +11; SZ L; Face/Reach 2m by 4m/2m; FP 0; DSP 24; Rep +8; Str 11, Dex 6, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 18, Cha 15. Challenge Code C.

Equipment: Ancient star yacht (Zorba Express), business holdings, henchbeings, holdout blaster, "Jabba's secret will," personal wealth, repulsorsled, vibroblade.

Skills: Appraise +14, Bluff +13, Computer Use +7, Diplomacy +9, Forgery +17, Gamble +13, Intimidate +7, Knowledge (streetwise) +6, Knowledge (Nal Hutta) +10, Knowledge (Kip) +10, Knowledge (sabacc) +14, Read/Write Basic, Read/Write Huttese, Speak Basic, Speak Huttese.

Feats: Infamy, Influence, Iron Will, Skill Emphasis (Forgery), Toughness, Weapon Group Proficiency (blaster pistols, simple weapons).

Gorga: For Love and Money

Hutts weddings are rare, and they almost always occur for reasons of business, not pleasure. But Jabba's nephew Gorga, a minor crime figure who had made most of his fortune through nepotism, fell in love with Anachro the H'uun -- a lower caste of Hutt -- and the pair wished to be joined in wedded bliss. Gorga was forced to hire the infamous Boba Fett to eliminate Bar-Kooda, an enemy of Anachro's father, Orko the H'uun, to help secure the bride's hand. When Gorga served up Bar-Kooda as dinner in a great feast in the old H'uun's honor, Orko could not refuse.

Gorga profited greatly from the marriage, in terms of both wealth and happiness -- the latter feeling a rare experience for any Hutt. Though he still hated his father-in-law, he maintained his composure around Orko for his bride's sake. But during the couple's honeymoon on Skeebo, pirates kidnapped Anachro, forcing Gorga to call once more on Boba Fett. The bounty hunter rescued Anachro in typically violent fashion and charged Gorga still more of his small fortune.

Gorga hired Fett one last time for a hit on his father-in-law Orko. But Anachro was heavier than usual with offspring, and Gorga immediately regretted the decision when he realized the stress on his spouse might hurt the embryonic Hutt. Before he could stop Fett, Ry-Kooda, Bar-Kooda's vengeful brother, killed Orko himself, Fett killed the Koodan, and Anachro gave birth to a healthy baby Huttlet in an explosion of chaos.

Boba Fett's jobs for Gorga are recounted in the 1998 Dark Horse trade paperback collection Death, Lies and Treachery!

The bounty hunter's charges for additional services rendered (plus expenses) put Gorga in debt for over two years, but an unexpectedly rewarding family life and some surprisingly canny deals paid off after time. The House of Gorga crest now graces a few dozen casinos, Hutt restaurants, and semilegitimate cargo haulers throughout the Outer Rim, where Gorga spends most of his time while Anachro raises their child in Hutt Space. Gorga doesn't think Anachro knows that he's also running an extremely profitable black-market business in ulikuo gemstones on the planet Kip with a silent partner, but his H'uun bride is more observant -- and ambitious -- than she lets on.

Gorga (circa Episode IV): Male Hutt Noble 6/Scoundrel 1/Crime Lord 2: Init -2 (-1 size, -1 Dex); Defense 14 (+6 class, -1 size, -1 Dex); Spd 2 m; VP/WP 113/17; Atk +7 melee (1d3+3, unarmed strike) or +3 ranged (3d6, blaster pistol); SQ +6 bonus on Will saves against mind-affecting Force powers, bonus class skill (Bluff), can't be knocked prone, favor +2, contact (Boba Fett), coordinate +1, illicit barter, inspire confidence, resource access; SV Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +8; SZ L; Face/Reach 2m by 4m/2m; FP 3; DSP 10; Rep +9; Str 16, Dex 9, Con 17, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 13. Challenge Code D.

Equipment: Blaster pistol, business holdings, personal guards, palatial secret apartment in Kip, personal wealth, repulsorsled.

Skills: Appraise +16, Bluff +15, Computer Use +5, Diplomacy +13, Forgery +7, Intimidate +12, Gather Information +14, Knowledge (Nal Hutta) +11, Profession (legitimate businessman) +10, Read/Write Basic, Read/Write Huttese, Sense Motive +6, Speak Basic, Speak Huttese.

Feats: Infamy, Persuasive, Skill Emphasis (Gather Information), Skill Emphasis (Appraise), Skill Emphasis (Profession [legitimate businessman]), Trustworthy, Weapon Group Proficiency (blaster pistols, simple weapons).

The Expanded Universe is full of shady characters, not all of them Hutts. Check out Lorian Nod, a former Jedi trainee turned space pirate who's caught between Obi-Wan and Dooku during the Clone Wars!