Jabba's Palace

"So the only thing that you can tell me is that I will find Jabba... at Jabba's Palace?"

- Darth Maul interrogates Oruba the Hutt

Jabba's Palace was the base of operations for Jabba the Hutt, a crime lord and ruling member of the Grand Hutt Council.

Description and layout
Jabba's Palace was located in the Dune Sea on Tatooine, and was accessible on land by a single dirt road that stretched through a canyon. The palace, constructed with sandblasted metal and stone, was where Jabba conducted illicit business deals. Jabba would entertain guests in a throne room, which also had a live band and overlooked a pit that contained a rancor.

Origins
Jabba's Palace was a monastery that belonged to the B'omarr Order, a religious community who believed in isolating themselves from all physical stimuli to enhance their mental powers. After taking over the monastery, Jabba had it fortified for by master armorers. After presenting the Hutt with the bill for their services, the said armorers became the first prisoners of the crime lord. Despite having designed them all, they were never able to escape the thick walls and cruel traps of the palace.

Clone Wars
In 22 BBY, Jedi Master and Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi traveled to Jabba's Palace to assure Jabba that the Galactic Republic would rescue his son Rotta and to secure a promise from the Hutts for safe passage for Republic ships through the Outer Rim Territories. After rescuing Rotta from Separatist forces, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan Ahsoka Tano brought him back to Jabba's palace. Since they had failed to deliver the kidnapper, Jabba wanted to execute Skywalker and Tano as well. However, Senator Padmé Amidala managed to save her comrades' lives by exposing Jabba's uncle Ziro as the instigator behind Rotta's kidnapping.

Following the kidnapping of his daughters in 21 BBY, Senator Papanoida and his son Ion traveled to Jabba's Palace to confront the Rodian bounty hunter Greedo, who was implicated in the kidnapping of the Papanoida girls. After a confrontation, Greedo agreed to lead Papanoida and Ion to Chalmun's Cantina in Mos Eisley where one of Papanoida's daughters, Che Amanwe, was rescued and reunited with her family.

After kidnapping the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO, stealing the Senate Building's schematics, and wiping their memories, the Duros bounty hunter Cad Bane traveled to Jabba's Palace to deliver the plans to Jabba. There, the crime lord assigned Jabba on a mission to free Ziro from Republic imprisonment. Ziro had classified information which the Grand Hutt Council did not want to fall into the hands of the Republic. After assassinating Ziro, the Pa'lowick singer Sy Snootles returned with Ziro's holo-diary to Jabba, keeping Ziro's secrets from both the Republic and the Grand Hutt Council.

In 19 BBY, former Sith apprentice Maul and his Shadow Collective traveled to Jabba's Palace. After killing most of Jabba's guards, the Shadow Collective forced their way into Jabba's throne. Faced with overwhelming force, Jabba and Gorga Desilijic Aarrpo decided to join Maul's Shadow Collective.

Imperial era
During the Imperial Era, Jabba the Hutt hosted the Wookiee bounty hunter Black Krrsantan, whom he hired to hunt down the Jedi Purge survivor Obi-Wan Kenobi, who had attacked his water tax collectors during the Great Drought. As a display of his fighting prowess, Krssantan single-handedly shot several of Jabba's guards in his throne room. Krrsantan tracked down Kenobi but failed to kill him. Fearing Jabba's wrath, the Wookiee fled Tatooine.

Imperial entanglements
"I do not know about you, my dear Lord of the Sith, but Jabba the Hutt prefers to seal all his business ventures by watching something die."

- Jabba the Hutt

Following the Battle of Yavin, Darth Vader visited Jabba's Palace in 0 ABY to conclude negotiations regarding the transportation of supplies through Hutt Space to Weapons Factory Alpha on the moon Cymoon 1. Jabba attempted to claim a bounty on Vader's head and had his underlings attack the Sith Lord. Using his Force powers and lightsaber skills, Vader slaughtered Jabba's guards and Force choked the Hutt crime lord.

To mend bridges, Jabba agreed to provide Vader with two bounty hunters: Boba Fett and Black Krssantan. Fett was tasked with hunting down Luke Skywalker, the Rebel Alliance pilot who destroyed the Death Star while Krssantan was assigned to bring the Emperor's agent Cylo to him. The following day, Vader returned to Jabba's palace and concluded negotiations. Jabba agreed to permit the Empire access to Hutt Space in return for financial compensation. Jabba then took Vader on a tour of Tatooine's Dune Sea aboard the sail barge Khetanna.

Rescuing Han Solo
In 4 ABY, the rebel droids C-3PO and R2-D2 traveled to Jabba's Palace under Luke Skywalker's instructions as part of a mission to rescue Han Solo. Skywalker offered the droids as a gift in an attempt to secure the release of Solo, who was frozen in carbonite. As expected, Jabba refused and pressed the droids into his service. Later, Leia Organa arrived disguised as the bounty hunter Boushh with the captive Wookiee Chewbacca, Solo's co-pilot. She was joined by Lando Calrissian, who was disguised as one of Jabba's guards.

Leia managed to free Han from carbonite but was captured by Jabba. The following day, Skywalker arrived and reiterated his demand to free Solo and his friends. Jabba refused and threw Skywalker down the trapdoor to the rancor Pateesa, who also killed the Gamorrean guard Jubnuk. Skywalker managed to kill Pateesa by collapsing the dividing door on top of the rancor. Jabba attempted to feed Skywalker, Solo, and Chewbacca to the sarlacc at the Great Pit of Carkoon. However, the rebels escaped and killed Jabba and his henchmen, dealing a blow to his criminal empire.

Beyond Jabba
Following the death of Jabba, several of his employees including the beastmaster Malakili stayed at the palace waiting for a new Hutt to occupy the dais. As the food dwindled and water ran out, many of Jabba's former employees abandoned the castle. Malakili was one of the last to leave. He subsequently joined a community called Freetown, which was led by the lawman and Mayor Cobb Vanth, who enlisted Malakili's services in taming two rontos and a Huttlet named Borgo. The Red Key crime syndicate had attempted to install the Huttlet in Jabba's palace but Cobb foiled their plan.

Behind the scenes
Jabba's card from the digital card game Star Wars: Force Collection described Jabba's Palace as having been built by Jabba himself using his cleverness and wealth. In contrast, the 2015 book Return of the Jedi: Beware the Power of the Dark Side! described Jabba's Palace as having been an old monastery of the B'omarr Order which Jabba fortified and refitted, thus creating a continuity error.

Non-canon appearances

 * Disney Infinity 3.0
 * Star Wars Epic Yarns: Return of the Jedi