Rancor

Rancors were large semi-sentient reptilian carnivores native to the planet Dathomir. Standing around 5 meters tall, with their long arms, immense jaws and possessing armored hides that could withstand blaster fire, they were formidable predators. A subspecies known as the jungle rancor populated the planet Felucia.

A rancor was kept as a pet by Jabba the Hutt in a pit below his palace court, to which he fed any who displeased him. The beast was killed by Luke Skywalker, after which its human handler could be seen mourning its death.

Behind the scenes
The concept idea for the rancor in Return of the Jedi was described by its creators as "a cross between a bear and a potato." It was first to be played by an actor in a suit, but no one was satisfied with the results. The rancor was then made as a rod-operated puppet, filmed with a high-speed camera to slow its movements down to give the illusion of a much larger creature.

A combination of matte painting, cartoon rotoscoping, and CG elements were added around the creation to make it look bigger and more menacing. Some of these changes were later omitted or replaced with CG effects in the 2004 DVD release of the original trilogy.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Galactic Defense
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars film
 * Tarkin
 * Servants of the Empire: Imperial Justice
 * The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight
 * Star Wars: Darth Vader 6: Vader, Part VI
 * Star Wars: Commander
 * Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
 * Return of the Jedi Read-Along Storybook and CD
 * Star Wars: Darth Vader 6: Vader, Part VI
 * Star Wars: Commander
 * Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
 * Return of the Jedi Read-Along Storybook and CD