Jabba's Palace Pop-up Book is a book published in October 1996.
Publisher's summary[]
Jabba the Hutt has lost his lucky charm somewhere in the palace, and he'll be very unhappy if Jubnuk the Gamorrean guard can't find it for him. Jubnuk knows he isn't too bright, but he figures it can't be that hard to find a simple talisman ... or can it? If Jabba could just give him a little more information about his good-luck charm—after he's finished talking with that important-looking Jedi Knight, Luke Skywalker, of course....
Plot summary[]
The novel follows the Gamorrean guard Jubnuk's quest to find his master Jabba the Hutt's lucky charm which the crime lord has lost, much to his annoyance. The story starts with Jubnuk leaving his quarters, which he dislikes due to their brightness, and saying good bye to his wife and children who are playing droids and guards. The guard then heads to Jabba's throne room keen to prove his loyalty and usefulness to make up for his stupidity and so he can earn better living quarters. He finds Jabba in a dreadful mood due to the loss of his Tusken battle talisman made of bantha horn which he orders the gamorrean to find. This confuses Jubnuk as he dosen't know what the talisman looks like however he knows if he does not find it Jabba will likely punish him and so begins his search.
The first place Jubnuk search's is the Max Rebo Band's equipment however he quickly realizes it's not there. He leaves the palace and begins searching through the garbage outside the palace kitchens until the chef Porcellus chases him away, at which point he heads to the scrap pile which he finds several Jawas scavenging from but since none of them have the talisman he leaves them alone. The guard then he's back into the palace's entrance hall where he finds Bib Fortuna, Jabba's majordomo, whom he greatly respects and who knows all the secrets and gossip of the palace, however the Twi'lek tells jubnuk he does not have the information he needs.
Jubnuk then heads to the droid workshop where he asks EV-9D9, the chief inspector droid, if she has seen the talisman but she has been to busy tending to two troublesome new droids C-3PO and R2-D2. Jubnuk looks through the various debris in the workshop but finds it to loud and confusing and so goes looking for the B'omarr monks. The monks tell him they have not seen the talisman but offer to remove his brain and place it inside a life-support jar on a shelf where he can think about the universe. Jubnuk is tempted as it sounds like this would make him smarter but eventually politely refuses as it sounds too complicated.
Out of ideas as to where the talisman could be Jubnuk finally heads back to Jabba's court room to give him the bad news. However he finds the Hutt already talking to someone who he overhears is a Jedi Knight. Jubnuk runs forward to protect his master just as Jabba presses the button to open the trap door to the Rancor's pit which the faithful guard and the Jedi both fall through. As Jubnuk lands in the pit he realizes its the one place he hasn't looked however he doesn't get a chance to as despite his efforts to flee he is immediately picked up and swallowed by the Rancor.
Long after Luke Skywalker has killed the rancor, its keeper Malakili hears sounds coming from its belly. He cuts it open to find Jubnuk alive and well due to his armor and the lucky charm, which he found in the beast's stomach. Jubnuk learns that Jabba has left on his Sail barge to execute several prisoners but hears rumors of disaster and explosions. He begins to hope he hasn't missed any excitement and waits proudly for Jabba to return so he can return the charm, which he decides to keep until he sees his master again.
Behind the scenes[]
The second to last page of the book, in which Jubnuk sees Jabba talking to Luke, and the last page, showing Jubnuk and Luke in the Rancor pit, are pop-up displays. The last page also contains a speaker which plays sounds of the rancor's growls when activated and a flip up panel with the paragraph describing Jubnuk's rescue hidden underneath.
Many fans argue that Jubnuk's apparent survival of being eaten by the Rancor is non-canon as it is over ridden by the movie Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi's canon where the Rancor is seen to bite in to Jubnuk which many think would instantly kill him. However as the movie doesn't directly state that he is dead it's still possible that he survived the encounter, although rather unlikely, especially completely unscathed as the book suggests. Leland Chee, when asked about this, admitted that he never even knew about the hidden ending until being addressed about it on June 3, 2013 by a Wookieepedia editor. He also kept the status ambiguous, citing that the EU had Boba Fett and Gardulla surviving similar fates regarding the Sarlacc and Krayt Dragon, respectively, as why Jubnuk's survival shouldn't be ruled out altogether. Chee also stated that the events of the book overall are official, although some liberties were taken regarding which Gamorrean was which.
Appearances[]
| Characters | Organisms | Droid models | Events | Locations |
| Organizations and titles | Sentient species | Vehicles and vessels | Weapons and technology | Miscellanea |
Characters
Organisms
Droid models
Events
Organizations and titles
Sentient species
Miscellanea
