R2-S4M

R2-S4M was an R2-series astromech droid that had learned enough respect to serve as a bartender for the Hutt crime lord Jabba Desilijic Tiure. In 4 ABY, he served drinks with a drinks dispenser and tray aboard the Khetanna, Jabba's sail barge, while it was traveling to the Great Pit of Carkoon on the planet Tatooine.

At the pit, a group of prisoners that Jabba had ordered executed fought back against the Hutt's forces, including the enslaved Princess Leia Organa, who killed Jabba during the fighting. She and her ally Luke Skywalker then destroyed the barge, and during these events R2-S4M perished alongside the crime lord.

Biography[]

R2-S4M^[6] was an R2 series astromech droid manufactured by Industrial Automaton^[2] that worked as a bartender^[5] for Jabba Desilijic Tiure, a Hutt crime lord who operated out of palace on the desert planet Tatooine.^[7] In 4 ABY,^[8] Jabba ordered that a group of rebel prisoners at his palace be executed at the Great Pit of Carkoon, where they would be fed to the sarlacc that dwelt there. In order to view the executions, the crime lord traveled to the pit with much of his court on board his sail barge,^[7] Khetanna. R2-S4M was among those on board the barge, and during the journey,^[7] he^[4] served drinks to those on the viewing deck, with two of the passengers taking glasses from the bartender's serving tray while the droid was stood near Jabba's dais.^[7]

At the pit, the prisoners fought back against Jabba's men before they could be executed, and on board the barge, their enslaved ally, Princess Leia Organa managed to close the shutters of the viewing deck, throwing the room into darkness. Chaos ensued inside the barge, during which Organa killed Jabba and then made her way to the barge's top deck. There, her and her ally Luke Skywalker fired a deck cannon down into the barge, escaping as the vehicle exploded.^[7] R2-S4M perished alongside his master on the barge during these events.^[4]

Description[]

The R-series astromech droid^[2] R2-S4M had learned enough respect to serve as Jabba's bartender and was experienced in the role.^[4] He had white and red plating with a black sensor^[5] and stood 0.96 meters (3feet, 2 inches) tall.^[3] While serving drinks, the droid was equipped with a drinks tray that hooked onto the top of his two larger legs and a drinks dispenser that protruded from the top of his dome.^[5]

Behind the scenes[]

"Jabba's bartender was never given an official name in the books or movies, but his design may remind you of some Earth-based beverages. With his drink dispenser, seven glasses, and a tray harness, this never-before-fully-seen droid served aboard Jabba the Hutt's sail barge. Also, if you look to the shadows, you may find him in Return of the Jedi."

―Entertainment Earth website^[9]

Jabbas bartender photo — Continuity photo of the droid

This droid can be seen briefly in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi on board the sail barge,^[7] as well as at least one promotional photo for the film.^[10] Continuity photos from the set, revealed years later on the internet, show more detailed images of the droid.^[11]

In 2016 Entertainment Earth released an exclusive set of astromech action figures as part of Hasbro's The Black Series, which included "Jabba's bartender" but did not give the droid a proper name.^[5] The droid was then identified as R2-S4M on a 2023 action figure released as part of Disney's Star Wars: Droid Factory line.^[12]