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- "Oh no! The rancor!"
- ―C-3PO
Rancors were large semi-sentient reptilian carnivores native to the planet Dathomir.[8] Standing around five meters tall,[1] with their long arms, immense jaws, and armored hides that could withstand blaster fire, they were formidable predators.[2] Despite this, the creatures were inherently benign and were even domesticated by the Witches of Dathomir, but could be provoked over time into a violent nature.[9] A subspecies known as the jungle rancor populated the planet Felucia.[3] The proper term of venery for rancors in Galactic Basic was a crash of rancors.[10]
A rancor, named Pateesa,[11] 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.[6]
Contents
Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]

The rancor was originally to be portrayed by a man in a suit.
The concept 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.[12]
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[edit | edit source]
Non-canon appearances[edit | edit source]
Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge – "Episode 6" (Mentioned only)
LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales – "Gambit on Geonosis" (Appears in flashback(s))
LEGO Star Wars: The Resistance Rises – "Hunting for Han"
- LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens
LEGO Star Wars: All-Stars – "Dealing with Lando/Han and Chewie Strike Back"
LEGO Star Wars: All-Stars – "It Gets Ugly" (Appears in flashback(s))
- LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
Sources[edit | edit source]
Notes and references[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Ultimate Star Wars
- ↑ 2.0 2.1
rancor in the Encyclopedia (content now obsolete; backup link)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1
Rancor in the Databank (backup link)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Star Wars: Commander"
- ↑ Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
- ↑ 7.0 7.1
Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Bounty Hunters"
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Star Wars Character Encyclopedia: Updated and Expanded
- ↑ Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary, New Edition
- ↑ Star Wars: The Last Jedi: Expanded Edition
- ↑ Aftermath: Life Debt
- ↑ Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy