My Favorite Scene: Everything About the Gang at Jabba's Palace

In My Favorite Scene, StarWars.com invites special guest writers to discuss which one scene or moment in the saga most resonates with them. 

My favorite scene in Star Wars is all of them. Theenks. Byeeeeeeee.

But, for real though, I truly love the Star Wars universe. I don't think I have been shy about being a fan in the past and I have no plans to start now. I love Star Wars. I love the way it looks and feels. I love that it's a perfect marriage of ideas in George Lucas' head and visions in Ralph McQuarrie's beautiful brain. I love that it's a language if you find the right person. I love puppets and monsters and foreign planets and costumes and practical sets and miniatures and CGI and minutia and minor characters and iconic villains and and Easter eggs and endless backstory and the score and the originals and the prequels and the current films and where it's all headed. I love that I am part of it.

Okay. Back to the question. Favorite scene? Shoot. That's hard. Um...wow. I don't know. It changes? Daily? It has changed? It will change again?

What is it today? The entire Jabba's palace sequence.

You: "Of all the scenes, of all the moments in the franchise and you went with this? Why Bobby?"

Me: I'm going to explain right now. Because that is what you asked me to do.

1983. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. Back at square one. Just us and the droids. On an adventure. Bickering like idiots. They seem to be walking in a desert-like environment. A VERY Star Wars thing to do. Then the doorbell starts talking.

It's everything that I love about Star Wars.

Just us, the droids and a spider-like creature who creeps in the darkness down a long hallway. Artoo sounds concerned. That makes me feel concerned. I'm sorry. What's that? There are PIG MEN guarding Jabba's palace? That's right. PIG. MEN. I ask you, WHAT ELSE DO YOU NEED IN A FILM? I am done here. My point is proven. But, I must keep writing because this would seem short and I really just wanted to write PIG MEN in all caps. There is so much going on in this scene! I love carbonite. I love Jabba's laugh and often imitate it. I love how real Jabba seems. I love that there are a few people inside that thing making it move and come alive. I love Carrie Fisher. I love that Leia saves everyone, always, as usual and does it in one of the coolest bounty hunter costumes in the franchise. I also REALLY love the sound design on Boushh's helmet.

I love Max Rebo's weird body. I love the whole band’s bodies. They are all so weird and great. I was and am still in love with Oola. I love "Lapti Nek" and I love "Jedi Rocks" both for very different reasons. I love Bib Fortuna more than I love most teachers I have had. I can't remember a time I haven't paused that shot where Bib Fortuna is in the background laughing and he opens his mouth super wide for no reason. And you see those teeth! No one will probably know what I am talking about and I love that, too!

I love Lando being the good guy he was meant to be. (Side note: If there is a moment in life when I can organically use the phrase "Just a little higher!" the way Lando says it to blinded Han, I will take the opportunity 100% of the time.) I love hostage Chewie hugging unfrozen Han. I love that Salacious B. Crumb has a middle initial AND he sits on a pillow. I love the effect of him hanging from the ceiling after getting zapped. Which reminds me of how funny this sequence can be.

I still laugh when the Sarlacc burps after eating Boba Fett. Every. Damn. Time.  How can you not? One of the most bad ass characters of all time gets eaten by a dirt monster who instantly mocks his death. The sequence really does have great joke-to-peril ratio. The rancor scene was genuinely scary as a kid. I was really worried for Luke. Great peril. As an adult I know Luke is gonna be fine and I know that Phil Tippett created the marvelous effects. Yet still, I wait. I would wait forever. Just to laugh at a man's tears.

Ah, the rancor keeper. Lucasfilm, I beg you. Let me make a movie of this man’s life. His story needs to be told. Nay, DESERVES to be told. No? Immediately a no. Wow. Got it. Then at least let me make "Porkins: A Star Wars Story." Double NO?! Interesting. Okay. Where was I? Oh yeah. My favorite scene.

Jabba's palace. It has it all. Adventure, danger, humor, friendship, monsters, all our beloved main characters working together against a Hutt and a dance number. How life should be.

Aaaaand it just changed again.

Bobby Moynihan is in production on the Untitled Mayor Project from Tina Fey and Robert Carlock for NBC, co-starring opposite Ted Danson and Holly Hunter. A longtime cast member on Saturday Night Live for nine seasons, Moynihan’s other television credits include Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Documentary Now!, Drunk History, The Simpsons, Girls, Portlandia, and Me, Myself & I. His voiceover credits range from Panda on the Cartoon Network animated series We Bare Bears, to Louie on DuckTales, and Orka on Stars Wars Resistance, both for DisneyXD, as well as on film in Pixar’s Inside Out and Monsters University and others.

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