‘Star Wars’ Animals: Are Jabba the Hutt, Other Galactic Creatures Derived from Real-World Animals?

The "Star Wars" franchise has been a part of cinema history, showing the unique role of Obi-Wan Kenobi during the time of the Jedi Order, the unique journey of Luke Skywalker following the order's downfall, and the dominance of Darth Vader in a galaxy far, far away.

Moreover, there are interesting parts of the "Star Wars" films such as the portrayal of creatures from different planets that are somehow familiar to us.

In this article, we explore if the famous antagonist Jabba the Hutt and other galactic creatures from the franchise are based on real-world animals.

In most movies, otherworldly beings are expected to look different.

However, the creative staff of a particular project seems to still be influenced by their current perception and memory of the animals that we have no here on Earth when making fictional characters.

Star Wars Animals

In the "Star Wars" universe, those who have watched some of the franchise's films, both old and new, saw creatures that evidently resemble animals on our planet such as the giant spiders known as Krykna from "Star Wars: Rebels" animated series and the knobby white ice spiders in "The Mandalorian" live-action series, according to the website Collider.

While we will not be making details of all the creatures in the said fictional universe, below are some of the well-known characters in "Star Wars" that may have been derived from real-world animals, ranging from bats to seals, and even bears, under the imagination of George Lucas.

Jabba the Hutt

Jabba the Hutt appeared in several films of the "Star Wars" franchise, including "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope," where his role was one of the galaxy's antagonist gangster bosses, with far-reaching influence in the planet Tatooine.

Described in the internet as a "slug-like alien," Jabba also looks like an elephant seal, at least in terms of his physical structure and large body size.

Chewbacca

Another unique character is Chewbacca, the sasquatch-looking sidekick of Han Solo since the onset of the franchise.

Also called Chewie, the character belongs to the "Wookiee" species which are tall, hairy humanoids living in the planet Kashyyyk.

In the films, Chewbacca make growling or moaning noises that only a handful of people, including Han Solo, can understand.

According to the website The Wildest, the creators of Chewbacca visualized him to be a mixture of a monkey, a dog, and a cat.

Yoda

The small yet powerful Jedi master Yoda has been present mostly in the early "Star Wars" films during the late 70s and early 80s, as well as the prequels in the early 2000s.

Known for his green skin, Yoda was previously compared to be a mixture of wide-eyed mammals called tarsier and bats due to his pointy ears.

According a Wired article, an anthropologist and expert named Myron Shekelle from the Western Washington University said that Yoda was inspired from the tiny primate, which can be found in the forests of Borneo, Indonesia, and the Philippines.