Jabba’s Palace made a surprising return to the Star Wars franchise in The Mandalorian season 2 finale. The palace is an important (and iconic) locale in the original Star Wars trilogy. Located on Tatooine, it was the headquarters of Jabba the Hutt and his criminal empire. It was where Han Solo (Harrison Ford) was taken to after he was captured by Boba Fett.
It was seen again in live-action when Disney released the final episode in The Mandalorian’s second season. In a post-credits scene, Bib Fortuna (a minor character from Return of the Jedi) was spotted on the throne that was once occupied by Jabba the Hutt. Present with him was a Twi’lek slave and a handful of guards. Apparently, he had assumed control of the palace. But his reign ended when Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) came onto the scene and killed his men. She was joined by Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison), who proceeded to kill Bib Fortuna and take his throne. Afterward, it was revealed that the purpose of this scene was to set up a new series on Disney+, The Book of Boba Fett.
The return of Jabba’s Palace in The Mandalorian season 2 and the assumption that it’ll be in The Book of Boba Fett has raised questions about what became of it after Return of the Jedi. After Jabba was killed in the movie, it didn’t appear again on the big screen. However, it was discussed in Life Debt, one of the novels in the Star Wars: Aftermath trilogy. It was revealed that with Jabba dead, much time passed before a new character took his place. During the wait for a new Hutt to take over, their resources dissipated. As a result, Jabba’s old minions deserted the palace, with a beastmaster by the name of Malakili being the last one to leave.
The abandoned palace became the target of the Red Key Raiders, a crime syndicate who made an alliance with a Huttlet named Borgo. Their plan was to reach the palace and make Borgo Jabba’s successor, but their scheme was thwarted by Cob Vanth, the same character Mando (Pedro Pascal) acquired Boba Fett’s armor from in The Mandalorian season 2 premiere. Based on what was shown in the post-credits scene, it’s clear that even though Cob Vanth did stop the Red Key from getting Jabba’s Palace, its association with organized crime remained. At some point in the five years that passed between the end of the trilogy and The Mandalorian, Bib Fortuna – who somehow avoided death in Return of the Jedi – managed to take Jabba’s Palace for himself.
Judging by the number of men Fennec Shand had to kill to get Boba Fett on the throne, it’s apparent that without Jabba, the palace’s station in the Star Wars universe took a big hit with Bib Fortuna in charge. Though it was still occupied by criminals, it was obviously not the highly fortified den of thieves that it once was under Jabba. However, Boba Fett may be able to restore it to its former glory when he and Fennec Shand return in their own Disney+ show.