[69], The role of Bib Fortuna was cast very early in the production process for Return of the Jedi because makeup artist Stuart Freeborn wanted to get started on creating the character's look as quickly as possible. It is this empire we will watch Boba Fett control in his upcoming show. [57], Bib Fortuna's costume in Return of the Jedi was designed by Rodis-Jamero and Aggie Guerard Rodgers,[58] and Nick Dudman worked as a makeup artist on the character. [102] The moment when Wood woke up a sleeping Jabba at the end of the podrace was a joke conceived by the motion picture visual effects company Industrial Light & Magic during the making of the film, which George Lucas loved. [80] During another scene, Bib Fortuna lifts a captured Princess Leia and pushes her toward Jabba the Hutt, so he can lick her. In another cut scene, Fortuna engages in a provocative dance with Jess, one of Jabba's dancers, who was portrayed by Amanda Noar. [46][47] The scene mirrors that of Fortuna confronting Luke Skywalker as he enters the palace in Return of the Jedi, but establishes a direct contrast between Luke's non-aggressive behavior toward Fortuna and Vader's more threatening manner. The Mandalorian didn't fully explain how exactly Fortuna survived the destruction of Jabba's sail barge, but Legends might provide a few clues. [63] He drew several versions with a variety of alien faces,[59][63] as well as various costume elements like a tall top hat,[59][63] and silver snow goggles, the latter of which George Lucas particularly enjoyed. If Fortuna did escape on a skiff, it would have explained how he returned to the Palace to oversee what was left of the criminal organization. The go-to source for comic book and superhero movie fans. He stood alongside Jabba the Hutt during the podrace, during which a young Anakin Skywalker emerged victorious. [72], The character wore soft-soled shoes, meant to allow for silent movement. [66] The headpiece included a large waddle dangling underneath his chin,[66] and large bulges above each of his eyes, which were intended to be sensory brain areas. One of Fortuna's co-conspirators, a red-skinned alien named Nivek, nearly gives Fortuna's plot away in front of Jabba, but Fortuna shoots him in the head to silence him. This gave him tunnel vision and severely limited his ability to see, and he kept accidentally walking into parts of the set as a result. [6][111] CNET writer Sam Stone called Fortuna "one of the most memorable" characters and alien races from Return of the Jedi and described him as "a fan-favorite character". But many of these games also include lesser-known or obscure characters, like Bib Fortuna. [139][140] A Funko Pop figurine of Fortuna was released in 2015. [65][77] He got them about four days before filming began, with all dialogue and information about other characters redacted. He then traveled back to the Palace with the intent of taking over Jabba's position. [2] Fortuna later returns to Ryloth with an army of Jabba's henchmen to enact revenge for his death sentence, burning seven of the planet's cities and capturing slaves and riches for Jabba. [113] Comedian and actor Nick Swardson called Bib Fortuna one of his favorite Star Wars characters. Fortuna was Jabba the Hutt’s right hand man, running Jabba’s operations at the Palace on Tatooine. [8][9] He demonstrates tremendous patience when dealing with Jabba's bad habits, enduring his mood swings, and occasionally violent outbursts. [119][122] The collection, which was sold by an anonymous collector from Dubai,[122] included one of the five known original prototypes of Fortuna's action figure, which alone was expected to sell for about $30,000. Bib Fortuna is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. [73] Carter wore lifts on his feet to make himself taller, and props inside his costume made his arms appear longer. The overpowering stench that pours from his open mouth, the sight of his thick, greasy, pustule-covered flesh. [132], A ceramic mug of Fortuna was released in 1996 as part of the Star Wars Classic Collectors Series Figural Mug line by the toy company Applause. Bib Fortuna, in Chapter 16 of The Mandalorian, wields the staff included with his Kenner action figure from the 1980s. For example, one of Rodis-Jamero's sketches portrayed Fortuna with a thin, cylindrical head with gills along the sides,[58] and another with a flat-topped, triangularly-shaped head. [12] With the 2012 acquisition of Lucasfilm by The Walt Disney Company, most of the licensed Star Wars novels and comics produced since the originating 1977 film were rebranded as Star Wars Legends and declared non-canon to the franchise in April 2014. [75], Makeup artist Shaune Harrison worked on the Bib Fortuna character in The Phantom Menace, as well as several other creatures and aliens in the film, including Jar Jar Binks. He stands alongside Jabba the Hutt during the podrace, from which a young Anakin Skywalker emerges victorious. Bib Fortuna appears briefly in The Phantom Menace (1999), the first film in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. "[112] Daniel Mallory Ortberg, an author and editor who has written a Star Wars short story for the anthology book From a Certain Point of View (2017), has said Tales from Jabba's Palace and reading the back story of Bib Fortuna and other characters was one of the first times the franchise strongly resonated with him. George Lucas eliminated the scene because he felt it was inappropriate for children. The character was portrayed by Michael Carter in Return of the Jedi, who was cast based upon his stage acting experience; the actor did not know it was a Star Wars film until after he accepted the role. [120][121][122] Several other Bib Fortuna products were released in 1983, including an eraser by Butterfly Originals,[123] and a cookie by Pepperidge Farm. While Jabba and his allies watched from a nearby sail barge, Luke carried out an assault to free himself and his friends. [61] Other variations by Rodis-Jamero presented Fortuna in blue, priest-like robes, occasionally holding a sceptre, with a lined, elongated face and narrow slits for eyes and nostrils. The darkly robed attendant often hovered near Jabba's ear, offering advice and feeding information. For example, he was cast in the role of Radu Molasar, a monster and warlord in the Michael Mann film The Keep (1983), as a direct result of his work in Return of the Jedi. [55], Marquand invited Carter to meet at a studio in Elstree Studios to discuss a role he was casting in a film, which Marquand would only identify by its fake working title Blue Harvest. That fat guy with the grotesquely long fingernails sitting on the throne is Bib Fortuna, Jabba’s former aide. [2] Fortuna is also one of the main characters in the comic book Star Wars: Jabba the Hutt: Betrayal (1996), which is set before Return of the Jedi. [54] They were hard contact lenses,[69] which covered the entire surface of Carter's eyeballs,[66] except for holes drilled through the middles. Alan Ruscoe is an actor, known for Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002), Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) and The Fifth Element (1997). [7], The fate of Bib Fortuna following the events of Return of the Jedi is the same in the Expanded Universe/Star Wars Legends and the official Star Wars canon. [71] The teeth made it difficult for the actor to speak, and he had to strongly articulate Fortuna's lines to make the lip-movement look appropriate. Fennec Shand eliminated Fortuna's servants while Boba Fett walked in, killing the Twi'lek once and for all. [134] A Lego figurine of Bib Fortuna was created and released as part of multiple Lego Star Wars toy sets,[135] including one of the front gate of Jabba's palace released in 2003,[135][136] and another of the interior of the palace released in 2012. Considering he served Jabba for decades, it is unsurprising that few in the galaxy hated the Hutt as much as he did—the Twi'lek majordomo had tried many times unsuccessfully to have Jabba killed. [83] Carter was initially not sure the part interested him, but Marquand persisted,[84] and Carter reluctantly agreed. He is killed by Boba Fett, who takes his throne. By Kelvin Childs Dec 23, 2020 [55] Carter felt they gave Bib Fortuna "a feminine look". Every moment I spend in his company is an eternity of loathing. [54][83] Carter was sworn to secrecy about the role, but he told his family about the part anyway, and the next day his daughter discussed it publicly with a friend at her school. He was stupid in an endearing way – quite innocent, yet quite scary. Carter said the contacts were made in "too much of a rush" and were too small, so he suffered abrasions of the cornea, slightly hindering his vision until about a week after filming ended. During the first take of the shot, Carter tripped over the board and fell. ", "Early rare Star Wars figures at North East auction could raise up £12,000 each", "Rare, 'holy grail' Star Wars toy could be worth $500G", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bib_Fortuna&oldid=999546738, Pages using multiple image with auto scaled images, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 10 January 2021, at 19:04. There he becomes the head of Jabba the Hutt's smuggling operations for a drug called glitterstim, the first in a series of successively more prominent positions that eventually leads him to becoming Jabba's majordomo. [77] In order to realistically deliver dialogue in a fictional language, Carter would make up his own meaning for the words he was speaking, which made it easier for him to find the correct vocal delivery and facial expressions for the performance. She loves binging a new series and watching movies ranging from Hollywood blockbusters to hidden indie gems. Bib Fortuna's first words in Return of the Jedi, "Die Wanna Wanga" are frequently quoted by underworld characters in Star Wars video games, most notably in Jedi Outcast and Jedi Academy. There, however, the monks decide the best fate for Fortuna is for his own brain to be transferred into one of their droid walkers,[2] and they remove and transfer his brain against his will. [38] Afterward, Fortuna resumes his life of crime. Several toys and merchandise works have been created for the character, and an original action figure prototype sold for £36,000 in a 2019 auction. Fortuna is a powerful and dreaded individual in the galaxy's underground community, though also somewhat cowardly,[3] and has a large capacity for cruelty and violence. [65] Several foam appliances were sculpted to conform to Carter's face, and molds were made and cast into foam latex, which were then trimmed and carefully glued to the actor's face. As a result, storylines and character histories established for Fortuna before April 2014 are part of the Legends canon, but not the official Disney canon. He then traveled back to the Palace with the intent of taking over Jabba's position. [69], Carter wore dayglow orange contact lenses,[54][66][67] which created a glowing effect for the character's eyes,[54] something specifically requested by director Richard Marquand. [8][9] He is later present with Jabba when Princess Leia Organa, who infiltrated the palace by disguising herself as a bounty hunter named Boushh, is captured while freeing Han Solo from carbonite. Wood was the actor who portrayed Fortuna in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, in which he is seen alongside Jabba the Hutt during the podracing sequence. The story describes the rivalry between Fortuna and a Corellian named Bidlo Kwerve, both of whom are competing to become Jabba the Hutt's majordomo in a period prior to Return of the Jedi. When Luke killed Jabba's rancor, he along with Han and Chewie were sentenced to execution at the Great Pit of Carkoon. [91][92][93][94] The recording session for Fortuna's dialogue took about 30 minutes,[11][94][95] and Bauersfeld made up the voice on the spot after looking at a photograph of Fortuna, without having any other information about the character. [70] An optician was available for Carter at all times during filming to apply the lenses. Behind the scenes, Bib Fortuna has been played by a few actors. The scene revealed that Fortuna returned to Jabba's Palace and took ownership of the throne. To protect Secura, Fortuna seeks assistance from his allies, the mysterious B'omarr monks, religious beings that have transplanted their brains into nutrient-filled jars attached to spider-like droid walkers. [55] In early drafts of the script, Fortuna was referred to by the title "High Beeser of Hoth",[5][48] a reference to the planet Hoth, the ice planet that served as the home of a secret Rebel base in the Star Wars film The Empire Strikes Back. [15], Other Star Wars books and media have established that Fortuna is responsible for the presence of several of the creatures and characters in Jabba's palace during Return of the Jedi. Warning: Spoilers for The Mandalorian season 2 finale. He also appeared briefly in the prequel trilogy film The Phantom Menace (1999) and in the second season of television series The Mandalorian(2020), and has been featured in other Star Wars media, including novels, comic b… "[65], Carter wore a large rubber headpiece, which included two large, slug-like tentacles that twisted around his neck. Chronologically, Bib Fortuna was first seen in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, as a part of Jabba's entourage while the Tatooine crime lord was watching over Anakin Skywalker's pod race. [99] Wood has also provided the voices of General Grievous, Ello Asty, battle droids, and various other minor Star Wars characters. [5] [7] At one point, Fortuna wakes up Jabba after the Hutt crime lord falls asleep during the podrace. [48][49][50] Beezer's look is based upon preliminary sketches of Bib Fortuna from Return of the Jedi. [5][7] At one point, Fortuna wakes up Jabba after the Hutt crime lord falls asleep during the podrace. [54] As Carter sweated due to the heat under the costume, the makeup would start to come loose and the glue would dissolve, requiring it to be constantly reapplied. [63] One of Rodis-Jamero's concepts was the one ultimately selected, and maquettes of the character were created by "Monster Shop" of Industrial Light & Magic, the motion picture visual effects company founded by Lucas. [31] Sensing a trap, Fortuna accepts the majordomo position, thus saving his own life and ensuring Kwerve's death when the greater honor turns out to be the distinction of being the first person Jabba feeds to his new rancor. [52], Outwardly, Bib Fortuna appears very loyal and obedient to Jabba the Hutt,[3][2][7] hardly ever leaving his side,[7] and regularly supplying him with advice and counsel. [7] Fortuna makes a brief appearance in the first issue of the Star Wars: Darth Vader comic book series, released by Marvel Comics in February 2015. Bib Fortuna is a male Twi'lek character in the Star Wars franchise. He appeared in The Phantom Menace by Jabba’s side, watching a podrace that was eventually won by Anakin Skywalker. [104] Wood reprised the role of Fortuna in the Smuggler's Gambit radio drama, recorded live at Star Wars Celebration VI in Orlando in August 2012. [8] However, Star Wars media and works outside of the films have established that Fortuna's obedience and good manners toward Jabba are almost entirely an act, and that internally he serves his own interests and actively plots against his employer. In " Best Birthday Ever " it is said that his full name is "Bib Oltwaxt Fortuna". He was Jabba's right hand in Return of the Jedi, the last film of the original trilogy, and had a cameo along with Jabba in The Phantom Menace, the first film of … [1] Bib Fortuna is first seen in the film when he greets the droids C-3PO and R2-D2, who enter the palace to deliver a message to Jabba. [60] Those discarded sketches served as the basis for another Star Wars species called the Adnerem, which were featured in the Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game and other later works. It also establishes Fortuna's personality as cunning and calculating, and that Fortuna's deferential attitude toward his employer is a facade. [117] A rare encapsulated Bib Fortuna action figure included in an auction in Pennsylvania in November 2019 was expected to seek between $10,000 and $75,000.[146]. Fortuna has been described as a fan-favorite and one of the most memorable characters from Star Wars, and has been included on several lists of the best characters in the franchise. Although he outwardly appears loyal and obedient to Jabba, Fortuna secretly despises his master and actively plots to assassinate him and take over his criminal operation. As a result, the crew set up a 2-by-4 piece of wood on the ground for him to stop his feet against. The Jedi are informed of it by Jabba the Hutt, who believes his distant cousin Torpo is running the operation. [46] In the comic, Darth Vader forcibly enters Jabba's palace to meet with the Hutt, and Fortuna briefly tries to stop him, but becomes frightened and allows him to pass after Vader threatens him with his lightsaber. [1] However, Luke uses The Force to influence Fortuna's mind, convincing him to take Skywalker before Jabba. The toy line included miniature versions of the head of each character, which opened to reveal a small set from the film and a figurine of the character itself. [7][24] A skirmish breaks out between Skywalker and his friends and Jabba's henchmen, resulting in the death of Jabba and the destruction of the sail barge. [7][24][25][26], Bib Fortuna appears briefly in The Phantom Menace (1999), the first film in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. [3][2][33] In reality, Fortuna feels a deep contempt for Jabba, as he reveals to his co-conspirators during a plot to kidnap and eventually assassinate the Hutt in the 1996 comic book Star Wars: Jabba the Hutt: Betrayal:[53]. Though he was thought to have died in Return of the Jedi, The Mandalorian proved otherwise. [11] Bauersfeld said he appreciated the passion of fans and responded to every autograph request, but that he was not particularly knowledgeable about Star Wars himself; in 2011 interview, he said he had not seen Return of the Jedi since it first came out, still had not seen the first Star Wars film,[11][95][98] and knew no details about Fortuna, asking the interviewer: "He was the bad guy, wasn't he? However, the new set of official canon created after that acquisition establishes that Fortuna was not killed during the climactic battle featured in Return of the Jedi, but assumed Jabba's place as crime lord until being killed by Boba Fett five years later. [58][5] Early sketches of the character were drawn by concept artists Nilo Rodis-Jamero,[58] and Ralph McQuarrie. [7] The film begins with Han Solo, one of the protagonists of the Star Wars franchise, being held captive by Jabba the Hutt and frozen in a slab of metal substance called carbonite. [59] Several of these sketches looked very different from Fortuna as he appeared in the final film. ", "The Legendary Star Wars Expanded Universe Turns a New Page", "Databank – Bib Fortuna Biography Gallery – 3 of 10", "Databank – Bib Fortuna Biography Gallery – 4 of 10", "Databank – Bib Fortuna Biography Gallery – 6 of 10", "Databank – Bib Fortuna Biography Gallery – 7 of 10", "Databank – Bib Fortuna Biography Gallery – 9 of 10", "Star Wars: Original Trilogy Characters Who Can Appear In The Mandalorian", "Rogue One characters with more meaning than you realize", "The Book Of Boba Fett: Mandalorian Season 2 Finale Teases...Something", "The Book of Boba Fett, a New Star Wars Spin-Off Announced in The Mandalorian S2 Finale - IGN", "The Mandalorian season 2 finale postcredits scene explained", "A Salute to Bidlo Kwerve, the Man With the Most Important Skull in the, "Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy", "The Other Lost Missions: Rare Clone Wars Comics and Literature, Part 1", "SWCVI: Smuggler's Gambit – A Live Audio Adventure", "Star Wars: Darth Vader's Best Moments from the Marvel Comics", "Databank – Bib Fortuna Biography Gallery – 2 of 10", "7 weird details we learned from Rogue One's tie-in Star Wars guide", "5 Cool Facts from Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide", "Much to Learn You Still Have: 7 Things You Might Not Know About Twi'leks", "Interviews – Face to Face With the Masters – Michael Carter – Bib Fortuna", "The force is strong with sci-fi exhibition in Bury St Edmunds", "Actors from Star Wars, Dr Who, Mission Impossible and Batman appearing at sci-fi event at The Collection in Lincoln", "Erik Bauersfeld, the voice of Admiral Ackbar in 'Star Wars' movies, dies at 93", "Erik Bauersfeld, Admiral Ackbar Voice Actor in 'Star Wars' Films, Dies at 93", "Erik Bauersfeld dead: 'Star Wars' actor recruited by CNY native was 93", "Admiral Ackbar voice actor Erik Bauersfeld dies aged 93", "Voice of Star Wars' Admiral Ackbar, Erik Bauersfeld, dies at 93", "Split Personalities: Star Wars Movie Characters Played By Multiple Actors", "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace cast and crew reunited ahead of 20th anniversary", "Auditory 'Rogue One' Easter Eggs Revealed By Sound Editors Matthew Wood and Christopher Scarabosio", Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, "Mallory Ortberg on Admiral Motti's Force Problems in, "The Latest on Ewoks and Rancors: Vintage, "Star Wars Bib Fortuna toy prototype sells for £36k", "10 rarest original Star Wars toys which could be highly valuable now", "Check your loft for rare Star Wars action figures, as a collection is set to sell for £280,000", "Do you own any of the 10 rarest Star Wars figures? [117][144] It had an estimated value of £12,000 before the auction,[117][145] but sold for the highest amount of any of the Star Wars prototypes auctioned, including an Emperor's Royal Guard that sold for £28,800 and Ewok named Logray that sold for £12,000.