The Hutt Clan

The Hutt Clan, also known as the Hutt Cartel and sometimes simply as the Hutts, was one of the most powerful crime families in the galaxy around the time of the Clone Wars. It was governed by the Grand Hutt Council, whose members were the heads of the five Hutt families. During the Clone Wars, the clan aligned itself with the Galactic Republic, and briefly with Darth Maul's criminal empire, the Shadow Collective. During the Galactic Civil War, they clashed on multiple occasions with a group of mercenaries operating on the planet Tatooine, and established an alliance with the Galactic Empire.

Aftermath of the Clone Wars

The Hutt Clan continued to operate in the Outer Rim after the end of the Clone Wars and the rise of the Galactic Empire with it and the Clan victory over the Confederacy of Independent Systems, preserving their power base including on the desert world of Tatooine, which was enduring an intense drought which become known as the Great Drought that was the worst in then-recent memory. This left moisture farmers with little water to harvest, worsening conditions on the poor, backwater world. In the midst of the drought, henchmen for the crime lord Jabba the Hutt collected a water tax on their master's behalf.

An eight year old boy, Luke Skywalker had gone to take the water back from Jabba's men and give it back to the farmers. Obi-Wan Kenobi, who had been watching over him, went to their encounter, but blew their vehicle's lights with the Force to hide his identity and proceeded to disable all of Jabba's henchmen with the Force. On hearing about this, Jabba was furious and tried to find the man who had defied him. On being unsuccessful he hired the bounty hunter, Black Krrsantan, to find Kenobi, and offered to pay him extra for bringing him alive.

Jabba continued his illicit operations during the Age of the Empire, continuing to hold influence as a crime lord. One smuggler he hired for his operations was Han Solo, who became the best smuggler on Jabba's payroll. Solo's standing was jeopardized, however, when his ship, the Millennium Falcon, was boarded by Imperial authorities, forcing Solo to jettison his cargo. Jabba demanded compensation for the lost cargo and, when Solo did not pay, the crime lord sent bounty hunters after him. One such hunter was Greedo, who confronted Solo in a cantina in Mos Eisley, but Solo killed the Rodian bounty hunter before he could kill Solo. Jabba learned of this and found Solo in Docking Bay 94, where the smuggler said that he had no choice but to dump his cargo. Jabba agreed to give Solo an extension on the payment in exchange for additional interest. Solo accepted the offer, but he soon became involved in the Alliance to Restore the Republic and once again failed to pay Jabba. When Jabba learned that Solo had joined the Rebellion, Jabba placed a large bounty on the smuggler's head.

Galactic Civil War

The Rebel Alliance had learned of impending talks between the Galactic Empire and Hutt Clan, as the Empire wanted Jabba the Hutt and the Clan to provide raw materials to be used in creating weapons and starships and resources to fuel its military operations. This followed the destruction of the Death Star during the Battle of Yavin, however, a team of Rebels intercepted the shuttle from Tatooine that carried Jabba's emissary and stole the shuttle and continued towards Cymoon 1.

Alliance with the Empire

The Emperor sent Darth Vader to negotiate a deal with Jabba following the loss of Weapons Factory Alpha during a rebel assault on Cymoon 1. The negotiations were a continuation of what was meant to take place on Cymoon 1.

However Vader arrived on Tatooine earlier than scheduled to hire two bounty hunters for assignments that the Dark Lord of the Sith kept secret from the Emperor. Jabba provided him with Boba Fett, who Vader tasked with finding the Rebel pilot who destroyed the Death Star, and Black Krrsantan, who Vader tasked with capturing Cylo, an agent of the Emperor.

After attending to his personal mission, Vader returned to Jabba's palace the next day and negotiated on the Emperor's behalf. Jabba agreed to provide the Galactic Empire with whatever resources it needed to fuel its operations. This alliance with the Empire allowed him and the Hutts to survive the Imperial crackdown against criminal elements in the Outer Rim, as well as rid the Hutts of their competitors.

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