Hutts and the Empire

This has always been an interesting observation I had. I'd like to get all your thoughts on it if you feel its worth discussing.

What is the relationship between Hutts and the Empire, specifically Jabba.

In ANH - we do see an Impreial pressence on Tatoine, even if it is for the specific purpose of finding the droids.

In TPM - we learn that the Hutts control Tatooine, and that the trade federation has no pressence there. Considering that the Hutts are bosses of organized crime, and form of law or governing body would been seen as a threat, and vice versa.

In ANH - we learn that Han messed up some of Jabba's smuggling business because he was borded by an Imperial ship. So we know that as evil as the empire is, they still have laws, and go against Jabba's business.

In ESB/ROTJ, Bobba Fett - working for Jabba, makes a deal with the Empire for Han Solo, so it would appear that they were some how in bed with each other, at least on a few issues.

And finally, I believe that Obi-Wan takes baby Luke to Tatooine because he knows that the Emperor's infludence seems to have no effect on the Hutts, who are in control of the system.

So, what do you think?

 

I don't believe that the Hutts really controled (officialy) Tatoine during the times of the Empire. The system WAS under the rule of the Empire, however the Hutts still possesed great power, just like a crimelord does in a city.
The Empire probably has it's reasons to keep the Hutts in power too...

 

But don't you think Palpatine, being the power hungry Sith that he is, would not want anybody else to have any power without first completely bowing to his power? It seems like the crimes the Hutts do is not really respectful of the emperor's law

 

Let the Hutts control Tatooine. Let them worry about the law, employ enforcers, and maintain order. In short, let the Hutts do the work and foot the bill.

All the Emperor needs to do is make sure Jabba knows the Empire is the real boss. The Empire gains a world and only expends minimal effort.

 

But in a dictatorship, there is no real sharing of power. Not even in "letting the Hutts worry about Tatooine". Imperial Regional Governors had power over their sectors in the OT, but they followed the orders and were under the control of Palpatine.

Now, if you accept the theory that what made Tatooine the perfect hiding space for Luke, besides Anakin hating the planet, is that Empire had no day to day effect. Didn't you get the feeling in ANH when Luke talks about the Rebellion and the Empire that both of them seemed so far removed from him, as if he had barely any contact with either?

Having the Hutts control the planet without the direct authority of the Emperor, Luke as able to grow up unnoticed and hidden. I mean....they didn't even have to change his last name, he was so far removed from the Empire.

So, I could argue, that Jabba controlling Tatooine without being a component of the Empire, allowed Luke to grow with the last name "Skywalker" unnoticed, which allowed him to be trained, and eventually turn his father back to the good side, killing Palpatine.

Huh? what do you think?

 

The Hutts paid pretty hefty "tributes" to the Empire. This allowed them to operate.

 

But don't you think Palpatine, being the power hungry Sith that he is, would not want anybody else to have any power without first completely bowing to his power? It seems like the crimes the Hutts do is not really respectful of the emperor's law

When Tarkin announces that Palpatine has dissolved the Senate and that the fear of the Death Star will keep them in line, he also mentions that the governors have complete control over their individual territories.

If anything got out of line, Jabba would certainly answer to Palpatine, but otherwise he's fine with letting Jabba do as he wishes on Tatooine. It's too far out to bother with anyway... unless certain Death Star plans got out there.

 

The Hutts probably pay hefty bribes to the Empire in order to let them operate in relative peace.

 

The Hutts probably pay hefty bribes to the Empire in order to let them operate in relative peace.

That's what I figured, too (though I don't know about the "relative peace" part). The Hutts pay extra taxes to the Empire, maybe give some money from smuggling enterprises, and the Emperor leaves Tatooine mostly under the Hutts' control. It doesn't really matter since Tatooine - with the exception of having the Skywalkers (and Han and Kenobi) - seems to be a pretty useless planet.

Depa Billaba

 

Let the Hutts control Tatooine. Let them worry about the law, employ enforcers, and maintain order. In short, let the Hutts do the work and foot the bill.

All the Emperor needs to do is make sure Jabba knows the Empire is the real boss. The Empire gains a world and only expends minimal effort.


I totaly agree...

 

The Empire doesn't seem to like the Hutts, or any other crime organization for that matter, but see them as much less of a threat to their authority than the Alliance is. If the Hutts were going to guard an Imperial prisoner of war like Han Solo for their own reasons, and keep him from being freed, it would only help save the Imperials the effort of guarding him themselves.

 

"Let the Hutts control Tatooine. Let them worry about the law, employ enforcers, and maintain order. In short, let the Hutts do the work and foot the bill. All the Emperor needs to do is make sure Jabba knows the Empire is the real boss. The Empire gains a world and only expends minimal effort."

"The Hutts paid pretty hefty 'tributes' to the Empire. This allowed them to operate."

"The Hutts probably pay hefty bribes to the Empire in order to let them operate in relative peace."

I love when people post to a thread with essentially the same response. Such is how a consensus develops. P.S. The long-snoot spy is a Kubaz.

 

Since we are talking about empires, and since I am a history major, let me make a reference to African Colonial History. What Britain and most countries did was subdivide the colony. The part of the colony that was profitable they managed. This included seaports, and areas that had natural resources. In the vast areas that were unprofitable, they used Native Authority, or the traditional tribal chiefs. However they paid them wages in order to bribe and control them, but at all times The British had full power.

think if the hutts as the Native Authority.

 

The Hutts didn't control Tatooine, they just held enough fear over some civilizations to redeem control over them, but as for Tatooine itself, it's neutral. The Empire never controlled the planet because there was nothing really useful to them there. The Hutts and the Empire never really got along, but they did share the galaxy in a mutual way.

 

Well, its not clear in the OT if the Hutts control Tatooine, but in TPM, when Obi-Wan picks out Tatooine as a good hiding spot for the queen's ship, he says that there is no pressence of the trade federation because the planet is controlled by the Hutts.

And when Watto wants to challenge him losing the bet on the pod race, Qui Gon scares him by asking if he would rather they take their case beore the Hutts. Seems like Hutts were judge, juries, and executioners of Tatooine.

And I'll need a historian to verify this, but I remember learning a while ago that the mafia in Itally was at war with Mussalini's facist government in the 30's and 40's. Interesting, since the Empire is pretty much as totalitarian as you can get, and the Hutts are the "gangsters" of SW.

 

Yes, the Fascists cracked down hard on the Mafia, just like they did on unions, and for the same reasons. But empires and nation-states (even totalitarian ones) frequently cooperate with organized crime. The fascist Battista regime in Cuba was in bed with the Mob for years. It all boils down to whether the crime organization steps on the toes of the government. I'll bet my last nickel that if the Mafia hadn't backed Battista so much, Castro wouldn't have kicked them out of Cuba.
Palpatine didn't shut down the Hutts or big business, he simply co-opted them.

 

I dont think the Empire cared about the Hutts, personallly. Think about it. The Empire ruled in excess of 50 million inhabited planets. Due you think the emperor gave a rat's ass about a backwater desert planet. If the need came the empire could inforce its power on the planet, but for the time being the emperor was more concerned with other things.

Also, The emperor probably wielded very little power over each individual planet in general. More than likely it was more profitable to allow those who ruled a planet ebfore the empire to continue doing so unless a vital issue was concerned.

 

Yeah, but you are also assuming that the Hutts crime was limited to Tatooine. Solo was working for Jabba when he was smuggling, so he was traveling between two systems, one of those systems wasn't Tatooine.

"Hey, even I get boarded once in a while" Solo to Greedo in ANH

I assume that Solo was talking about being stopped by an Imperial patrol. He dumped his contraband so he would not be detained by the Empire, which made Jabba angry because he lost money for that.

Seems to me that Jabba and the Empire's interests were at odds. Even though some of their interests overlapped - Solo being in carbonite.