CT What in the living hell was Luke exactly planning on doing in Jabba's palace, anyway?

So, his attempts to sway jabba in returning Han with his calm Jedi swagger failed, so he pulls a blaster from a nearby guard, points it at Jabba, then falls down the Rancor pit.

Was he planning on killing Jabba, taking out every individual in the room who attempted to stop him (which included Boba Fett, the galaxy's greatest bounty hunter), take Han back by force, then leave? Well, that doesn't seem like the Jedi thing to do, but okay. But really, he expected to hold his own against Fett but got incapacitated by a pig? If really planned on doing that, why not signal R2 to launch the lightsaber right there and then instead of a crappy blaster?

Unless, you know, he planned on falling in the rancor pit. In that case, why the hell go in unarmed? He seemed pretty frightened and desperate when he saw the thing coming out of the gate.

 

I don't know. I guess the thought Jabba would enough of a coward that threat of death would make him give up Han. It's odd that he didn't sense what everyone else in the room was thinking "This guy is gna fall into the Rancor pit." But I think at that point Luke was way too arrogant and thought they would all be in awe because of the re-emergence of a Jedi.

 

It's called improvising.

 

He says on the way to the Sarlaac pit that this was his plan all along. So yeah, pretty much Jabba's options were a) release Han immediately or b) die.

 

The novel has a good line from Jabba "I was killing your kind when being a Jedi meant something."

 

Always liked that line.

 

This all the way

 

I don't think Luke was very Jedi-like at that point, so he might not have seen anything wrong with using his newfound powers to kill everyone in sight to get what he wanted.

 

There's a certain amount of glee in Luke's reaction to Jabba's sentencing them to the Sarlacc:

RoTJ novel:

Luke only smiled. "You should have bargained, Jabba. That's the last mistake you'll ever make." Luke was unable to suppress the satisfaction in his voice. He found Jabba despicable- a leech of the galaxy, sucking the life from whatever he touched. Luke wanted to burn the villain, and so was actually rather glad that Jabba had refused to bargain- for now Luke would get his wish precisely. Of course, his primary objective was to free his friends, whom he loved dearly; it was this concern that guided him now, above all else. But in the process, to free the universe of this gangster slug- this was a prospect that tinted Luke's purpose with an ever-so-slightly dark satisfaction.

 

--- My first post on the Jedi Council Forum. Ever. ---​

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Anyways, I reckon it was a combination of both preplan and improvising. He might have gone for the blaster as to simply threaten Jabba (and maybe take out Boba Fett if need be) or perhaps to kill Jabba directly, thereby rendering the palace leaderless and thus powerless. If that seems a bit harsh for a Jedi, remember, Luke at that point had already offered Jabba a peaceful bargain, to which the latter shrugged off with arrogance. Jedi’s pursue a peaceful resolution, but they’re not pacifist either. Also, Luke is not your standard Jedi Knight, but more of a freestyle version.

The other point to remember is that Luke intentionally entered the palace unarmed, stashing his lightsaber inside R2-D2. This to me clearly indicates a preplanned tactical edge; out in the open, with Han and Chewie close by, Luke (along with Lando) had a better chance of rescue and escape.

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I just don't understand why they sent Leia in. If it was a first attempt to escape, then why not have Lando try? It seems awfully risky because Luke wasn't there, and should Jabba have decided to kill her there's not much anyone could have done to stop him.

Of course, the out of universe reason is to get her into the bikini, but that goes without saying.

 

Simple: She was there to get captured and then strangle Jabba to death. I'm sure the Hutt's molester-y personal attitudes towards women were well-known; drop Leia in front of him and voila! insta-assassin.

Yes, joke

 

Aggressive negotiations.

 

1.Sneak into Palace
2. ??????
3. Profit

 

"When you came in here, didn't you have a plan for getting out?"

 

He was pulling a Jack Sparrow, obviously. Make up things as you go along, and since you're the main protagonist, you'll come out all right in the end even if your plans seem a) stuck up a tree, or b) rather random but I guess could have a shred of common sense backing them.

 

Okay, I’ve posted this several times over the years, but I may as well post it again. I must note that much of it is based on speculation and extrapolation from what is seen in the movies themselves. Anyway, on to Luke’s plan.

Using the Alliance to get Han out was not an option. Han, after all, is just one man, and the Rebels can’t spare an attack team with air cover to rescue one man, no matter who he is. Besides, Han was encased in a carbonite block in the middle of the palace. By the time the strike team gets to him, it’s a safe bet Boba Fett would’ve blasted him to pieces on Jabba’s order. So, Luke has to resort to what is essentially a con game. He’s got to get Jabba to basically hand Han over to him, rather than try to take him. So, he devises an operation, with multiple fail-safe points, to accomplish this. Here’s how it goes:

Luke puts together his own version of the IMF, consisting of himself, Leia, Lando, Chewie, Artoo and Threepio. They all rendezvous on Tatooine and get to work (though he keeps certain parts of the operation from Threepio, given the droid’s talkative nature). Lando goes in first, as Luke’s inside man. He’s a former con artist, so he knows how to put together a passable fake identity and slip in. He checks out the area and sends word back to Luke, then sticks around to help.

Next, the droids go in with a legitimate offer to buy Han’s freedom. (Remember, Leia’s rich; she can afford it.) Luke offers the droids as a gift just to sweeten the deal, and, in Artoo’s case, provide a weapon he might need later. If this works, an exchange is arranged and Han is freed, with Lando getting the droids out when he leaves. But, it doesn’t work. So…

Leia goes in, disguised as Boussh, to infiltrate the palace, with Chewie along to provide her with a legitimate reason for being there, along with street cred and needed muscle if the situation comes to it. She’ll sneak into the audience chamber to free Han and get him clear. Meanwhile, Lando will free Chewie to help out, and then get himself and the droids out. If it works, they all escape before Jabba catches on. But, it doesn’t work. So…

Luke goes in, unarmed, to try to mind trick Jabba into releasing Han. Sure, it might look odd for Jabba to suddenly go along with Luke’s wishes. But, hey, he’s the guy in charge; who’s going to argue with him? If it works, Luke takes the prisoners with him and Lando & the droids sneak out the back. But, it doesn’t work. So…

Luke tries a mild threat on Jabba. Yes, he says he could destroy Jabba, but Luke also still gives the impression that they could still strike a deal. He also warns Jabba of what he could expect if he decides to fight it out. If it works, Luke and the prisoners leave and Lando & the droids get clear. But, it doesn’t work. So…

Luke tries to kill Jabba, an attempt that is purposely meant to fail. Luke’s not an idiot. He knows that even if he gets lucky and takes Jabba’s head off, Boba and the guards will cut him down on the spot. In any case, the purpose isn’t killing Jabba. The purpose is getting dropped into the Rancor’s nest, and killing the beast. This is important; there’s no Plan B. This is a crisis point, and if it fails, the rest of the plan falls apart. But, it doesn’t fail; Luke kills the Rancor, greatly angering Jabba. So…

Jabba finds Luke’s actions so insulting that he doesn’t just have everybody zapped at once. He sentences them to get tossed to the Sarlaac, which is exactly what Luke wanted. Check the scene; when sentence is passed, Luke has a little smile and is nodding. He may as well be saying, “Got you, you son of a bantha!” So, it’s off to the Sarlaac.

There, Luke tries to avoid conflict one last time. He’s plain on the subject: “Free us, or die.” If it works, the good guys head for the hills and Jabba goes home. But, it doesn’t work. And here we are.

Luke’s hands are free, and he’s all set. Han is awake and ambulatory. Chewie and Lando are nearby, ready to move. Leia’s inside, waiting for her chance. Artoo is on deck, with Luke’s lightsaber. And Jabba is outside of his palace and away from the bulk of his guards, and he has no idea of what’s about to happen. The dominoes are in place, and Luke just has to knock down the first one.

That, people, is one well-made plan. It’s flexible, it accurately measures Jabba’s weaknesses (pride and overconfidence), it has several points where it can smoothly switch tracks, and it gives Jabba several chances to just walk away without the need for violence. And, when it gets to the big finish, it takes Jabba and his cronies down but good. As far as I’m concerned, Jim Phelps and his team couldn’t have done any better.

Over to you…

 

First of all, welcome to the forum!!

I agree with this. I think Luke didn't know he'd face the Rancor, and the blaster thing was improvised. And trying to kill Jabba that way wouldn't be so bad-even for a Jedi: Obi-Wan sought out Grievous to kill him, AND killed him that same way!

On the other hand, I think Luke had the whole Sarlacc Pit thing all planned out-he stored his lightsaber in R2, and R2 knew exactly where to be to get it to him. Also, 3PO replied to him on the sail barge "I wish I had your confidence." Making it seem as if R2 told him everything was in place and would turn out fine. Luke nodded to Lando, as well-not only showing he knew Lando was there, but that they had a plan. And there's this: I don't know if anyone noticed this, but in the scene where Luke and Han are in front of Jabba, recieving their sentence: just at the moment they're told that they would be taken to Sarlacc, Luke looks at Leia and nods-just as if he were acknowledging something, like his prediction coming true. It is very subtle, and I MIGHT be seeing things...but I don't think so.

Give it a look if you hadn't noticed it, and judge for yourself!

 

He was going to get even with Boba for shooting at him on Bespin, Han and Leia were secondary.

 

But how could Luke possibly be certain that R2 would be on that barge and be in position to give him the lightsaber when he needed it?

 

No more certain than he could be that Jabba wouldn't just feed the droids to the Rancor when they arrived. There's a level of having to trust in the Force, and, of course, R2's ability to make his own decisions and be inconspicous here. FWIW, in the EU Lando set it up so that Jabba's sail barge would be short an astromech when R2 arrived.

 

Luke was reckless even before he became a Jedi Knight. What we saw in Jabba's Palace was just that, a desperate and reckless Jedi Knight.

What did he go to Jabba's to do? Die mostly, because there wasn't any way he was going to make it out alive, otherwise. He sure as heck was not going to shoot/slice through everyone and everything in Jabba's Palace, even with Lando and Leia nearby.

 

To try and say it simply, I think Luke was going to try negotiating 1st, which he knew would probably fail, so his backup plan was to threaten Jabba with his blaster, I don't think he planned on killing him there and then because of all the guards and Boba Fett, plus he didn't have his lightsaber as he gave it to R2 for his next plan if this one failed, which was to end up being sent to the Sarlacc pit, which is what his preferred option was since he knew he could get Jabba and everyone on one ship which could be blown up.
I don't think Leia being caught wasn't supposed to happen, but she knew she could be captured going in to rescue Han, and Luke being put into the Rancor pit wasn't supposed to happen. But everything turned out well, for Luke and company anyway, but not so much for Jabba... Lol.