Star Wars Outlaws Teases Why Bib Fortuna Took Over Jabba the Hutt’s Throne

We knew that Jabba the Hutt and Bib Fortuna would appear in Star Wars Outlaws. What wasn’t expected was a small moment where Star Wars Outlaws teases why Bib Fortuna took over Jabba the Hutt’s throne in a galaxy far, far away.

Star Wars Outlaws May Reveal Why Bib Fortuna Took Over for Jabba the Hutt

Star Wars Outlaws follows the story of a scoundrel, so it made complete sense that Jabba the Hutt and Bib Fortuna appeared in the Outlaws. However, one surprising detail about Bib’s appearance was in a short cutscene between him and the main antagonist, Sliro, the leader of the syndicate Zerek Besh. In the scene, Sliro offers Bib help in taking Jabba’s palace, but in exchange, he must work for him. As it turns out, Sliro wanted to know everything that Bib knew about Kay Vess (the game’s protagonist). Of course, at the end of The Mandalorian Season 2, we saw that Bib took over Jabba the Hutt’s throne, so seeing this cutscene was quite interesting.

Unfortunately, we never got to see if Bib took the offer, as Sliro died during the culmination of Star Wars Outlaws’ story. Despite that, we do know that Bib did, in fact, take over Jabba’s palace after Jabba died during the events of Return of the Jedi. So, it begs the question of whether this conversation he had with Sliro inspired him to take Jabba’s throne. We’ll likely never get a concrete answer, but it does seem as if Star Wars Outlaws is hinting at a connection there. Perhaps Bib remembered Sliro’s words and chose to take his chance at being daimyo after Jabba’s death.

How Sliro Might Have Inspired Bib Fortuna to Take Jabba’s Throne

While Sliro didn’t help Bib take over Jabba’s throne, as he was dead by the time Jabba died, that doesn’t mean his words didn’t have an impact. During the cutscene the two share, Sliro says, “Work with me, and I can help you take that palace for yourself one day.” The creators of Star Wars Outlaws wouldn’t have included that scene if they didn’t want to hint at Sliro helping in some way. After all, Sliro was a manipulating man and possibly used these words to sow seeds of power in Bib’s mind.

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And if Sliro didn’t die at the end of the game, he very well might have helped Bib take over. As it turns out, Sliro worked for the Empire. He was an Imperial Director, which is a very high rank in the Galactic Empire. It’s possible that Sliro intended to lead the Hutt Cartel through Bib, giving the Empire control of the whole operation. Unfortunately for Sliro and the Empire, both died.

Why Did Bib Fortuna Take Over Jabba the Hutt?

There isn’t much evidence that explains exactly why Bib took over Jabba’s throne. It could simply be that he was Jabba’s right-hand man, making him the strongest candidate to lead. However, according to Bib’s official Star Wars databank entry, he “seized power after his master’s demise and attempted to control the criminal underworld on Tatooine.” His databank also refers to him as “scheming,” which makes it sound like he was power-hungry However, Sliro’s words to Bib are the first on-screen hint as to why he took over the throne. And while they’re only words, words can have more of an effect than actions do sometimes.

Being Jabba’s right-hand man, Sliro’s words, and being a devious man all contribute to the desire to take control. Bib may have felt as if he was owed the throne after all he did for Jabba the Hutt. Unfortunately, Bib was described by Fennec Shand as a terrible leader, and his reign only lasted about five years before he died at the hands of the fearsome bounty hunter Boba Fett.

Star Wars Outlaws is available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows PC.