Rancor

For a definition of the term "rancor", see the Wiktionary entry rancor.

For the RAND Corp, see RAND.

Rancor

The rancor is a 5 meter (16.4 foot)-tall carnivore present in the fictional Star Wars universe.

In Return of the Jedi, the crime lord Jabba the Hutt had a pet rancor below his pad to get rid of unwanted or displeasing guests. Victims, such as the slave girl Oola, were dropped through a trap door into the pit below and eaten by the rancor for the amusement of Jabba and his guests.

When Luke Skywalker tried to free Han Solo, Jabba dropped the Jedi into the pit. A Gamorrean guard named Jubnuk fell into the pit along with Luke. Jubnuk panicked and tried to get back up out of the pit, only to be laughed at by those above; Jubnuk was grabbed by the creature and promptly eaten alive. Luke managed to kill the rancor by releasing a heavy, spiked metal portcullis onto the monster's head. Sadly, a man who was apparently the "trainer" of the beast is then shown in inconsolable tears.

In much Expanded Universe material, the notion of "pet rancors" has been explored further, and many stories containing tamed rancors have been produced. The rancor comes from the planet Domitian and Tatooine.

One example of tamed rancors is that of the witches of Dathomir. The banished Jedi Knight Allya found herself on the planet with other exiles. Allya taught them to tame the fierce rancors that ran wild through the thick evergreen forests. The tamed rancors then carried the witches from clan to clan. The rancors on this planet were significantly larger than the one seen in Return of the Jedi.

Another example is found in the hugely popular 2003 videogame Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, in which tamed young rancors are found on the Unknown World that the Rakata inhabit. The Rakata use them primarily as guards and assault beasts. A rancor is also used to guard an underground base entrance by the Black Vulkars on the planet Taris, although this rancor as seen in star wars KOTOR is not tamed, this can be clarified because Mission Vao clearly states that it made its nest in a large sewer opening behind the black vulker base.

In The Force Unleashed, rancors are used as guards or transport for the felucian natives, distinguishable by the colored markings on their bodies ranging from purple to white and green.

Notable appearances

In the Star Wars universe, rancors and gangsters (and other criminals) have become almost inseparable. "Pet" rancors are probably status symbols among gangsters, the idea being that if a rancor can be kept under control, the gangster can control anything. The prospect of being fed to a rancor keeps both enemies and subordinates in line

Darth Bane, Dark Lord of the Sith and the one who started the "Rule of Two" (there can only be two Sith, one master and one apprentice, one to embody the power the other to crave it) tamed a Rancor when searching for the Temple of the Ancients on Lehon.

In Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic one of the local swoop gang leaders on the planet Taris uses a gigantic rancor as a guard to one of the entrances to his base. Also, Rancor heads are mounted to the walls of Davik Kang's mansion as trophies.

In Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, the rancor is the boss at the end of the Rancor Pit level. In this game, the rancor breathes fire. The player can fight the rancor with Luke Skywalker (with his green lightsaber), Han Solo (with his blaster and some grenades), or Chewbacca (with his Wookie bowcaster).

The rancor from Return of the Jedi also appeared in Star Wars: Battlefront II on the Jabba's Palace map. The rancor is located near a command post in Jabba's throne room. The trap door is accessed by walking up to Jabba; the player will then fall into the rancor's pit. The Rancor has been proven to be like a dispenser of canisters. If the player throws enough thermal detonators in the Rancor's mouth, the Rancor "vomits" any canisters gotten by it by when it eats, kills, and "digests" its food (if the player has the invincibility cheat on and the player is eaten, the player falls out of the Rancor and falls through the floor). This map is also available on the Mac and Windows versions of the original Star Wars: Battlefront.

For a mission in Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith, the player, in the form of Mara Jade, is held prisoner by a gangster and must escape. The only way out goes through the lair of the gangster's pet rancor, which must be defeated before the player can progress in the game.

In Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy there are two missions featuring rancors. In one mission, the player, as Jaden Korr, has to help a group of people that have been taken prisoners by a vile Hutt gangster escape from Nar Kreeta before they are eaten by his "pet" rancor while the Hutt's guests watch and place bets. In the other mission, on Tanaab, Korr must battle a rancor that has been mutated by the Cult of Ragnos. This particular rancor was much larger, grey in coloration, covered in bony spikes and technological augmentations, and able to exhale a radioactive fog, not unlike Godzilla. In the game, it is also immune to all damage from weapons.

Jabba's pet rancor appears in the vehicular combat game Star Wars Demolition (that takes place sometime before Return Of The Jedi according to the game's story) being classified as a vehicle (according to the rules in the game's story) and is riden by its tamer Malakili. The rancor can by equipped with different weaponry to combat other opponents.

Wild rancors can be seen in the hit computer game Star Wars: Empire at War they attack troops on both sides. Also in its expansion pack, rancors can be used by the Zann Consortium.

A partially albino rancor will be featured as an enemy in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (video game).

External links

• Rancor in the StarWars.com Databank
• Rancor on Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki