Star Wars: Max Rebo reimagines Return of the Jedi in the most depressing way possible

Many fans love the adorable Max Rebo, a musician living in Jabba’s palace. The new one-shot Star Wars: Max Rebo explores the truly dire existence of the character, putting his life in the palace into perspective. 

The opening to Return of the Jedi is easily one of the most iconic in all of Star Wars. With Han Solo frozen in carbonite, his allies make a desperate attempt to rescue him, culminating in one of cinema’s most exciting fights. 

For first-time viewers, the visual spectacle of Jabba’s Palace is a sight to behold, even if you’re watching the CGI monstrosities of the special edition. The palace is full of puppets who are musicians in the palace, akin to the Jizzwailers from A New Hope’s cantina scene. 

A new Star Wars one-shot from Marvel is now revisiting that era. And while it focuses on one of Jabba’s musicians, it does shed some new light on the dire situation of those performing for the crime lord. 

Return of the Jedi’s Max Rebo had a depressing life

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi – Max Rebo follows the titular blue Ortolan throughout his time in Jabba’s palace, but it does so in a weirdly humanizing way. It presents Rebo as perpetually depressed and longing for his time in Jabba’s Palace to end. 

Previews for the issue show that Rebo is perpetually depressed throughout the issue and, on multiple occasions, longs for death. It’s a departure from the typically jovial musician fans associate with Return of the Jedi’s opening. 

He’s even keenly aware that his fate is coming. He notes the deaths of others, including Oola – the dancer whom Jabba threw into the Rancor pit – with a bittersweet lament that “the band cared for her,” but also is aware that they’re too scared to show it. 

While fans have known for years that life in Jabba’s palace wasn’t anything to be envious of, this new wrinkle expands the lore in a unique way.

Fans have seen some truly dire times in the world of Star Wars, but the new Max Rebo one-shot promises to highlight one of the most truly depressing existences in the history of the franchise.