One of Star Wars' Most Comedic Characters Actually Lived a Tragic Life

Star Wars is full of tragic origins that define the hero's journey. But one of the franchise's most comedic characters has a story to rival them all.

Star Wars is famous for its detailed roster of background characters. The fanbase has taken a fascination with the supporting players, who each have their own distinct narratives in a galaxy far, far away. Those stories are often told through expanded materials, with the origins, backstories and personality traits rounding out the lesser-known players and, in turn, expanding the depth of the Star Wars universe. But the fandom has especially taken a liking to Salacious B. Crumb, whose distinctive laugh acts as part of the soundtrack for Return of the Jedi. The third installment of the original trilogy recently celebrated its 40th anniversary, but all these years on, some audience members don't know the truth of Crumb's own terrible backstory.

Salacious B. Crumb's life is full of tragedy. Although he had always been presented as an antagonist, laughing away at the expense of the movie's heroes, in truth, his actions were always self-preservational. Hailing from the planet Kowak, Crumb is a Kowakian monkey-lizard, a species kept as pets across the Star Wars universe. But there was nothing loving about the relationship between Jabba and his "pet," with Crumb living out his life as a slave. And he met a dark end, demonstrating the tragedy at the core of this seemingly happy character.

Salacious B. Crumb Was a Court Jester

According to the Ultimate Star Wars guidebook, Crumb was originally captured by Bib Fortuna. Bib was one of Jabba's closest associates, which meant that Crumb was immediately tossed right in front of the boss. Crumb had been a thief in his past life and was a stowaway on Jabba's ship. If it was anyone else, Jabba would have killed him there and then. But a deal was struck instead. Crumb would act as a court jester for the Hutt, ensuring that his captor would laugh at least once a day. Of course, overstep or fail to be funny, and Crumb would have had his tiny head on a spike. While George Lucas has made plenty of changes to Return of the Jedi, Crumb has been a consistent component and used as both comic relief and to build the atmosphere in Jabba's Palace. But no one has stopped to consider why he was there in the first place.

Salacious B. Crumb Spent His Life Spent in Captivity

Crumb lived a life in captivity, entertaining Jabba through the Galactic Civil War and during some of the highest points in the criminal's career. The jester was essentially a slave, with death hanging over him on a daily basis. Although his humor would lead to food-based rewards and Crumb continuously earned the good favor of his boss, terrible things still happened to this tragic figure. It wasn't uncommon to see Crumb kept in a cage, observing events from the sidelines. Plus, he had to watch Jabba torture, kill and mercilessly brutalize people, with every one of his court jumping to his every command. It would have served as a consistent reminder for Crumb of how easy it would be to suddenly be removed from the equation.

It's possible that Crumb genuinely found the misfortunes of others funny. That would speak to the cruelty within the character built from the mentality that at least it wasn't him experiencing those horrible things. He would laugh at any given opportunity, even at Darth Vader, which does speak to a lack of intelligence. He showed very little in the way of a moral compass and selfishly passed on information that would harm others while elevating his own status. Plus, he attacked C3PO just for his own amusement. But what could be more tragic to consider is that Crumb only acted the way that he did to stay in Jabba's good graces. He would have quickly learned how to appease his slaver, and it's not out of the question that through fear for his own life, he'd built a formula for his comedy that always worked. That would have twisted him more and more, corrupting his every thought. There are some plot holes to further explore in Return of the Jedi. But the mentality of Crumb might be a narrative gap worth diving into further, especially when it comes to the relationship with his master.

Salacious B. Crumb Met a Tragic End

Jabba and Crumb had an intriguing relationship. Despite the Hutt being Crumb's captor and in the face of the terror he must have felt, Crumb clearly also respected Jabba. There was a bit of Stockholm syndrome at play here, with Crumb coming to love the rewards he would gain from his master. His whole life sadly became about pleasing a monster. That would lead to his downfall. Audiences will fondly remember the destruction of Jabba the Hutt's barge. While the action throughout the sequence has been questioned, especially Mark Hamill's "Force kick," the result left Crumb as dead as his captives. Crumb was never far behind his master, and he was caught in the massive explosion on the sail barge.

Salacious B. Crumb had spent most of his life in a cage, acting as a clown and committing unspeakably malicious acts, all for the attention of his captor. Despite potentially acting through fear throughout that period, he died nonetheless, serving a cause he potentially despised. Crumb may be more complex than fans give him credit for and is arguably Star Wars' most tragic character, who acted in desperation until his final breath.