Dry those eyes and put your hankies away, as a Star Wars sob story has just been averted. Episode 5 of The Bad Batch opened with our heroes seeking out an old Jedi informant named Cid, who may be in possession of key information about the whereabouts of Fennec Shand. To get this, they were tasked with recovering Muchi, who they eventually discovered was a young Rancor (and quite cute, in her own way).
The squad was successful, though the ending left some viewers aghast when they realized its implications. The closing moments saw Clone Force 99 deliver Muchi to Bib Fortuna, Jabba the Hutt’s majordomo. It doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes to put the pieces together and conclude that Muchi is the same Rancor we saw Luke Skywalker heroically kill in Return of the Jedi. Emotions happened, and feels were felt.
But, as it turns out, Muchi and the Return of the Jedi rancor are two completely different creatures. As established by Wookiepedia, the rancor Luke killed was named Pateesa and is male, whereas Muchi is female. According to the canon, Pateesa was given to Jabba as a birthday present by Bib Fortuna around the time of The Phantom Menace and trained to consume those who displeased the crime lord.
Unfortunately, while Muchi wasn’t skewered by Luke, it’s doubtful she lived a rich and fulfilling life. Animal welfare isn’t high on the agenda in Jabba’s Palace (judging by his choice of snack anyway), so she may have died off screen prior to Luke, Han and Leia’s arrival. Still, there’s a small chance that she went on to escape Bib Fortuna and lead a happy existence out in the Tatooine sand. At least that’s what I’m going to keep telling myself.
Let’s hope Star Wars: The Bad Batch drops by to check in on her from time to time.
Published: May 31, 2021 06:41 pm