Sorry Star Wars, Buff Rotta The Hutt Is Still Too Goofy Even After The Mandalorian & Grogu

Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for The Mandalorian and Grogu.The Mandalorian and Grogu has just hit theaters, introducing some brand-new characters and bringing many beloved characters—most obviously, the titular leads, Din Djarin and Grogu—back to the Star Wars screen. Among those returning characters was Rotta the Hutt, although audiences might not recognize him considering his very new look. Rotta is Jabba the Hutt’s son, and he was introduced in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars movie as a tiny Huttlet. In that movie, Rotta was kidnapped as part of a plot by his Uncle Ziro and Count Dooku.

Jabba was so desperate to recover his son that he surprisingly asked the Jedi for help, and Anakin Skywalker and his new Jedi Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, set out on their first mission together to save and return the baby. Ultimately, they did exactly that. Rotta had just one appearance between The Clone Wars movie and The Mandalorian and Grogu, in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV show, at which point he was still just a little Huttlet, munching on butterflies.

Yet, The Mandalorian and Grogu revealed a very different version of Rotta—one that goes against what most audiences are familiar with in terms of Hutts in Star Wars movies and TV shows. That is, in The Mandalorian and Grogu, Rotta is a massive, buff, gladiator-style Hutt, and despite the movie actually making Rotta into a great character, it wasn’t easy to get over how silly a buff Hutt looks.

Rotta Looks Nothing Like The (On Screen) Hutts Audiences Have Seen

Prior to Rotta the Hutt’s appearance in The Mandalorian and Grogu, Hutts had really fit just one description, at least when it came to their appearances in movies and shows. The slug-like creatures were large, slow moving, and covered in slime, just as Jabba was in the original trilogy. In Return of the Jedi, Jabba specifically exhibited just how disturbing and grotesque Hutts could be, particularly in his disgusting treatment of Leia. However, in this new movie, Rotta is instead a muscly, agile warrior.

There is actually a small degree of precedent for buff Hutts, although only in the comics. Specifically, another one of Jabba’s cousins, Bokku the Hutt, was depicted as an equally strong Hutt in the comics. Even so, this was a jarring visual change for Hutts on the screen, and even with Rotta’s action sequences becoming thrilling at times, particularly when he takes on the Twins at the end of the movie, it was never easy to adjust to the fact that this just felt a bit silly.

In fact, Rotta’s voice also contributed to this, as, rather than Jabba’s booming voice and unique way of speaking (and his creepy, guttural laugh), Rotta sounds like a regular man. Sure, it was clear that Jeremy Allen White’s voice had been deepened to a degree, but it still sounded like him. That normal voice accompanied by Rotta’s muscly look just never really worked.

Rotta Became A Great Character, But This Still Felt Goofy

It’s honestly a shame that The Mandalorian and Grogu never fully made Rotta’s buff physique work, as he actually proved to be a brilliant character. Going into the movie, it was difficult to imagine this being the case, and it arguably even felt a bit forced to have this connection to Jabba the Hutt in the story. Yet, Rotta was ultimately revealed to be a true hero with a lot of heart, and he fit in well as a companion to Din Djarin and Grogu.

He actually in particular had a charming, playful dynamic with Grogu, which once again defied what audiences would expect from a Hutt, although the movie pulled this off much better than it did Rotta’s massive, muscly build or his shockingly normal voice. Unfortunately, though, no matter how much brilliant character development took place over the course of the movie, The Mandalorian and Grogu couldn’t make this buff Hutt less goofy on screen.