The Star Wars Legacy Character That Andor's Diego Luna Can't Escape

To be a part of the "Star Wars" legacy that George Lucas created is the ultimate dream for so many performers who grew up watching the original trilogy. If an actor gets to be a part of this vast galaxy of creatures and characters, that feeling of total elation, however, is probably quickly eclipsed by the fear of revealing anything about the clandestine project you're working on. 

For tentpole films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Lucasfilm, there's so much riding on keeping everything top secret that it's a wonder actors are even allowed to promote these projects at all. For example, a few months before "Rogue One" came out, one of the actors accidentally let out a huge spoiler that gave away a major character's death. Once audiences actually saw the dark ending for "Rogue One" where everyone perishes thanks to a massive blast from the Death Star, that accidental reveal didn't seem so disastrous. 

Diego Luna also got in trouble on the "Rogue One" press tour, but not in the way you might think. While trying to avoid saying anything about the plot that led directly into "Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope," Luna kept mentioning that he's always wanted to touch Jabba the Hutt. "The texture of Jabba is something I need to discover," he jokingly said during the original promotion for the film. The combination of Luna and Jabba was apparently too exciting for the internet to handle, and the memes and speculation turned his cute, but admittedly weird, aside into a viral sensation. According to Luna, those words have been haunting him ever since.

For what it's worth, Diego Luna's fascination with touching the skin of Jabba the Hutt sounds exactly like something a kid would think about watching "Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi" for the first time. Jabba is one of the greatest puppets ever made — no wonder Luna would want to rub his belly! 

Luna likely wishes he never said anything about touching Jabba because he's been asked about it constantly over the years. When the actor was on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" in March 2020 promoting Netflix's "Narcos: Mexico," Fallon tried to get any information out of him about the then-upcoming "Rogue One" prequel series, "Andor." Luna expertly avoided that question, only to have Fallon play a clip of him gushing over Jabba during the "Rogue One" press tour. "It suddenly started to feel like I was in love with Jabba. It's not, I'm sorry!" Luna said to Fallon. "I am not in love with Jabba. That was one big mistake I made." Luna also shared that everyone started sending him countless Jabba gifts — further evidence that he can't escape his innocent, off-the-cuff comment about Jabba's squishiness. 

Baby Yoda a.k.a. Grogu was on everyone's minds when Luna appeared on Fallon, and Luna fell even deeper into the sarlacc pit when the late-night host asked him if Jabba would cameo in "Andor."  "I hope baby Jabba," Luna quipped. "It's all about babies." The internet was already way ahead of him, and Baby Jabba the Hutt was born.

After Princess Leia strangled Jabba on his own sail barge in "Return of the Jedi," fans eventually saw Jabba's Palace again in the teaser for "The Book of Boba Fett" after the season 2 finale of "The Mandalorian." The events of "Andor" occur roughly 14 years before the events of "The Mandalorian" and "The Book of Boba Fett," so Jabba would look roughly the same as he did in "Return of the Jedi." If a cameo occurs in season 2 of "Andor," Diego Luna could have the chance to make contact with a massive Jabba puppet that resembles the creature from his childhood. "Andor," however, is a much more grounded "Star Wars" show focusing on the forgotten heroes that sparked the Rebellion, so one could argue that Jabba wouldn't fit in well in the story that they're trying to tell. 

It would make more sense to have Cassian Andor and Jabba appear in animated form in something like "Star Wars: Visions" or in a one-off comic book issue, just to appease fans and finally bring Luna's long national nightmare to a close. Officially, StarWars.com even got in on the fun in 2019, asking Luna if any progress had been made. "I mean, I didn't put it in the contract again because I'm an idiot," Luna remarked. "But I really hope so. I'm just here to do that. I'll do everything else to just touch Jabba."

More recently, /Film's Ethan Anderton also followed up with Luna toward the end of the first season of "Andor" for any updates on the matter. "I don't think it's happening," Luna admitted. "I don't think it's happening, but I got over it. I've done so much fun stuff so far that I don't need that anymore." Do we?