Max Rebo Band
Encyclopedia
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
band that appeared in the 1983 film Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand and written by George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan. It is the third film released in the Star Wars saga, and the sixth in terms of the series' internal chronology...
as in-house performers for crime lord Jabba the Hutt
Jabba the Hutt
Jabba the Hutt is a fictional character in George Lucas's space opera film saga Star Wars. Designed as a large, slug-like alien, his appearance has been described by film critic Roger Ebert as "Dickensian," a cross between a toad and the Cheshire Cat....
. The original lineup consisted of the blue-skinned Ortolan keyboardist Max Rebo, a plump Kitonak woodwind player named Droopy McCool, and the spindly-legged Pa'lowick lead singer Sy Snootles. Their role in the Star Wars canon
Star Wars Galaxy
Star Wars Galaxy may mean:* Star Wars Galaxies, a Star Wars themed MMORPG platform for Microsoft Windows* Star Wars galaxy, the fictional galaxy where the setting of the Star Wars saga occurs...
is elaborated upon in several Expanded Universe
Star Wars Expanded Universe
The Star Wars Expanded Universe encompasses all of the officially licensed, fictional background of the Star Wars universe, outside of the six feature films produced by George Lucas. The expanded universe includes books, comic books, video games, spin-off films like Star Wars: The Clone Wars,...
short stories and comics.
The group are classified as jizz-wailers, which, according to the Star Wars Encyclopedia
Star Wars Encyclopedia
Star Wars Encyclopedia is a 1998 reference book written by Stephen J. Sansweet, the director of content management at Lucasfilm and science fiction author. The book defines, explains, and illustrates the characters, creatures, settings, objects, events, and concepts that appear in the science...
, refers to a "musician who plays a fast, contemporary, and upbeat style of music."
Max and Droopy were portrayed by actors in bodysuits, while Sy was operated by two puppeteers who were stationed above and beneath the set. For the 1997 Special Edition re-release of Return of the Jedi, the band gained nine new members while Sy Snootles was computer-generated.
Appearances
Film
The Max Rebo Band made their Star Wars canon debut in Return of the Jedi during the scenes set in Jabba's palace on TatooineTatooine
Tatooine is a fictional planet and setting for many key scenes in the Star Wars saga, appearing in every Star Wars film except The Empire Strikes Back, although it is mentioned at the end of the movie...
. In the original version, the trio performs a Huttese-language
Hutt (Star Wars)
The Hutts are a fictional alien race in the Star Wars universe. They appear in The Phantom Menace, Return of the Jedi and The Clone Wars, as well as the special edition release of A New Hope. They also appear in various Star Wars games, including those based on the movies, and the Knights of the...
pop song titled "Lapti Nek" ("Work It Out"); the lyrics are about dancing. The track was replaced in the Special Edition with "Jedi Rocks," described by the Star Wars Databank
Star Wars Databank
The Star Wars Databank is the official Star Wars site's reference on characters, locations and technology. Entries are checked when they are posted but may not be kept up to date...
as a "less-dated piece of music." Written by jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musician Jerry Hey
Jerry Hey
Jerry Hey is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, horn arranger, string arranger, orchestrator and session musician who has played on hundreds of commercial recordings, including Thriller and the distinctive flugelhorn solo on Dan Fogelberg's hit Longer....
, the original track is only one minute long but was padded with an instrumental that was also heard in the film, which stretched the total length to two minutes and 49 seconds.
In both versions, the song was performed shortly after C-3PO
C-3PO
C-3PO is a robot character from the Star Wars universe who appears in both the original Star Wars films and the prequel trilogy. He is also a major character in the television show Droids, and appears frequently in the series' "Expanded Universe" of novels, comic books, and video games...
and R2-D2
R2-D2
R2-D2 , is a character in the Star Wars universe. An astromech droid, R2-D2 is a major character throughout all six Star Wars films. Along with his droid companion C-3PO, he joins or supports Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Obi-Wan Kenobi in various points in the saga...
were enslaved to Jabba. The group thereafter played festive instrumental tunes, during which Max was the only band member who appeared onscreen. The fate of the trio was unclear following the explosion of Jabba's sail barge after the unsuccessful execution attempt of Luke Skywalker
Luke Skywalker
Luke Skywalker is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the original film trilogy of the Star Wars franchise, where he is portrayed by Mark Hamill. He is introduced in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, in which he is forced to leave home, and finds himself apprenticed to the Jedi master...
, Han Solo
Han Solo
Han Solo is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise played by Harrison Ford. Introduced in the film Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope , Solo and his Wookiee co-pilot, Chewbacca , become involved in the Rebel Alliance against the Galactic Empire...
, and Chewbacca
Chewbacca
Chewbacca, also known as Chewie, is a character in the Star Wars franchise, portrayed by Peter Mayhew. In the series' narrative chronology, he appears in Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Episode IV: A New Hope, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi...
.
Literature
The original members of the Max Rebo Band make several appearances in Star Wars Expanded Universe literature. Max, Droopy, and Sy are featured in John Gregory BetancourtJohn Gregory Betancourt
John Gregory Betancourt is a writer of science fiction, fantasy and mystery novels as well as short stories. He has worked as an assistant editor at Amazing Stories and editor of Horror: The Newsmagazine of the Horror Field, the revived Weird Tales magazine, the first issue of H. P...
's short story And the Band Played On: The Band's Tale, from the 1995 anthology Tales from Jabba's Palace
Tales From Jabba's Palace
Tales from Jabba's Palace is an anthology of short stories set in the fictional Star Wars universe. The book was edited by Kevin J. Anderson and was released on December 1, 1995.- Contents :* Introduction...
. According to the story, the band begins as a quartet called "Evar Orbus and His Galactic Jizz-wailers." They arrive on Tatooine in 3 ABY (one year before the events of Return of the Jedi) for a gig at the Mos Eisley Cantina
Mos Eisley Cantina
The Chalmun's Cantina is a fictional bar of the Star Wars universe located in the "pirate city" of Mos Eisley on the planet Tatooine...
, but regular in-house band, The Modal Nodes
Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes
Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes is a fictional band from George Lucas's science fiction saga Star Wars. The group first appeared in the film Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope and were depicted as bald aliens with dome-shaped heads and round, black eyes, a race called Biths. They are seen in the...
, objects to the presence of a second group, and Orbus is killed by Nodes leader Figrin D'an following a scuffle aboard an airbus.
Droopy and Sy elect Max as their new bandleader, and the trio secures an audition with Jabba the Hutt, who is pleased with their performance of "Lapti Nek." He offers the band a lifetime contract paid in food instead of money, much to Max's delight and Sy's disdain. However, the execution of Han, Luke, and Chewbacca at the Great Pit of Carkoon descends into chaos as Jabba is fatally strangled by Princess Leia, and the band escapes from Jabba's barge sans instruments just before it explodes. Droopy quits the group on the spot after wandering off into the desert to join fellow Kitonaks he hears playing in the distance, and Sy and Max join forces as the Max Rebo Duo. The book's epilogue describes the pair splitting up; Sy flops as a solo act while Max joins up with the Rebellion and uses his musical talents to entertain the troops.
Comics
In the 2000 Dark Horse release A Hot Time in the Cold Town Tonite!, Jabba sends the puzzled trio to the frozen planet HothHoth
In the fictional universe of Star Wars, Hoth is the sixth planet of a remote system of the same name. It is a terrestrial planet blanketed by snow and ice. Many meteorites from a nearby asteroid belt pelt the planet's surface, making temporary craters in the planet's ever-moving snow drifts. Hoth...
to play for a rival crime lord, Bingo Mehndra, who threatens to feed the band to his pet Wampa
Wampa
Wampas are fictional predators of the Star Wars universe.-Characteristics:Wampas are Yeti-like creatures that live on the sixth planet of the Hoth system. Wampa's hands have five fingers, each with one large claw. They also have a horn protruding from either side of their heads that curves and...
if he suspected any kind of trickery. The group soon discovers that Jabba is actually using them as pawns in an assassination attempt against Bingo after they discover explosives hidden inside their speakers. They make their getaway by superimposing holograms of themselves from a past performance onto the stage, which Bingo realizes just as the explosives detonate. Though Jabba had blatantly endangered their lives, the band nonetheless chooses to avoid his wrath by returning to Tatooine.
In Dave Cooper
Dave Cooper
David Charles Cooper is a cartoonist, commercial illustrator and a graphic designer who lives in Ottawa, Canada. In addition to comics, Cooper has worked extensively as a designer, producer, and creator in the field of animation...
's Stop That Jawa! (part of Star Wars Tales 2 published by Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
in 2000), the trio has their instruments "salvaged" by Jawa scavengers outside the Mos Eisley Cantina. They are then pursued by a droid bounty hunter who earlier overheard Sy badmouthing Jabba in the cantina. The bounty hunter is revealed at the conclusion to be a Derfian musician named Tik Tali Talosh, who pressures the Jawas into returning the instruments before proclaiming his adoration of the group and requesting an audition.
Other
The original band has made minor appearances in other Star Wars media. The unfinished 1982 David Tomblin mockumentaryMockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
Return of the Ewok
Return of the Ewok
Return of the Ewok is a 1982 American mockumentary short, written, produced and directed by David Tomblin, first assistant director of Return of the Jedi, starring Warwick Davis as himself in a fictionalized account of how he got the role of Wicket W. Warrick...
showed them in Jabba's palace, and they briefly appeared in an October 1985 episode of the animated series Star Wars: Droids
Star Wars: Droids
Star Wars: Droids, also known as Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO, was an animated television series that featured the exploits of R2-D2 and C-3PO, the droids who have appeared in all six Star Wars films...
titled "The Lost Prince," in which they performed in Doodnik's Café on the mining planet of Tyne's Horky. The trio also featured in the video games Star Wars: Demolition
Star Wars: Demolition
Star Wars: Demolition is a vehicular combat game set in the Star Wars universe. The game was released on both PlayStation and Dreamcast consoles. The game was released on PlayStation on November 12, 2000 and on November 19, 2000 for Dreamcast....
(2000) and Star Wars: Battlefront II
Star Wars: Battlefront II
Star Wars: Battlefront II is a first/third-person shooter video game developed by Pandemic Studios, and published by LucasArts. The game is the sequel to the successful Star Wars: Battlefront and features new vehicles, characters, game mechanics, maps, and missions...
(2005).
In May 2003, nearly six years after the rerelease of Return of the Jedi, Star Wars Insider
Star Wars Insider
Star Wars Insider is the official Star Wars magazine. Its contents include stories, articles relating to the Star Wars universe, letters, and the fan newsletter "Bantha Tracks". It began in 1987 as the official magazine of The Lucasfilm Fan Club...
published brief biographies of the band's new members for an article called "Jabbapalooza: Who's Who in the Max Rebo Band."
Concept and creation
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He is best known as the creator of the space opera franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
stated that the scene featuring the band was intended to be an elaborate production, but the crew "never really had the time" to film it. Lucas commented, "I thought [it] would be funny [to have a musical number] in the middle of a Star Wars film."
The original band members—Max, Sy, and Droopy—were puppets designed by Phil Tippett
Phil Tippett
Phil Tippett is a movie director and an award-winning visual effects supervisor and producer, who specializes in creature design and character animation.-Early career:...
of Industrial Light and Magic
Industrial Light and Magic
Industrial Light & Magic is an Academy Award-winning motion picture visual effects company that was founded in May 1975 by George Lucas and is owned by Lucasfilm. Lucas created the company when he discovered that the special effects department at 20th Century Fox was shut down after he was given...
's Creature Shop. Lucas was not entirely pleased with the scene, claiming the puppets were too static and motionless, but his options were limited. Executive producer Rick McCallum
Rick McCallum
Richard "Rick" McCallum is a German-born American film producer mostly known for his work on the The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles as well as the Star Wars Trilogy: Special Edition and prequel trilogy...
concurred that the requirements of the scene were too complex, even for animatronic
Audio-Animatronics
Audio-Animatronics is the registered trademark for a form of robotics created by Walt Disney Imagineering for shows and attractions at Disney theme parks, and subsequently expanded on and used by other companies. The robots move and make noise, generally in speech or song...
s.
For the 1997 rerelease of Return of the Jedi, Sy Snootles was recreated entirely in CGI
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
and nine new musicians and dancers were added, while Max and Droopy's screen time during the segment was reduced in comparison to the original film. Visual effects supervisor Dave Carson described the process of creating Sy and new character Joh Yowza as similar to sculpting clay models, adding that CGI characters were more like puppets than cartoons and that animators "constantly find limitations: [the] characters don't bend right, or their mass isn't right," problems he claimed that confronted puppeteers.
In addition to the new characters, "Lapti Nek" was replaced with "Jedi Rocks." Lucas insisted that the revised sequence added more atmosphere and quality to the film. However, author and critic Tom Bissell
Tom Bissell
Tom Bissell is a journalist, critic, and fiction writer, originally from Escanaba, Michigan and currently based in Portland, Oregon.-Life:...
described it as the "most unspeakable sequence in all the films, almost too depressing to discuss at any length." He particularly took umbrage with the decision to feature Boba Fett
Boba Fett
Boba Fett is a character in Star Wars. A bounty hunter hired by Darth Vader to find the Millennium Falcon, he is a minor villain in both Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi....
"flirting with the humanoid tarts who make up Jabba's dancing troupe."
Max Rebo
Max Rebo is the stage name of Siiruulian Phantele, a stocky Ortolan keyboardist and eponymous leader of the Max Rebo Band. He plays a Red Ball Jett keyboard, which is similar to a circular reed organReed organ
A reed organ, also called a parlor organ, pump organ, cabinet organ, cottage organ, is an organ that generates its sounds using free metal reeds...
with clavinet
Clavinet
A Clavinet is an electrically amplified keyboard instrument manufactured by the Hohner company. It is essentially an electronically amplified clavichord, analogous to an electric guitar. Its distinctive bright staccato sound has appeared particularly in funk, disco, rock, and reggae songs.Various...
characteristics. Max was a founding member of Evar Orbus and His Galactic Jizz-wailers, but after Orbus's death, he is elected the group's new leader.
Like other Ortolans, Max is a glutton
Gluttony
Gluttony, derived from the Latin gluttire meaning to gulp down or swallow, means over-indulgence and over-consumption of food, drink, intoxicants or wealth items to the point of extravagance or waste...
; he ecstatically accepts a lifetime contract from Jabba that is paid in endless meals instead of money, which angers the rest of the group. With their contract terminated following Jabba's demise, Max and Sy team up as the Max Rebo Duo in the wake of Droopy's departure. After performing for Lady Valarian, the pair splits. Max joins the Rebel Alliance
Rebel Alliance
The Alliance to Restore the Republic is an interstellar faction of the fictional universe of Star Wars....
to entertain the troops, one reason being that "the Rebellion has the best food." After the Galactic Civil War
Galactic Civil War
The Galactic Civil War is a fictional war from the Star Wars galaxy. It serves as the setting for the original trilogy of films A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi, as well as many novels, comics, and video games in the Expanded Universe.The war was fought between the...
, he quits the music business and opens a chain of successful restaurants throughout the galaxy. He retires to a life of wealth and luxury on Coruscant
Coruscant
Coruscant is a planet in the fictional Star Wars universe. It first appeared onscreen in the 1997 Special Edition of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, but was first mentioned in Timothy Zahn's 1991 novel Heir to the Empire...
.
In a nod to his physical appearance, Max's real name, Siiruulian Phantele, is a play on the words "cerulean
Cerulean
Cerulean, also spelled caerulean, may be applied to a range of colors from deep blue, sky-blue, bright blue or azure color through greenish blue colors.The first recorded use of cerulean as a color name in English was in 1590...
elephant." He was portrayed by Simon Williamson in both versions of Return of the Jedi, and the character was a puppet constructed from the waist up by ILM. During filming, Williamson was flanked by two puppeteers who assisted in the movement of Max's arms due to the immense overall weight of the costume.
Sy Snootles
She teams up with Max as the Max Rebo Duo following Jabba's death and Droopy's departure from the band. Following a brief gig for Lady Valarian, Sy dissolves her relationship with Max and begins her solo career, but her subsequent recordings sell poorly and she is relegated to touring Outer Rim dives under different stage names. Also in later life Snootles became a spice addict, whilst trying to reach the fame she craved but never achieved. http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Max_Rebo_Band#Fallout
During production, Sy Snootles' nickname was "Ms. Snooty." In the original version of the film, the character was a marionette
Marionette
A marionette is a puppet controlled from above using wires or strings depending on regional variations. A marionette's puppeteer is called a manipulator. Marionettes are operated with the puppeteer hidden or revealed to an audience by using a vertical or horizontal control bar in different forms...
-like puppet operated by puppeteers Mike Quinn and Tim Rose; Quinn was stationed on scaffolding and controlled her upper body, while Rose moved her legs from beneath the set. The character's oversized ruby lips were suggested by George Lucas, who referred to them as "Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
lips."
Sy was voiced in the original version of Jedi by Lucasfilm sound engineer Annie Arbogast, who also wrote the Huttese-language lyrics to "Lapti Nek." The track was recorded at Lucasfilm's Sprocket Systems (currently Skywalker Sound
Skywalker Sound
Skywalker Sound is the sound effects, sound editing, sound design, sound mixing and music recording division of George Lucas' Lucas Digital motion picture group. Its main facilities are located in Lucas Valley, near Nicasio, California...
), and was even the recipient of a 1983 Apex Award. For close-up shots, Sy's mouth was articulated using a nearly-invisible wire connected to a microphone stand. The puppet was replaced with a computer-generated image for the Special Edition rerelease.
In the Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 TV series)
-Production:At April 2005's Star Wars Celebration III, Lucas stated that "we are working on a 3-D continuation of the pilot series that was on the Cartoon Network; we probably won't start that project for another year." In July 2005, pre-production had begun on the series, according to Steve...
series, she is voiced by Nika Futterman
Nika Futterman
Nika Futterman is an American actress, singer, voice artist, and comedienne.She did the vocals "Give it to me, baby" in The Offspring hit single "Pretty Fly ."-Animated Series:...
.
Droopy McCool
Droopy McCool is the stage name of a slow-minded Kitonak musician and original member of the Max Rebo Band. He plays a chidinkalu horn, an instrument that resembles a clarinetClarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
. Droopy's actual birth name is a series of unpronounceable flute-like whistles, but he was renamed Snit by Orbus, who purchased him as a slave and forced him to join his band due to Snit's musical talents. Following Orbus's death, he is freed and given his familiar stage name by bandmate Sy Snootles. After the band flees Jabba's barge following his death, Droopy quits the group and wanders off alone into the desert to search for other members of his race. He is never seen again, but rumors among Tatooine's moisture farmers claim that the sound of Kitonak pipes have been heard from the far reaches of the desert.
Droopy was played by Deep Roy
Deep Roy
Gurdeep Roy , sometimes credited as Roy Deep, Gordeep Roy, or just Deep Roy, is a Kenyan-born English actor, stuntman and puppeteer of Indian descent.-Early life:...
in a full bodysuit for both versions of Return of the Jedi.
Special Edition members
The following characters were added to the 1997 Special Edition version of the film.Ak-rev
Ak-rev is a leathery-faced Weequay skiff guard and drummer from the planet Sriluur. He had played the sacred drums in a monastery devoted to the Weequay god of thunder before moving to Tatooine to serve as one of Jabba's skiff guards, simply in order to mingle with other members of his race. He becomes a part-time drummer for the Max Rebo Band, and after Jabba's death, Ak-rev and fellow percussionist Umpass-stay attempt to flee to Mos Eisley, but the pair is ambushed by Tusken RaidersTusken Raiders
Tusken Raiders are fictional creatures in the Star Wars universe. They are characterized as a nomadic warrior race that lives on the planet Tatooine.-Appearances in Star Wars media:...
and Ak-rev is beaten to death.
According to the Star Wars Databank, his musical style is derived from the Japanese art of Taiko
Taiko
means "drum" in Japanese . Outside Japan, the word is often used to refer to any of the various Japanese drums and to the relatively recent art-form of ensemble taiko drumming...
. His Special Edition actor was uncredited.
Doda Bodonawieedo
Heckelphone
The heckelphone is a musical instrument invented by Wilhelm Heckel and his sons. Introduced in 1904, it is similar to the oboe but pitched an octave lower.-General characteristics:...
. Orphaned at a young age after his family was killed by bounty hunters, Doda held an affinity for classical Rodian music and crime. His connections with the Tatooine underworld led him to Jabba the Hutt and the Max Rebo Band. Doda remains at Jabba's Palace during the execution at the Sarlacc; when he hears of Jabba's death, he steals several valuable statues from the palace and disappears.
Nelson Hall played Doda in the Special Edition, but was not included in the credits.
Barquin D'an
Barquin D'an is a Bith musician from the planet Clak'dor VII who plays a Kloo horn, a fictitious wind instrument that resembles a bassoonBassoon
The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band and chamber music literature...
. He is the estranged older brother of Figrin D'an, and resents the success of his brother's band, the Modal Nodes. He travels to Tatooine to join the Nodes, who are nowhere to be found after his arrival. Barquin stays to perform with local musicians and eventually joins the Max Rebo Band; unaccustomed to the depravity he witnesses in Jabba's Palace, he flees after Oola's gruesome death. After Jabba's demise, he quits music altogether and starts an import/export business.
Barquin was portrayed by Don Bies in an uncredited role.
Greeata
Greeata Jendowanian is a female Rodian singer and backup vocalist for the Max Rebo Band. She gets her start playing the Kloo horn on a luxury starship called the Kuari Princess, where she befriends Sy Snootles. They become a duo and eventually join up with Max Rebo. After Jabba the Hutt's death and the band's escape into the desert, Greeata and fellow singer Lyn Me come to the band's rescue by driving off a group of Tusken Raiders and stealing their BanthaBantha
Banthas are fictional creatures in the Star Wars universe. They are large elephant-sized mounts, with long furry tails, that are native to the planet of Tatooine....
s, which they ride to Mos Eisley.
Greeata was played by Smuin Ballet
Michael Smuin
Michael Smuin was a ballet dancer, choreographer and theatre director. He was co-founder and director of his own dance company, the Smuin Ballet in San Francisco.-Biography:...
creative director Celia Fushille in a Rodian bodysuit and mask for the Special Edition.
Lyn Me
Lyn Me is a white-skinned female Twi'lek dancer and backup vocalist in the Max Rebo Band. She becomes infatuated with Boba FettBoba Fett
Boba Fett is a character in Star Wars. A bounty hunter hired by Darth Vader to find the Millennium Falcon, he is a minor villain in both Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi....
and follows him to Tatooine
Tatooine
Tatooine is a fictional planet and setting for many key scenes in the Star Wars saga, appearing in every Star Wars film except The Empire Strikes Back, although it is mentioned at the end of the movie...
, where she joins the band at Jabba's palace. She meets her hero but is later enraged at his death during the skirmish at the Sarlacc pit. Lyn and Greeata head out into the desert on a stolen landspeeder
Landspeeder
Landspeeders are fictional antigravity craft used through the Star Wars movies and Star Wars Expanded Universe. They are depicted both in civilian and military capacities, and several versions have been merchandised as toys and models.-Origin and design:...
and rescue Max, Droopy, and Sy from Tusken Raiders before making off with their Banthas. She initially vows to take revenge on Han, Luke and Leia for their part in Fett's death, but then drops her vendetta after learning that he had actually escaped from the Sarlacc.
Lyn Me was portrayed by ballet dancer Dalyn Chew.
Rappertunie
Rappertunie is the stage name of Rapotwanalantonee Tivtotolon, a frog-like, potbellied Shawda Ubb musician who plays a harmonicaHarmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
-like instrument called a growdi, which is described in the Star Wars Databank as a cross between a water organ
Water organ
The water organ or hydraulic organ is a type of pipe organ blown by air, where the power source pushing the air is derived by water from a natural source or by a manual pump...
and a flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
. He comes from the swamp planet of Manpha, and joins the band on Tatooine, but he confines himself to Jabba's palace due to the unpleasant desert environment, even though his small size places him in constant danger of being eaten. Rappertunie leaves Tatooine to continue his career after Jabba's death, but his knowledge of computer technology leads him to employment as an engineer for a manufacturer of MSE-6 droids.
Rappertunie was an 0.3 meter (0.98 foot)-tall puppet digitally composited into new and existing footage of the film, and was nicknamed "Jedi Rapper" by the filmmakers during production.
Rystáll Sant
Rystáll Sant is a colorful female "near-human" singer and dancer from Coruscant. Her mother was human, and her father a Theelin, but Rystáll is orphaned as a small child without ever knowing them and she is taken in by Ortolan musicians. She and her adoptive family are enslaved by a lieutenant in the Black Sun criminal organization, before Lando CalrissianLando Calrissian
Lando Calrissian is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe. He is portrayed by Billy Dee Williams in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi...
wins them from the criminal in a sabacc game and frees them from slavery. After relocating to Tatooine, she joins the Max Rebo Band as a backup vocalist and dancer. Boba Fett is briefly seen flirting with her prior to the arrival of Boushh
Princess Leia Organa
Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe...
.
Rystáll was portrayed by Canadian dancer Mercedes Ngoh in full-body makeup, which took four hours to apply for her lone day of shooting.
Umpass-stay
Umpass-stay is a Klatooinian drummer with a canine-like snout and hooded eyes. He works as a spy and a guard for Jabba while performing as a drummer with the Max Rebo Band, and stays behind at Jabba's palace during the failed execution of Luke, Han and Chewbacca. After he is free following Jabba's death, Umpass-stay elects to become a servant for another Hutt household.Like Ak-rev, Umpass-stay's drumming was inspired by Taiko. His Special Edition actor was uncredited.
Joh Yowza
Joh Yowza is the stage name of J'ywz'gnk Kchhllbrxcstk Et'nrmdndlcvtbrx, a short, furry Endorian creature known as a Yuzzum, as well as a lead singer in the Max Rebo Band. After he unknowingly stows away on a star freighter while searching for food, the captain keeps him aboard for cooking, cleaning, and other menial tasks. In return, Yowza is well-fed and taught Galactic Basic.While watching Evar Orbus and His Galactic Jizz-wailers perform at a cafe, he sings along. Impressed with his voice, Orbus signs Yowza, who performs for food and shelter, while Sy gives him his new stage name. After Orbus's death, Yowza joins the band on Tatooine after a successful audition for Jabba. The group disbands after Jabba's death and Yowza travels to Mos Eisley, where he finds a job on a small passenger liner and performs with its house band in exchange for free food and transportation throughout the Outer Rim.
Joh Yowza appeared as a computer-generated image, but his voice actor was uncredited. The Yuzzums were originally slated to appear as a second race on Endor in the original version of the film, but were axed due to high production costs. Only one Yuzzum puppet was constructed, and included in the background of Jabba's palace.
Evar Orbus
Mos Eisley Cantina
The Chalmun's Cantina is a fictional bar of the Star Wars universe located in the "pirate city" of Mos Eisley on the planet Tatooine...
, which leads to a conflict with incumbent group The Modal Nodes
Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes
Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes is a fictional band from George Lucas's science fiction saga Star Wars. The group first appeared in the film Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope and were depicted as bald aliens with dome-shaped heads and round, black eyes, a race called Biths. They are seen in the...
. After Orbus is killed by Figrin D'an, the band is then renamed after new leader Max Rebo.
Tik Tali Talosh
Brennan Tik Tali Talosh is a Derfian from the planet Derf and president of the Max Rebo Band Fan Club. The character first appeared at the end of Stop that Jawa! from Star Wars Tales 2. He realizes his dream of playing with the group when he is invited to perform with them at Jabba's palace shortly before the Battle of Endor. After they split up, Talosh writes a tell-all book entitled Blue Man's Group (a pun on the performance trio Blue Man GroupBlue Man Group
Blue Man Group is an organization founded by Chris Wink, Matt Goldman and Phil Stanton. The organization produces theatrical shows and concerts featuring popular music, comedy and multimedia; recorded music and scores for film and television; television appearances for shows such as The Tonight...
) without the band's permission, causing them to sever ties with him. He nonetheless treasures his brief stint with the band.