Jabba’s luxury sail barge was built by Ubrikkian. It was an immense and impressive repulsorlift vehicle, used mainly for pleasure cruises across the deserts of Tatooine. The barges are able to go across almost any flat terrain, and are ideal for travel companies to use as recreational vehicles.
Jabba’s own sail barge reflected the worm’s lack of modesty. The barge was fitted out with the most expensive systems and furnishings. It was truly a pleasure craft, but whenever it was anchored outside of Mos Eisley’s city limits, the locals knew there was trouble.
The sail barge had adequate weapons to fend off enemy craft. On the main deck there was a heavy blaster for use against large vehicles. On the deck railings were several anti-personnel blasters, which were very useful for picking out small targets. But these weapons were rarely used, since Jabba had installed an advanced sensor system. This meant that he could detect enemy ships long before they would come across him, which in turn meant that he could be well away before any Imperials came along to search his ship for illegal cargo.
Below the main deck was the passenger deck. This contained retractable viewports which would allow Jabba and his guests great views of the terrain outside. It was from this deck that the Hutt and his entourage could watch as hapless victims were fed to the Sarlacc. Predictably, though, the largest room on the barge was the banquet room. This was where the slug held his parties, which usually consisted of much drinking, and the odd misplaced blaster fire. The pantry was also located on the same level, along with Jabba’s private suite. Naturally there was an extensive kitchen, one which had to cope with a being that could feed up to nine times a day.
Below this was the engine room. The manoeuvring systems were also located here. The engine consisted of a trichambered repulsorlift thrust package, which allowed the barge to achieve top speeds of up to one hundred kilometres an hour. It floated as high as ten metres off the ground. Sometimes the engines were shut down and the barge was put in ‘hover’ mode. This meant that the huge sails were used to pull the sail barge along. In this mode, that barge could achieve top speeds of up to thirty kilometres an hour. These sails and the steering vanes were controlled from the control room, Jabba’s private suite, or the banquet room. The control room was placed at the front of the barge, although many of the controls found there were accessible in Jabba’s private lounge.
Jabba found the barge good for sailing to his Mos Eisley town house to conduct business, as it sometimes intimidated his rivals. It was also used by his men to raid Sand People and other beings who had incensed the Hutt.
In the end the barge, along with Jabba, was destroyed by Leia when she was being rescued by Luke. During the battle, she aimed the heavy cannon at the barge’s deck, and fired it. The hit caused a chain reaction, which resulted in the barge being enveloped in a huge explosion. Since then Jawas have stripped the barge of any components that survived, and so it still lives on, albeit in about a hundred different forms.
