Star Wars: Oola Has A Tragic Past Only Hard-Core Fans Know
In "Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi," fans are brought into the grimy and unkempt palace of the crime lord Jabba the Hutt (Larry Ward). Within its walls, the vile gangster makes shady deals, tortures those on his bad side, and spends time enjoying various forms of entertainment in the palace's throne room. Music tends to echo around the chamber, with various alien dancers forced to appease Jabba with their moves. One of the most well-known, primarily because she's sacrificed to the rancor for rejecting Jabba's advances, is the Twi'lek Oola (Femi Taylor).
Sadly, Oola doesn't live the happiest life before meeting her demise. Born on the planet Ryloth, she trains as a dancer but runs into various misfortunes. Jabba's majordomo, Bib Fortuna (Michael Carter), then kidnaps her with the intention of presenting her to Jabba, having other Twi'lek dancers train her so that she'll be a suitable "gift" for the criminal Hutt. All the while, he feeds her lies about her future life at the palace to keep her under his control. What's even more tragic is that Oola is once presented with an opportunity to escape Fortuna's and Jabba's grasp, but she chooses not to take it.
Oola has the chance to escape Jabba's clutches but chooses not to take it
After departing Ryloth, Bib Fortuna takes Oola to Tatooine. Before he hands her over to Jabba, though, she visits the streets of Mos Eisley, where a stranger offers her the chance to escape Fortuna's clutches and a life in servitude. Ultimately, she turns them down, having fully bought into what Fortuna has told her life as a palace dancer would bring her. With that, her fate is well and truly sealed.
Thus, it's apparent that Oola's naivete is the true catalyst for her undoing. She seems to completely believe Fortuna's words are truthful, having convinced herself that her kidnapping and transportation to Jabba's palace are in her best interest. Try as she might to bet on herself and keep her hopes up regarding her new life, at the end of the day, Jabba is as cruel as he is controlling, hence why he feeds her to the rancor as soon as he loses his patience with her.
There are some truly sad stories in the "Star Wars" universe, and Oola's is among the most tragic from beginning to end.