Though the dazzling action, return of Babu, and, of course, Grogu getting into mischief were the key hallmarks of the first trailer for The Mandalorian & Grogu, there was another major element teased. As production was still underway on the upcoming Star Wars movie, rumors swirled about who the big bad would be. Fans no doubt assumed that Giancarlo Esposito’s Moff Gideon would play a major role (and he still could), but one character name popped up that took everyone by surprise. Now, with the trailer for the 2026 movie finally here, it seems clear that those rumors were right on the money, and that Star Wars villain is on his way to the big screen.
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Rotta the Hutt may sound like a fake name spit out by generative AI, but he is very real and he’s finally about to appear in a Star Wars feature film. Based on Rotta’s brief appearance in the trailer we only can form a guess about what role he will serve in the movie. That said, what we can perhaps figure out is how Rotta’s Star Wars history may inform his place in the larger story. Dive in for everything you need to know.
When Rotta The Hutt Has Appeared In Star Wars Before
Though he has few actual appearances in the series, Rotta the Hutt does have some notable ones. His first appearance is actually in one of the only Star Wars movies to fail at the box office, 2008’s animated film Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Rotta not only appears in this movie but is a central part of its plot as he is kidnapped by the Separatists in an attempt to frame the Jedi Order and hurt the Galactic Republic. One thing that the Separatists weren’t counting on however was the arrival of another new character, one Ahsoka Tano.
How Powerful Is Rotta Compared To Jabba The Hutt
Though his father Jabba, and basically every other Hutt, are just amorphous slug creatures, the brief appearance of Rotta in the trailer for The Mandalorian & Grogu fully reveals that he does not skip arm day at the gym and has the most buff physique of any Hutt in Star Wars lore. It’s tough to say really how much political power Rotta has in comparison to his father, but in terms of sheer strength it seems like he definitely exceeds his father’s physical prowess. There’s also a clear explanation for WHY Rotta has taken on this kind of appearance as an adult, and it has to do with his first appearance in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
A key element of Rotta’s first appearance is the fact that while being rescued by Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano he actually falls ill. As a result, a race against the clock to get him home forms in order to keep him alive and maintain peace in the galaxy. It’s not a stretch in the slightest to see how this incident, being a weak little Hutt who gets sick and nearly dies as a youngling could inspire him to spend the rest of his adult life getting swole and making sure he’s never weak again.
It’s also worth noting that The Mandalorian & Grogu does take place in the post-Return of the Jedi era, at least a few years after. As you no doubt recall, Jabba the Hutt was killed in that film and as a result a power vacuum was created not only on Tatooine but across the underworld of the galaxy. The Book of Boba Fett TV series painted a picture of this somewhat, which we can use as a bit of a springboard to theorize that Rotta and his power and definitely not centralized on his home planet but somewhere else entirely.
Who Voices Rotta The Hutt In The Mandalorian & Grogu
It was previously reported that none other than Primetime Emmy-winner Jeremy Allen White would take on the role of Rotta. Based on Rotta’s brief appearance in the trailer that’s not entirely confirmed, nor disproven. The only confirmed cast members for The Mandalorian & Grogu by Disney are Pedro Pascal and the only human face actually seen in the trailer, Sigourney Weaver.
White’s involvement makes sense though since he’s already very firmly in the Disney family. Having now starred in four seasons of The Bear on the Disney-owned Hulu and starring in the upcoming Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, produced by the Disney-owned 20th Century Studios, it’s not a stretch to see this being true.
Is Rotta The Hutt A Gladiator? What We Know About His Mandalorian & Grogu Story
Rotta’s very brief appearance in The Mandalorian & Grogu trailer alludes to what he spends at least some of his time doing, running a gladiator arena. Though his buff physique no doubt makes it seems like he is a participant in these activities, we’re going to venture a guess that he just runs the games, pitting various alien beasts from across the galaxy against opponents for his own (and the audience’s) amusement.
Din Djarin is briefly seen both sitting in attendance of the games and also fighting a creature in the arena itself. It’s unclear how this fracas will play out on the big screen, or how he goes from audience member to fighter, but it’s clear that when The Mandalorian is involved, this is the way.
The Mandalorian & Grogu premieres in theaters on May 22, 2026.
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