- "Ak-rev here is my brother. He found me when I was just a street rat playing on empty cans. He made me the person I am today. I owe him my life, droid."
"And I owe Umpass mine, several times over." - ―Umpass-stay and Ak-rev
Umpass-stay was a male Klatooinian who worked as a drummer and bodyguard for the Max Rebo Band at the palace of the crime lord Jabba the Hutt on the planet Tatooine. Four years after the Battle of Yavin, he and the rest of the band performed the song Jedi Rocks for Jabba, who demanded they repeat the song but then dropped the enslaved Oola into his rancor pit when she refused his advances during the performance. The band stopped playing as the rancor devored the slave, and then witnessed the arrival of Princess Leia Organa disguised as the bounty hunter Boushh with the Wookiee Chewbacca as a prisoner.
Biography[]
- "So anything—anything—that the chief has to say to me, it can be said in front of Ak-rev. Clear?"
"Right-oh! It's your funeral. Anyway, the message is simple…kill Jabba!" - ―Umpass-stay and a DRK-1 probe droid
Umpass-stay was a Klatooinian mercenary[2] from the planet Klatooine[1] who was enslaved by the Desilijic Kajidic and essentially forced to work[5] as both bodyguard and drummer for the Max Rebo Band,[6] the house band of the Hutt crime lord Jabba Desilijic Tiure,[5] with the Klatooinian also serving as a bodyguard for Jabba himself.[7] In 4 ABY,[8] he and the Weequay drummer Ak-rev performed a duet together on an enormous drum[4] that required two drummers[7] during a performance by the band in the throne room of Jabba's Palace on the planet Tatooine.[9]
The band initially played a relatively slow piece as Oola and Yarna d'al' Gargan, a pair of enslaved dancers, performed in front of Jabba. When the song finished, Jabba demanded that Oola repeat her performance, but thinking that the Hutt had been speaking to the band, the singer Joh Yowza counted them down into another song.[10] The Growdi Harmonique player[4] Rappertunie began playing the wrong song, but after Yowza shouted at him, the whole band began playing[10] "Jedi Rocks."[11] Ak-rev and Umpass-stay's drumming was then brought to a stop[4] when Jabba dropped Oola through a trapdoor after she refused his advances. Musical performance forgotten, Jabba's court rushed forward to instead watch as Oola[9] was devoured alive[4] by the Hutt's pet rancor, Pateesa, in a pit below.[9]
After the excitement surronding Oola's demise died down, Princess Leia Organa[9]—disguised as the bounty hunter Boushh[4]—entered the throne room with the Wookiee Chewbacca as her prisoner. After she bargained with Jabba over the bounty on the Wookiee's head, the band began playing again as Chewbacca was taken away to the Hutt's prisons. The drum that Umpass-stay and Ak-rev were playing had been removed from the throne room later that night when Organa freed the smuggler Han Solo from the carbonite he had been frozen in on one of the room's walls. The next day, Jabba and much of his court traveled to the Great Pit of Carkoon to execute Solo, Chewbacca, and the Jedi Luke Skywalker there; however, the prisoners fought back and Jabba was killed.[9] After Jabba's death, Umpass-stay and Ak-rev both fled from the palace.[5]
Personality and traits[]
- "Thst turnaround in Ballad of Bosovir keeps eating you alive, Ak-rev!"
"Only 'cus you keep dragging the bridge."
"Wrong! The bridge is meant to drag—it's bum bam badim bap! Ask Max!" - ―Umpass-stay and Ak-rev
Umpass-stay was one of the more unusual Klatooinians in Jabba's Palace.[6] A beefy individual,[12] he had brown skin and dark eyes.[5]
Equipment[]
Umpass-stay wore brown and gray chest armor with red cloth straps over a black shirt with white sleeves. The drummer also wore brown pants, brown boots, a tan belt, and a tan head wrap. He used a single large drumstick while playing the drum.[7]
Behind the scenes[]
Umpass-stay first appeared in the Special Edition re-release of Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi in 1997. He was first named in the Star Wars Legends Special Edition Limited set of Decipher, Inc.'s Star Wars Customizable Card Game which was released in 1998.
Appearances[]
- Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi (First appearance) (Introduced in Special Edition)
- "Fancy Man" — From a Certain Point of View: Return of the Jedi (and audiobook)
- Return of the Jedi – Max Rebo 1 (In flashback(s))
Sources[]
- Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know (First identified as Umpass-stay)
- 2015 Topps Star Wars Force Attax The Force Awakens (Card: Umpass-stay) (backup link)
- Star Wars Helmet Collection 19 (Weapons & Uniforms: Jabba's Skiff Guards)
- Star Wars: Complete Locations
- Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia
- Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know, Updated and Expanded
- Star Wars: Geektionary: The Galaxy from A - Z
- "Lando Calrissian and Other Characters From the Galaxy" — Star Wars Encyclopedia
- SWCE 2023: Marvel Reveals Star Wars: Dark Droids Horror Event and More on StarWars.com (backup link) (Picture only)
- "Launchpad" — Star Wars Insider 220
- "Hit it, Max!" — Star Wars Insider 224
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Star Wars: Geektionary: The Galaxy from A - Z (French version only)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2015 Topps Star Wars Force Attax The Force Awakens (Card: Umpass-stay) (backup link)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Return of the Jedi – Max Rebo 1
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Star Wars: Geektionary: The Galaxy from A - Z
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 "Lando Calrissian and Other Characters From the Galaxy" — Star Wars Encyclopedia
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Star Wars Helmet Collection 19 (Weapons & Uniforms: Jabba's Skiff Guards)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know, Updated and Expanded
- ↑ Star Wars: Timelines dates the events of Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi to 4 ABY.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Star Wars: Return of the Jedi junior novelization
- ↑ Music in the Star Wars Galaxy: The Modal Nodes vs. The Max Rebo Band on StarWars.com (article) (backup link)
- ↑ "Fancy Man" — From a Certain Point of View: Return of the Jedi