I think a lot about the Rancor from Return of the Jedi
It was a blessing for a monster-obsessed kid
As a kid, I was obsessed with monsters in movies: Universal monsters like Frankenstein’s creation and the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Stop motion monsters like King Kong and the myriad of creatures in Ray Harryhausen movies. Monsters that were men in rubber suits like Godzilla and Rodan. And everything in between, whether it be the invaders from War of the Worlds or the Blob from, well, The Blob.
If there was a monster in the movie, I would latch onto it without hesitation, moving petty things like “film quality” and “appropriate expectations” out of sight until the credits rolled. Who cares about how good a movie actually is when there’s a giant octopus or hideous beast-man roaming around?
As such, when I first saw Return of the Jedi, the third sixth Star Wars film, and we got to the part where the Rancor was revealed under the dusty floors of Jabba’s palace, I flipped. Not only was there now a giant monster to enjoy but my BOY Luke Skywalker was going to fight it. The suspenseful build-up only made it better, as Jabba petulantly fed his dancers to an unseen, roaring beast. The fact that when the Rancor finally did appear, it munched on one of the pig-faced guards as its grand welcome to the world was an added bonus. Monsters are always better when they’re allowed to get a little rowdy.
Of course, everyone who reads this has seen Return of the Jedi and so everyone knows what happens. Luke ends up smashing the poor brute’s head under a giant gate, killing it and leaving the Rancor’s trainer in tears. This, too, I latched onto as a child. Because as much as I was a fan of giant rampaging things, I was addicted to their sense of pathos, too. Those aforementioned Universal horror films instilled that into me - the Frankenstein monster’s cries of pain as the windmill is burned by a vengeful community that he’ll never understand. I can’t get those out of my head.
So I saw the Rancor training weeping and I felt like weeping with him. He had loved that thing and I had loved monsters and so, even if he worked for someone like Jabba, he was at least a bit of a kindred spirit. I get you, dude.