Bib Fortuna is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. The Twi’lek majordomo and chief aide of the crime lord Jabba the Hutt, Bib is Jabba’s closest associate. Fortuna first appeared in Return of the Jedi (1983), the final entry in the original Star Wars trilogy. He also appeared briefly in the prequel trilogy film The Phantom Menace (1999) and in the second season of television series The Mandalorian (2020), and has been featured in other Star Wars media, including novels, comic books, video games, and radio dramas.
Fortuna was created by Return of the Jedi co-writers Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas, and was designed by Phil Tippett based upon early sketches by concept artists Nilo Rodis-Jamero and Ralph McQuarrie. The character was portrayed by Michael Carter in Return of the Jedi, who was cast based upon his stage acting experience; the actor did not know it was a Star Wars film until after he accepted the role. Erik Bauersfeld provided the voice of Fortuna in Return of the Jedi, and sound editor Matthew Wood portrayed the character in The Phantom Menace and The Mandalorian.
Although few details about him were revealed in his film appearances, other Star Wars works have established Fortuna’s back story, including his past as a slave trader who was sentenced to death on his home planet of Ryloth. Although he outwardly appears loyal and obedient to Jabba, Fortuna secretly despises his master and actively plots to assassinate him and take over his criminal operation. Fortuna survives the events of Return of the Jedi in the Star Wars Legends canon, which encompasses all licensed Star Wars stories outside of the films prior to The Walt Disney Company acquiring the franchise in 2012. However, the new set of official canon created after that acquisition establishes that Fortuna was not killed during the climactic battle featured in Return of the Jedi, but assumed Jabba’s place as crime lord until being killed by Boba Fett five years later.
It took about eight-and-a-half hours to apply the character’s makeup for the first time in Return of the Jedi, which included extensive casts and molds, a large rubber headpiece, day glow orange contact lenses, sharpened false teeth, and claw-like finger extensions. Fortuna has been described as a fan-favorite and one of the most memorable characters from Star Wars, and has been included on several lists of the best characters in the franchise. Several toys and merchandise works have been created for the character, and an original action figure prototype sold for £36,000 in a 2019 auction.