In the Star Wars universe, the Hutts are usually known for crime, greed, and power—not lightsabers and selflessness. From Jabba the Hutt to the wider Hutt Cartel, their entire species is often seen as the exact opposite of what it means to be a Jedi.
So when I came across the story of Beldorion the Splendid, the only known Hutt to ever become a Jedi Knight, I was stunned. And once I looked deeper into his life, it made even more sense why he was considered so powerful—and dangerous.
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A Hutt Trained by the Jedi
Beldorion was born on Nal Hutta over 400 years before the events of A New Hope. Somehow, the Jedi Order found him while he was still young, way before he could be influenced by the Hutt crime families. And that probably saved him from becoming another gangster. He was taken to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, trained like every other Initiate, and went through the same challenges the others did.
From what I’ve read, he actually did well. Better than most, even. He had a strong connection to the Force, and by the time he passed his Trials and became a Jedi Knight, there was no sign that he leaned toward the dark side. For a long time, he was just a Jedi doing missions for the Council.
When It All Changed
Things started to fall apart when he was sent to a planet called Nam Chorios with another Jedi Knight. They were supposed to resolve a conflict between two colonies. But Beldorion realized something fast—the people there were easy to manipulate, and his Force powers gave him a huge edge. That’s when it got to his head.
He decided not to help them. Instead, he gave in to the dark side, turned on his Jedi partner, and took over the planet. He made himself ruler and stayed in power for centuries. He called himself Beldorion the Splendid, Beldorion of the Ruby Eyes, all kinds of grand titles. And yeah, he ruled with fear.
In Planet of Twilight, it’s revealed that he even teamed up with a Droch named Dzym, who helped him stay young and powerful by feeding on the Force energy of others. So it wasn’t just brute strength—he had help keeping himself powerful for a long time.
He Was Completely Off the Grid
Because he went off the Jedi radar so early, he wasn’t caught during Order 66 or the Jedi Purge. He just slipped through the cracks and kept doing his thing. No Vader, no Empire coming after him. And by the time Luke and Leia were rebuilding the Jedi Order, he’d been king of Nam Chorios for centuries.
Eventually, Jedi like Callista Ming showed up, trying to investigate. She failed and got captured. Then Leia and Luke came, and Beldorion captured them too. He basically gave them a whole villain speech, bragging about how he trained under Jedi Masters like Yoda, and how he was older and more powerful than both of them combined. And yeah, Leia said he was strong, but he’d also become slow and massive—about three times Jabba’s size.
That ended up being his downfall.
Leia got her lightsaber back and fought him. Even though she admitted he was stronger and more skilled, she was faster. That speed gave her the edge she needed to cut him down and end his rule.
Why He Was So Strong
What made Beldorion stand out wasn’t just being a Jedi Hutt—it was how strong he really was, especially during his prime. Unlike most Hutts, he used the Force to keep himself in shape. He had muscle, speed, and lightsaber skills that matched the best. He fought using Form VII—Juyo—the same one Darth Maul used. That style is wild, aggressive, and really hard to master. But he did it.
He could also summon Force storms, which is one of the rarest Force abilities out there. Even Sidious struggled with that one. And on top of that, he could use telekinesis, persuasion, and even cause physical pain with the Force when he got angry.
By the time Leia fought him, he had lost a lot of that edge. But in his prime, he might’ve been one of the strongest dark Force users out there. It’s kind of wild how overlooked his story is.