The Book Of Boba Fett 101: The Missing Pages Of Boba’s Survival

As a casual Star Wars fan from a young age, I’ve always had the impression that Boba Fett was the bounty hunter that wasn’t necessarily evil but definitely wasn’t on the side of Han Solo, Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker, or the Rebellion. After all, he was the one that was hired by Darth Vader to capture Han. So at best, he was an anti-villain. But Boba was also remembered for his assumed fate in Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi where he was knocked into the Sarlacc Pitt where he supposedly died. So when Boba Fett was revealed to have survived this fate in The Mandalorian, everyone was surprised and excited about this (but somehow, Oswald Patton’s character in Parks and Recreation predicted his survival back in 2013). We see in this series that Boba Fett was the mysterious stranger lurking in Season 1, then brought Fennec Shand back to life, retrieved his armor, and even helped The Mandalorian with his mission in Season 2, with the season finale teasing the new series about Boba Fett.

The first episode of the spin-off series, “Chapter 1: Stranger In A Strange Land”, gives us a glimpse about what the series will focus on and what this mysterious “book” is that shares the title of the series. It opens with a flashback scene that reveals how the protagonist survived the monstrous pit that happened in the events of Return of the Jedi, then flash-forwards years later to the present time that takes place in The Mandalorian, where Boba Fett is being treated for his wounds and bodily damage in a water-submersion tank and some sort of oxygen mask. Boba Fett is awakened by Fennec, telling him it’s time for him to hold court, where he responds by saying that the “dreams” have returned. The rest of the episode takes on this sort of pattern that you’ve seen in other shows such as Lost and Arrow where we cut back and forth between the events that conspired after his survival of the Sarlacc Pitt where he is ultimately captured by the Tusken, and his present-day situation where he starts to take over the criminal empire on Tatooine left vacant by the deaths of former crime lords, Jabba the Hutt and Bib Fortuna (whom Boba Fett killed). By the end of the episode, we see that Boba Fett was able to gain respect from his Tusken captors in his flashbacks while revealing that he is being targeted by an unknown group in the present day. So it appears that the “book” in the title will be telling the life story and adventures of Boba Fett that has not been told (unless the creators reveal an actual, physical book later in the series that has more significance).

Overall, I’m really impressed with what Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni have been able to do with this character and the show. This is a character that I’ve never really had much interest in, and from what I can tell, most casual Star Wars fans have similar feelings, and only die-hard fans are invested in his story prior to this series. Yet somehow this show has been very compelling, pulling me in to learn more about what happened to Boba Fett, and where his future lies ahead, especially for a character that is ambiguous in his intentions, nature, and philosophical stance (if he has any other than to get rich or die trying). This show is not another western feel like The Mandalorian, which is smart because the franchise does not need another show like that. As I’ve mentioned before in my review of Star Wars: Visions, what will make Star Wars very successful moving ahead is to explore new stories that exist in the universe outside of the Skywalker saga, and this series seems to be on the right track to make another hit series from the creative team of Favreau and Filoni. 

One last thing – the show may have teased a possible character that may join the show in the future. While Boba Fett was holding court, they encountered someone that spoke a language that he and Fennac were not familiar with. Sighing with frustration, Boba muttered to Fennec, “We need a protocol droid.” This hints at the possibility that the most famous protocol droid of the Star Wars universe, C-3PO, may join the series at some point in the near future.