Rejoice Star Wars theorists everywhere! The premiere of Disney’s “The Mandalorian” Season 2 seems to be finally putting that age-old question to bed. One that’s been raging long before Disney took over the franchise. Did the legendary bounty hunter Boba Fett survive his fall into the Sarlacc Pit in “Return of the Jedi”? Based on the evidence at the end of the series’ latest episode “Chapter 9: The Marshal”, the answer seems to be yes.
Boba has long been a fan-favourite among the old guard of Star Wars. Next to perhaps Darth Vader, General Grievous or Darth Maul, Boba is considered to be one of the greatest warriors in the galaxy. If you’re a newcomer to the franchise or simply hopped on the Disney bandwagon, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered.
We’re doing a deep down in everything you need to know about the Beskar-armored mercenary. From his clone origins to his bounty hunter days to his possible role to play in the coming events of the series.
Boba’s Backstory
Before we can talk about Boba Fett, we must first talk about his father, Jango Fett. Before the rise of the Empire, Jango was considered to be the greatest bounty hunter in the entire galaxy. A peerless warrior who hailed from the Mandalorian planet of Concord Dawn. So renowned was his skills that the Galactic Republic and Jedi used clone soldiers from his genes in their war against the Sith and Separatist.
In spite of the fact that his armour reflects the Mandalorian aesthetic and origins from a Mandalorian world, he is not part of the culture. In an episode of the second season of the animated series “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”, the Prime Minister of Mandalore refused to acknowledge Jango as one of their own. Which is kind of annoying, seeing that Jango Fett was initially a Mandalorian leader in Star Wars Legends. Then, Disney and George Lucas randomly decided that the Fetts were pretenders.
In exchange for his genetic template, Jango wanted one thing only: a son. The Kaminoan cloners gave him a genetically unaltered clone whom he raised as his own, Boba Fett. During the Battle of Geonosis in “Star Wars: Episode II- Attack of the Clones”, Boba is seen accompanying his father as he battles against the Republic forces. Jango meets his end, however, when Jedi Master Mace Windu decapitates him. Leaving Boba a rage-filled orphan. He later returns to haunt Windu in an episode of the “Clone Wars” series.
In the episode “Death Trap”, Boba attempts to exact vengeance upon the Jedi Master by sneaking into a clone academy. He, of course, fails but came very close to killing the Jedi. An impressive feat, seeing that Mace is considered to be the Jedi Order’s most formidable duelist. After escaping imprisonment in Coruscant, Boba would go on to hone his skills and become every bit the ruthless killer like his father.
In time, he’d find himself in the service of the infamous Jabba the Hunt. He even worked for Darth Vader himself, who tasked him with hunting down the smuggler Han Solo. In “The Empire Strikes Back”, Boba makes good and on his contract and freezes Solo in carbonite.
In the film “Return of the Jedi”, during a fight between Luke Skywalker over a ravenous Sarlacc Pit, a pit populated by a giant disgusting worm-like monster, a freed Solo accidentally knocks on Boba’s jetpack. This sends the bounty hunter flying into the mouth of the Sarlacc. For a time, fans thought this spelt the end of the bounty hunter. However, fans speculated that Boba had escaped the Sarlacc Pit at some point. In the official canon novel “Star Wars: Aftermath”, a character by the name of Cobb Vanth comes into possession of a set of Mandalorian armour sold by Jawas. Fans theorized that the armour could be Boba’s, meaning the mercenary (along with his armour) got out of the pit!
His Role in The Mandalorian
Interestingly enough, the same Cobb Vanth who bought the Mandalorian armour off the Jawas in “Aftermath” appears in the latest episode of “The Mandalorian”. In the episode, Vanth is seen wearing the exact same armour as Boba. Safe for a few marks and scratches. Near the end of the episode, we see a mysterious figure observing Din as he speeds off towards Mos Eisley. The man is revealed to be played by none other than Temuera Morrison. The same actor who plays Jango in the films!
Now, there’s a slim chance that the character is simply some other unknown clone of Jango Fett. Knowing Disney, though, that’s highly unlikely. The show is clearly hinting that the clone at the end is Boba, seeing that his armour appeared in the episode. As for what part Boba will play in the future of the Mandalorian, we have some pretty good guesses in mind.
In the first season finale, we see the Imperial warlord, Moff Gideon survives the crash of his TIE-fighter. He slices his way out of the wreckage wielding the Darksabre, a holy relic that belonged to the first Mandalorian Jedi. If Gideon and the First Order have proven anything it’s that the Empire is hard to kill. Boba Fett was a famed bounty hunter who took Imperial contracts. We predict that in future episodes, Moff Gideon will hire Boba to kill Din and abduct the Child.
In exchange for his services, the son of the Mandalorian pretender will be given the Darksabre. Fingers crossed, it’ll lead to an epic showdown between Din and Boba over who gets to wield the legendary weapon. The idea of a fake Mandalorian holding one of the culture’s most iconic weapon is too good to pass!
Actor Temuera Morrison’s appearance is no mere cameo. If there’s one thing Disney knows will sell, it’s nostalgia. It’s only a matter of time before we see Din and Boba cross paths in the deserts of Tatooine or some distant planet. A bounty hunter battle to the death.
So what do you think of all this? Is Boba’s appearance in “The Mandalorian” just some cheap fan-service? Or could it be a sign for greater things to come? Be sure to let us know in the comments down below!
