- “I'm a simple man making his way through the galaxy. Like my father before me.”
- ―Boba Fett presenting himself in the manner of his late father, Jango Fett.
Boba Fett is a major antagonist in the Star Wars franchise. He first appeared as the secondary antagonist in The Empire Strikes Back, returning as a minor antagonist in Return of the Jedi and appearing as a boy in Attack of the Clones. He also appears in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and The Mandalorian.
He is a clone of Jango Fett, specifically made to be raised as Jango's own son. As a result, he remains heavily unaltered in contrast to the Clone Troopers and instead retains Jango's original genetic DNA. Ever since the death of his father, Boba Fett continued on his legacy as a bounty hunter, working alongside various bounty hunters, as well taking on other bounties made available to him. By the time of the Galactic Civil War, Boba Fett became one of the galaxy's most infamous bounty hunters across the outer region. Years later, he is hired by Darth Vader to find the Millennium Falcon.
Contents
Background
Boba was an unaltered clone of the Mandalorian bounty hunter Jango Fett, who took him in as his son. In exchange for providing his DNA as the template for a clone army, Boba was created for Jango by the cloners of the planet Kamino. While the clone troopers were eventually enlisted by the Galactic Republic, Jango raised Boba on Kamino.
Film appearances
Attack of the Clones
One day, a Jedi Knight named Obi-Wan Kenobi, came to arrest Jango for the attempts on Padmé Amidala's life. Though questionings between bounty hunter and Jedi were initially civil, things quickly turned violent when Jango and Boba attempted to flee the planet aboard their ship, Slave I. Obi-Wan and Jango scuffled on a rainsoaked landing platform, with Jango successful in keeping the Jedi Knight at bay and managing to escape off the planet, but ultimately unable to eliminate his antagonist. In the midst of the heated battle, young Boba shot at Obi-Wan with Slave I's anti-personnel cannons.
They were followed to Geonosis by Obi-Wan, who engaged the two Fetts in ship-to-ship combat in the planet's rocky ring. Obi-Wan managed to survive Slave I's ruthless assault with daring maneuvers of evasion, but was shortly afterwards captured by Jango's mysterious employer, Count Dooku, while performing recon on the planet. During the breakout of the Battle of Geonosis, Jango managed to eliminate many threats to his benefactors by gunning down the attacking Jedi, but ultimately was decapitated by Jedi Master Mace Windu after being trampled by a large, rhinoceros-like creature called the Reek. Jango's death was witnessed by a horrified Boba, who was left orphaned in a soon to be war torn galaxy, and swore vengeance against Mace and the Jedi Order.
Although he did swear vengeance against Mace and the Jedi, he didn't fulfill it as both Mace and the Jedi Order were killed by different characters in Revenge of the Sith.
A New Hope
In the Special Editions, Fett appeared in Docking Bay 94 as an enforcer for Jabba the Hutt as the crime lord confronted Han Solo about his debts to him, as well as the killing of the bounty hunter Greedo.
Fett was not in the original deleted scene due to the fact that he had not even been thought of yet. As such, he has been digitally inserted into the scene.
The Empire Strikes Back
Fett was one of the bounty hunters aboard Darth Vader's ship the Executor, who hired the motley crew of roguish mercenaries to track down the Millennium Falcon after the Empire had failed to do so. The reward was substantial, but Vader made a point of telling Fett there was to be "no disintegrations”, as he has a reputation for killing his targets instead of just capturing them. Fett was successful in tracking his quarry down by predicting Han Solo's method of evading the Empire by using a Star Destroyers routine garbage dump as camouflage. By also deducing the Falcon's destination, Fett was able to fufil his Imperial contract by informing Vader that the Rebels were heading toward Cloud City of Bespin.
However, Fett was also interested in collecting the bounty on Han's head placed by Jabba the Hutt, and negotiated with the Dark Lord in capturing Solo once Vader's business with him was concluded. Though he was wary over the torturous treatment of the smuggler over the worth he had being alive, Vader promised Fett that his suffering would not kill him, and even if it did, the Empire would compensate the bounty hunter over his loss. Fortunately, Han did survive, and was encased in a slab of carbonite. Their business concluded, Vader gave Han to Fett so that he could turn his full attention to the capture of Luke Skywalker. During the escort of Fett's prize to his ship, the bounty hunter encountered Luke in a vacant hallway of Cloud City. The bounty hunter opened fire on the young Jedi with his powerful EE-3 blaster, destroying a wall just short of his target, diverting Luke away from his frozen friend and towards a duel with Vader, which would conclude with a shocking revelation. Fett then hurriedly returned to Slave I, and began his journey to Tatooine to collect his reward from Jabba.
Return of the Jedi
Fett stayed at Jabba's Palace for some time, seemingly taking time off from his intergalactic career as a bounty hunter as a guest of honor at the villainous hive. Eventually, a mysterious bounty hunter named Boushh arrived at Jabba's court with Chewbacca in tow. Fett was prepared for trouble, and stood his ground when the other hunter threatened to destroy the palace with a thermal detonator. However, Jabba was amused by Boushh's "inventiveness," and agreed to pay for the Wookiee's bounty, which earned a respective nod from Fett. It was soon revealed that this mysterious hunter was in fact Princess Leia Organa, who managed to free Han from his carbonite prison before being captured herself by the Hutt. Soon afterward, Luke arrived in an attempt to save his friends, who fought and slayed Jabba's monstrous pet the Rancor before he too was captured. An infuriated Jabba sentenced the heroes to death by being devoured by the Sarlacc, a hideous creature nestled at the Great Pit of Carkoon that digested its prey for a thousand years.
Fett had accompanied Jabba aboard his lavish barge to Carkoon, seemingly prepared for trouble. When trouble did indeed break out into a great battle, Fett entered the fray. Back and forth, Fett and Luke struggled on the prisoner skiff, with the hunter's rifle being cut in two, and Luke becoming ensnared with Fett's whipcord. The Jedi soon broke free, and Fett was knocked off his feet by an explosive blast from one of the barge's cannons. A rather dazed Fett took aim at Luke, who had leapt to another skiff. Ultimately however, by a stroke of pure luck, a semi-blinded Han had heavily damaged the bounty hunter's rocket pack after Chewbacca had given a frantic warning of Fett's presence right behind him. Fett flew out of control, screaming, slamming into the side of Jabba's sail barge before tumbling into the Sarlacc Pit to his apparent death.
Unlike the original Expanded Universe, Boba Fett's survival in the new canon was only implied prior to the second season of The Mandalorian, not explicitly revealed.
Television appearances
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Fett went undercover in a clone cadet squad in order to kill Mace Windu, the killer of his father. After failing to kill him, he was recovered by a bounty hunter squad led by Aurra Sing. After some attempts to get revenge, he was arrested by the Jedi. He later worked with Asajj Ventress who had become a bounty hunter.
The Mandalorian
5 years after Fett's apparent death, his eroded armor came into the possession of Jawas, who subsequently sold it to Cobb Vanth, a marshal from the small Tatooine settlement of Mos Pelgo. Din Djarin, who had been directed to the settlement and told that a Mandalorian was there, quickly found out that Vanth was not a real Mandalorian. Djarin demanded Vanth hand the armor over, and after some hesitation Vanth agreed on the condition that Djarin helped him kill a Krayt Dragon that had been terrorizing the town. Joining forces with the townspeople and a tribe of Tusken Raiders, the group successfully killed the Krayt dragon and gutted it.
Vanth handed over the armor and Djarin and Grogu departed. As they did so, an unmasked Boba, who had remained on Tatooine following Jabba's death, watched them.
Several weeks later, Djarin brought Grogu to the remains of a Jedi temple on Tython in order for him to reach out to a Jedi. Shortly after he began this process, however, Djarin saw the Slave I land on Tython. Realizing they were in danger but unable to get Grogu to stop his meditation, Djarin went to investigate. Fett fired several shots at him and then revealed that he wanted his armor back. He then revealed that he had saved Fennec Shand from death on Tatooine and told Djarin that if he did not return the armor, he would have Fennec shoot Grogu with her sniper rifle. Fett promised that he would ensure Grogu's safety in exchange for the return of his armor. All three bounty hunters dropped their weapons in order to calmly negotiate, only for a pair of Imperial transports to arrive and deploy a platoon of stormtroopers. The trio held off the stormtroopers long enough for Fett to retrieve his armor from the Razor Crest. He then proceeded to kill several stormtroopers in a furious melee, while the survivors retreated back to the two shuttles. However, as the ships took off, Boba shot a rocket dart at one of the ships, causing it to careen into the other, destroying them both.
A projectile from a ship then entered the atmosphere, completely destroying the Razor Crest. Moff Gideon, the leader of what remained of the Empire, sent a squad of Dark Troopers to capture Grogu, and despite Djarin and Fennec's best efforts, the combat droids successfully kidnapped the child and escaped. Boba followed them in the Slave I to see where they were going, and he was surprised to learn of the Empire's continued power despite its supposed collapse. Unable to shoot at the Dark Troopers or else risk hitting Grogu, Fett returned to the surface.
Boba explained to Din that Jango fought in the Mandalorian Civil War and was therefore a real Mandalorian, thereby making Boba a Mandalorian by association, proving that the armor is rightfully his. Boba and Fennec then both promised to help Djarin recover Grogu and stop Gideon as a show of gratitude for returning the armor.
Boba repaints his armor back to pristine condition, albeit still with the iconic dent in his helmet. He, Fennec, Din, and Cara Dune spring Migs Mayfeld, an ex-Imperial sharpshooter and an enemy of Djarin's, from prison in order for him to help find Moff Gideon's coordinates. He explains that there is a rhydonium refinery on Morak, and he offers to disguise himself as a tank trooper to get into the base. Fennec cannot accompany him because she is wanted by the ISB, Cara is unable to go because she is a New Republic marshal, and Fett is unable to go because the Imperials will recognize his face. Djarin goes with Mayfeld, also disguising himself as a tank trooper.
After Mayfeld and Djarin get the coordinates (albeit accidentally exposing themselves in the process), Fett extracts the pair from the base while Cara and Fennec cover him. Mayfeld, standing on the ramp of the Slave I, shoots a pile of rhydonium, which explodes, destroying the entire base. In exchange, Cara agrees to fake Mayfeld's death and sets him free. With the coordinates in hand, Fett, Djarin, Dune, and Shand depart, hoping to finally kill Gideon and take back Grogu.
Din and Boba recruit Bo-Katan Kryze and Koska Reeves to help them. Boba initially argues with Koska and Bo-Katan, leading him and Koska to briefly fight until Bo breaks them up. They then formulate their plan: Bo, Din, Koska, Cara, and Fennec will approach Gideon’s light cruiser in Dr. Pershing’s shuttle, while Boba will pretend to attack them in the Slave I. When the shuttle enters the cruiser after sending a fake distress call, it sends two TIEs to attack Boba. He quickly takes care of them and jumps to hyperspace as arranged.
Boba later picks up Fennec and travels to Jabba’s palace on Tatooine, which has been taken over by Jabba’s former majordomo Bib Fortuna, who also survived the battle at the Sarlacc pit. Fortuna, who is now extremely overweight, expresses his surprise at seeing Boba, saying he thought he was dead. Boba then kills Fortuna, throws his corpse off the throne, and takes his place on it with Fennec.
Video games
Disney Infinity: 3.0 Edition
Boba Fett is a playable character in Disney Infinity 3.0.
Star Wars: Force Arena
Boba Fett is a playable character in Star Wars: Force Arena as a Legendary squad leader card.
Disney Parks
He is a meetable character during the Star Wars Weekends event at Disney's Hollywood Studios.
Star Tours: The Adventures Continue
One of the possible final scenes in Star Tours: The Adventures Continue is being pursued through an asteroid field above Geonosis by Boba Fett in the Slave I, as well as Darth Vader, who chases the guests through the still-under-construction Death Star in orbit around the planet. Afterwards, Fett appears again, and fires a sonic bomb at the Starspeeder 1000, R2-D2 manages to deflect it by firing at the bomb and pushing it back to the Slave I, causing Fett to lose control of the ship, allowing the StarSpeeder and its passengers to make an escape.
Gallery
Trivia
- Boba Fett's first appearance was not in The Empire Strikes Back, but rather in the maligned Star Wars Holiday Special, aired in 1978. He appeared as the main antagonist of a 10-minute animated segment in the program, although his film appearance differs greatly from how he appears in the Holiday Special, which is no longer considered canon due to the decanonization of most of the Expanded Universe in 2014.
- The 1997-onwards rereleases of Return of the Jedi include several additional shots of Boba flirting with Jabba’s slave dancers.
- Jeremy Bulloch, Boba's actor, expressed interest in reprising his role of Boba in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. However, Boba ultimately did not appear in the film or in the rest of the sequel trilogy.
- Jonathan W. Rinzler confirmed that Fett survived the Sarlacc.
- Fett also survived the Sarlacc in Legends, but this was made non-canon in 2014 along with all Star Wars media outside of the movies and The Clone Wars. He was implied to be dead in the new canon until The Mandalorian revealed otherwise.
- Although he is also a clone, Boba does not consider the Clone Troopers to be his brethren.
External links
Boba Fett on Wookieepedia
Boba Fett on StarWars.com (backup link on Archive.org)
References
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