Summary
The galaxy far, far away keeps expanding, and whileStar Warscontinues to add new characters with every movie and television series, it tends to lean back on the classics to bring back fans of the good ol' days. While he might not be as important as Luke or Leia, Boba Fett remains one of the most marketableStar Warscharacters.
From his humble roots appearing inThe Empire Strikes Backand only speaking four lines of dialogue in the original trilogy, Boba Fett has become the stuff of legend in the Expanded Universe canon and the modern era of Disney canon. Despite Temuera Morrison helping elevate his fan-favorite status, could it finally be time for Boba Fett tohang up his beskar?
Boba Fett’s History With Star Wars
Created for an early draft ofThe Empire StrikesBack, George Lucas imagined Boba Fett asStar Wars’ answer to Sergio Leone’s Man with No Name. Ironically, Fett’s long-term foe, Cad Bane, would also go on to be inspired by Clint Eastwood’s grizzled cowboy. As Lucas had agreed to feature Fett in thehatedStar Wars Holiday Special, Boba Fett had to be pulled together quickly, and was loosely based on original designs for Darth Vader.
Appearing as one of the bounty hunters recruited by Darth Vader to hunt down the Millennium Falcon, Fett was originally conceived as part of a white-armored group of Imperial ‘supercommandos.’ Although he was later reimagined as a lone bounty hunter, the supercommando idea evolved into the concept now known asthe Mandalorians. Despite having a larger role inReturn of the Jedi, Fett met his maker on Jabba’s sail barge. Apart from continuing to sell well in the merchandise department, most assumed this was the end of his story.
Fett’s ‘death’ at the Great Pit of Carkoon was just the start of his arc. With the Expanded Universe giving him a non-canon survival in 1995’sTales from Jabba’s Palaceanthology book, the idea soon took off. On the DVD commentary forReturn of the Jedi, Lucas confirmed he had considered adding a shot of Fett’s survival in later releases, but reconsidered because he was worried it would take the focus away from the main story. Still,Star Warshistorian Jonathan W. Rinzler says that Lucas had acknowledged Fett’s escape shortly after he sold the rights to Disney.
The character was played by Jeremy Bulloch and voiced by Jason Wingreen in the original trilogy. InAttack of the Clones,Temuera Morrison played Jango Fett (Boba’s biological father). Morrison has now become synonymous with playing Boba thanks to appearances in season 2 and season 3 ofThe Mandalorian, as well as leadingThe Book of Boba Fett. Elements of Boba’s survival fromTales of the Jediand theStar Wars: Aftermathtrilogy were adapted into canon, whileThe Book of Boba Fettshowed him taking over from Jabba the Hutt on Tatooine.
It’s Time To Let Boba Fett Rest
Although most would agreeTemuera Morrison wasn’t the problem withThe Book of Boba Fett, the actor suggests that its failure has pumped the brakes on his return to the franchise’s immediate future. Admitting toTheRaeSidethat he doesn’t know what’s happening on the Star Wars front, Morrison said Disney is focused on ‘making new stuff while giving a discouraging update on what’s next for Fett.
“I was hoping for a [‘Book of Boba Fett’ Season 2], maybe, but we’ll see what happens… I don’t know what’s on the cards but it’d be nice to work with [Ming-Na Wen] again.”
Unfortunately, Boba Fett’s long-awaited time to shine on his own wasn’t the hit fans were hoping it would be. The actor has been critical of the decision to portray Boba Fett without his helmet, arguing that while it was done to avoid comparisons with Perdo Pascal’s Mandalorian, it took some of the mystery away.
Others criticized howThe Book of Boba Fettfelt likeThe Mandalorianseason 2.5 when it dedicated a whole episode to Din Djarin (Pascal) acquiring the Darksaber. This was again hammered home when Mando, Grogu, and several other characters from the sister series featured prominently in the finale. Despite ending with a post-credit scene suggesting that Timothy Olyphant’s Cobb Vanth could return for more, and Morrison himself saying he washopeful forThe Book of Boba Fettseason 2, it’s yet to materialize.
Boba Fett seems to be frozen in carbonite for now, with Morrison recently tellingScreen Ranthe wouldn’t be inThe Mandalorian & Grogu. While it’s unclear whetherThe Mandalorianseason 4 has been scrappedin favor of the cinematic adventure, fans know Jon Favreau is taking Din Djarin and Grogu on their own adventure. As Favreau was a co-showrunner onThe Book of Boba Fett, some think it’s odd that the character is being sidelined from the movie. Then again, with a limited runtime of around 180 minutes compared to the typical eight episodes per season ofThe Mandalorian, the writers already have to shoehorn in a lot.
Even if Boba Fett has earned some much-needed rest and relaxation, it’s doubtful that this is the end of his story. Morrison has made no mention of retiring from the role, and even if he did, it would be easy to put someone else under the armor. More likely, Disney is keeping the focus on the Mandalorian as the breakout character of itsStar Warsslate on Disney+ – potentially building toward a ‘Mandoverse’ crossover. AfterThe Mandalorianseason 3 andAhsokateasedLars Mikkelsen’s Grand Admiral Thrawnas a big bad of the Mandoverse, it makes sense to bring back Fett for anAvengers: Endgame-inspired crossover between all these stories.
There have been plenty of scrapped Boba-centric projects, with Fett supposed to lead thecanceledStar Wars 1313game. There was also Josh Trank’sBoba Fett: A Star Wars Story, which was famously pulled just before its teaser was shown at 2015’s Star Wars Celebration. This has leftThe Book of Boba Fettas a somewhat disappointing solo outing for the beskar-clad bounty hunter. Seeing how Pascal is leadingThe Mandalorian & Grogu, and given the lukewarm reception toThe Book of Boba Fett, it seems unlikely that a Boba Fett standalone will ever make it to the big screen. Still, Boba Fett has more than earned his legacy as one of the most memorableStar Warscharacters, some 44 years after he first put Captain Solo in the cargo hold.
