‘Star Wars’ Canon Vs. Legends: Boba Fett
The Empire had assembled many agents in their quest to capture the renegade Han Solo. One group in particular assembled aboard the massive Super Star Destroyer of none other than Darth Vader himself. It was a strange gathering to say the least. Among them was an assassin droid, a reptilian Trandoshan, and what appeared to be a bipedal fly-like Gand. In such company, one would have to be truly unique to stand out, which is exactly what the stoic human Boba Fett did. When Vader singled him out with a warning, “No disintegrations,” you knew he was something special. What sort of history lay hidden underneath his armor?
Fans were not given much lore to sink their teeth apart into from his appearance in The Empire Strikes Back and The Return of the Jedi. For many, this was a good thing as it added a layer of mystery and intrigue to the bounty hunter. Those who wanted more did not have to wait long. Boba Fett’s backstory was expanded upon in the novel Tales of the Bounty Hunters. Originally hailing from a planet in the Outer Rim, Boba was a lawman of sorts. He lived his life by a strict moral code and a dedication to true justice. This career was short lived. After a falling out, Boba killed a fellow lawman. This incident resulted in him being exiled and forced into the career of a bounty hunter, which inevitably led to his pursuit of Han Solo in the films.
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This served as Boba’s origin story until the arrival of Attack of the Clones where his backstory was completely retconned. Boba Fett was the unaltered clone of Jango Fett, the Mandalorian bounty hunter who served as the template for the clones that would eventually become the Grand Army of the Republic. Boba was created as part of a deal with the Kaminoans, the beings responsible for the clones. Unlike his cloned brethren, Boba was unaltered at Jango’s request, and did not undergo the same modifications as the clone troopers.
Jango was quick to introduce his surrogate son to the bounty hunting trade, and the two of them spent many years honing Boba’s talent for the craft. Unfortunately their time together was cut short. Jango lost his life at the hands of the Jedi Mace Windu at the start of the Clone Wars. Boba would then go on to don his father’s armor and continue to improve his skills. His fame quickly grew, and by the time of the original trilogy he had earned his father’s title as the most feared and effective bounty hunter in the galaxy.
This retcon was quickly accepted as the de facto origin story for Boba in both Legends and the new canon. Each side remained largely the same until Boba’s unfortunate encounter with the sarlacc pit in Return of The Jedi. Boba’s early career differed slightly in each telling, but generally remained consistent. Following his father’s death, Boba picked up the bounty hunter trade and hopped from job to job before pursuing the bounty on Han. In the new canon, he spent some time training under a group of fellow hunters such as Aurra Sing and Bossk during the Clone Wars.
In the Legends timeline, Boba’s fate took an interesting turn. Boba returned to his former vocation after narrowly escaping the sarlacc’s clutches with the aid of fellow bounty hunter Dengar, who was also one of the bounty hunters hired by Vader to find Han Solo. The pair would go on to become partners and friends and worked together on many odd jobs. Of note, they took out a bounty hunter masquerading as Fett himself. With Dengar’s help, Boba quickly regained his lost notoriety. When another bounty was placed on Han Solo, the pair’s partnership was put to the test. The two would part ways after failing to capture Solo yet again.
Some time later, Boba would go on to claim the title of Mandalore at the behest of his friend’s dying wish. He abandoned his career as a bounty hunter upon assuming the throne. Unfortunately, only a year into his rule, the galaxy fell under attack by the ruthless Yuuzhan Vong, a race of genocidal warriors bent on galactic conquest. Boba led his people through many campaigns in the conflict, ultimately reclaiming many lost planets in the Outer Rim and protecting many more from destruction.
Boba was not done even at the ripe old age of seventy. A new galactic civil war broke out after the victory over the Yuuzhan Vong. Boba still held his title of Mandalore when he resumed his old career as a bounty hunter. During that time, he dealt with some family drama as well as a terminal illness, which was a byproduct of his cloning. For the most part he stayed out of the war, until he was called upon with a most unusual request. Jaina, the daughter of his former rival Han Solo, came to Boba for training to defeat her fallen brother Jacen Solo, now known as Darth Caedus.
At this point in the new canon, Boba has not seen much action outside of his roles in the movies and the Clone Wars animated series. He does play a prominent role in the ongoing War of the Bounty Hunters run in Marvel’s Star Wars series of comics. This event takes place between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and follows multiple groups pursuing the slab of carbonite housing Han Solo. Not much is known about Boba post-Return of the Jedi, at least not until he resurfaced in The Mandalorian.
After a brief Easter egg appearance in season one, Boba makes his presence known in season two of The Mandalorian. He seems a little worse for wear. As it stands we still do not know the details on how he survived his harrowing encounter with the sarlacc. It does not take long before he is back in his iconic armor, and doing what he does best. He soon finds himself on the throne of the remnants of Jabba the Hutt’s criminal empire, an exploit that will no doubt be expanded upon in his up-and-coming standalone show The Book of Boba Fett.
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Source(s): Wookieepedia, YouTube