Boba Fett - by Chris Bicourt

Although Boba Fett’s legendary status has been restored by The Book of Boba Fett, it has also been shattered. Being devoured alive is a destiny worse than death.

Boba don’t surf 

The death of Boba Fett was confirmed. We’ve all seen the scene in Return of the Jedi, in which a half blinded Han Solo accidentally hits him with a stick before his jetpack fails and he falls into a giant sand monster’s throat. In order to tell, you had to watch how it ate and exhaled.

But we’re supposed to believe that the iconic bounty hunter (now played by Temuera Morrison) was able to survive in the acid-filled belly of the sarlacc, syphoning oxygen from a stormtrooper’s helmet before burning his way out with the flamethrower on his wrist, then blindly clawing through several metres of sand… You would think it’s impossible, yet in Star Wars, no one ever actually dies. Action figures and sequels are available for purchase.

Many non-canonical works have represented Boba’s escape from the sarlacc pit, therefore his unexpected resurrection is not unprecedented. The show brought him back, but we had no idea it would also take his life again. Specifically, I aim to destroy everything that has ever made him the most intriguing and fascinating figure in a galaxy far, far away.

 

Boba Fett: Huggly, smuggly, and ready to lend a hand

Boba Fett has evolved into a sweetheart in the new Star Wars film, The Book of Boba Fett. As a bounty hunter, he has lost his position and become so merciful that he actually freed a Wookie assassin, caressed a rancour behind its ear, and called a Tusken raider “partner” just seconds after it attempted to kill him in his sleep.

He talked of his dread and disdain of the Empire during an episode of The Mandalorian in which Boba was properly presented to the public, in which he was reintroduced. In a matter of minutes, he found himself fighting for the good guys for the first time in his career. At the very least, a man with a sense of right and wrong. Whatever he’s become, he’s nothing like the guy who captivated Star Wars fans in the first place.

Previously, Boba Fett worked for both Darth Vader and Jabba the Hutt, two legendary chokers. He was clearly a cold-blooded gun-for-hire when we first saw him in The Empire Strikes Back (he initially appeared in the animated part of the terrible Star Wars Holiday Special in 1978). He may have been on business, but he was not making friends with monsters. So, what’s up with the abrupt shift?

The mystery behind Boba Fett has Chris Bicourt pondering

The fact that we had no idea who Boba was at first made him one of the most intriguing and mysterious characters in the series. His demeanour back then was simple: He stood on the side-lines, staring intently. Only four sentences in The Empire Strikes Back and none in Return of the Jedi were said by him, and he never took off his helmet. The character went on to become one of the most well-known and talked about in the original trilogy despite this. Even George Lucas briefly contemplated making him the major villain in Jedi, with the ambitious goal of extending Luke Skywalker’s saga across several trilogies.

Boba Fett’s mystique would have been lost if he had been made the major antagonist or even a central character in Episode II: Attack of the Clones, which is exactly what happened.

It’s happening all over again. I feel as though the cycle of bastardization is nearly complete with this Disney+ series’ examination of his gentler side. Now all that’s left for him to do is bring back Yoda as an adorable infant and spend at least two episodes cleaning its chin (we’re looking at you, Mando!).

The Book of Boba Fett has turned out to be yet another piece of profoundly disappointing, franchise-tarnishing tosh because of its depiction of the formerly fearsome, nihilistic bounty hunter. Just in case you needed it, here’s more evidence that there are portions of the cosmos better left untouched.

Boba Fett - by Chris Bicourt