The (History) Book of Boba Fett
New to Disney+ December 29, 2021
That’s right! The Book of Boba Fett is due to begin on December 29th. While we all enjoy speculating about what the show will be, right now our focus has been on what we already know about the man with the dented helmet. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Reel Theories theory without considering all the things we don’t know, too.
What We Know
There is only a slight bit of history we can cover with any amount of certainty. The first time we see Jango Fett is in Star Wars Episode II. He is hired to be the genetic blueprint for the clone army crafted on Kamino. As part of his payment, Jango wants a single unaltered clone to raise as his son. This is Boba Fett. Although Jango didn’t father Boba in the traditional sense, they’re a family just the same.
The job of Jango is the same as that of any father. He wants Boba to have the advantage of his experience and, therefore, do better for himself. Knowing what we do about Jango, and bounty hunters in general, it’s safe to say that Boba is told to look out for #1, a.k.a. himself. The way they behave together also suggests that Jango instills in Boba a sense of loyalty to family.
The familial bond is so well demonstrated that we feel for Boba’s loss when Jango is killed by Mace Windu. “This Party’s over!” This leaves Boba alone against the galaxy. All he has to his name is his father’s ship (the Slave I), his father’s Mandalorian gear, and the skills taught to him thus far. This proves to be enough to start him on his own path as, in the Clone Wars animated series, we see Boba getting a crew together, and perhaps a surrogate family, too.
The Great Unknown
Here, we get to start grasping at straws about our favorite bounty hunter. Hold on, things are gonna get hectic. As Boba gets older, he gets very recognizable. After all, he does have the most well known face in the galaxy. It only makes sense that, at some point, Boba Fett goes into the military. For one thing, he’s already slipped in and out before. Also, being in the military will help him build a stronger base of knowledge for the weapons and vehicles available. Here he will sharpen his tools, so to speak, in his ability to track, trap, kill, etc..
Although these benefits are strong, the big draw has to be the lure of family. The clones themselves regard each other as brothers. He would fit right in. Just as Jango certainly felt the need for family that led to him having the cloners on Kamino give him Boba, so too must Boba, and all the clones, have that same void to fill. They are, after all, all built using Jango as the prototype.
Brothers in Arms
Eventually, the clone army is not enough. It’s around this time that the Empire is taking in random people off the street for service. People like… Han Solo! I know, but just hear me out. It always bugged me that Boba Fett goes after Han so aggressively. It also bugged me that Han is so desperate to escape from Boba Fett. In Return of the Jedi, on Jabba’s sail barge, he legitimately jerks upright at the mention of Fett’s name. These two must have some sort of history. *Movie Voice*, “This time, it’s personal.” So, in the movie, Solo, we see Han get into the military by just walking up and enlisting. Now, according to Wookieepedia, both Han Solo and Boba Fett were born in 32 BBY or 32 years before the Battle of Yavin. This means that they’re age appropriate to be in the service together.
Following this line of reasoning, assume that they are stationed in the same platoon. Now, assume their platoon gets tasked with some major objective. What if it’s this point where Han sees a way to get out and get back to finding a way to reunite with his lost love, Qi’ra, from the beginning of the film? If Han deserts the military when he’s crucially needed by Boba and his company, this would lead to significant losses. Losses that Boba Fett would see as deaths to his brothers, his family.
I figure a guy would swear vengeance over something like that. And I mean a biblical, follow a guy across the galaxy, or even across the years kind of thing. That’s the kind of relationship they have.
A Price to Pay
At the end of Solo, it gets teased that there’s a gangster, Jabba, who has some work that might be good for Han. Clearly, he screws that up. From the moment we meet Han, all he can talk about is the price on his head. Boba wants Han, but it really feels like there could be a flashback moment there. I imagine Jango looking down to a young Boba and asking him, “Why do something for free when you can get paid to do it instead?”.
Just like that, Boba Fett is working for Jabba the Hutt. Han Solo is on the run because he knows what he did to Boba and he knows it’s gonna catch up with him. It’s likely that Boba has even seen Han talk his way out of trouble. It is something Han uses to his advantage. He even mentions it in The Force Awakens. This would explain why, in The Empire Strikes Back, Boba Fett agrees to having Han frozen in carbonite. He can’t pull any of those mind tricks then.
Yeah. I said mind tricks. Like Jedi mind tricks. Because, you know, Han Solo is force sensitive. We have a whole theory about it here, but that’s a different story.
Conclusion
This has been the Reel Theories Boba Fett theory. The tl;dr is that Boba wants a family and Han took that for granted. I still think it’d be a sweet story, though. I sincerely hope you have enjoyed looking it over. Be sure to hit those links in there. They’re affiliate links to take you over to Amazon. You can pick up a copy of the various movies mentioned along the way and I score a couple greenbacks. Thanks again, and be sure to check back soon for more Reel Theories.
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