The Entire Boba Fett Story Finally Explained

He's a ruthless bounty hunter responsible for the capture and near death of a beloved "Star Wars" character, but there's still something about Boba Fett that's managed to capture the hearts of millions. After first appearing in the infamous "Star Wars Holiday Special," our favorite bounty hunter only nabbed a few minutes of screen time in the original trilogy. Despite that, he's risen to the same level of fame as more prominent "Star Wars" characters, complete with his own fan club, collectible action figures, and comics series.

There's no doubt about the impact that Boba Fett has made on the larger "Star Wars" canon. In fact, he was so popular that prior to the de-canonization of what is now called the "Star Wars Legends" universe that the character was revived after his supposed death in "Return of the Jedi." Of course, Boba's return in George Lucas' prequel trilogy only made fans wish for more, a wish that would be granted by none other than Disney in recent years.

After a number of rumors surrounding a potential Boba Fett-led movie, the character returned in the Disney+ series "The Mandalorian," leading to his own "Book of Boba Fett" spin-off. With appearances in dozens of (now non-canon) "Star Wars" series and a huge backstory created for the early '00s prequel trilogy, Boba Fett has gone from having a few minutes in the spotlight to an entire legacy. But who is he, really? Here is everything you need to know about Boba Fett's (in-canon) story.

Boba Fett may have made his official first onscreen appearance in 1980's "The Empire Strikes Back" (if we aren't including the "Star Wars Holiday Special," that is), but thanks to the 2002 live-action prequel "Attack of the Clones" and the 2008 animated series "The Clone Wars," he's been given a pretty in-depth history that extends far beyond his bounty hunting profession. Prior to the start of the Clone Wars, his father, Jango Fett, is hired to assassinate Senator Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman), the eventual wife of one Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen).

In "The Clone Wars," Jango is described by the Mandalorian Prime Minister (Julian Holloway) as a "common bounty hunter" who was able to get a hold of their armor but is not, in fact, Mandalorian himself. When "The Clone Wars" came out in 2008, the story went that Jango Fett was indeed Mandalorian and the planet's officials were desperate to hide it. But in 2014, when Disney announced that the Star Wars Expanded Universe (now "Star Wars Legends") was no longer canon, Jango lost his original backstory, even as "The Clone Wars" remained canon.

Thankfully, the Disney+ series "The Mandalorian" set the record straight once and for all. In "Chapter 14: The Tragedy," an aged Boba Fett reveals the chain code of his armor, which explains that Jango Fett was once a Mandalorian foundling. With that knowledge, it's important to note that Jango Fett was one of the galaxy's greatest bounty hunters in his prime. No wonder Boba took on his legacy.

On orders from the Jedi Council, Obi-Wan Kenobi returns to apprehend Jango Fett and bring him to be officially questioned. By the time he gets back, however, Jango and Boba are in the process of making their escape from Kamino. When a fight breaks out between Obi-Wan and Jango outside Jango's ship, the Slave I, it leaves Boba in the position of having to defend his father against the Jedi.

The Fetts escape, but not before Obi-Wan is able to secure a homing device to the hull of their ship. He catches up to the pair outside Geonosis, and the battle continues in an asteroid field. Thinking they've outrun Obi-Wan, the Fetts take refuge on the planet, along with Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) and his separatist army. This entire sequence serves two purposes: It demonstrates just what the Fett starship can do in combat, and it sets up Boba to be his father's replacement in the universe — clearly, he can handle a ship's controls, even at a young age. But he's also pretty bloodthirsty, especially when it comes to the Jedi.

It's during this time that Boba Fett meets up with several intergalactic bounty hunters, including — most notably — Aurra Sing (voiced by Jaime King), a ruthless Palliduvan bounty hunter and former acquaintance of Jango's. Aurra essentially adopts Boba, allowing him to work on her crew while teaching him the ins and outs of the trade. 

In "The Clone Wars," Boba's real introduction to his father's line of work is rough, made all the more difficult by Aurra's heartless approach to business. Anyone who crosses her is killed without a second thought, and although Boba sees himself as part of her inner circle, it becomes clear as time goes on that he serves no other purpose to her outside of advancing her own personal interests. When he's no longer of any use to her, Aurra turns on Boba the same way she's turned on countless others in her past. But before all that, she does offer Boba help in one very specific regard.

Not willing to just let things go after his first failed attempt, Boba Fett decides to have another go at Mace Windu, this time by leaving a sabotaged Mandalorian helmet in the wreckage of the crashed Endurance. Again, his plan fails, although it isn't because of some random expendable stormtrooper. Mace is able to put two and two together seconds before the device is set to go off, and Force Pulls Anakin Skywalker (Matt Lanter) away from the blast before they jump to cover together. 

Thinking his plan has succeeded, Boba convinces Aurra Sing to return to the crash site by telling her that Count Dooku will pay a higher bounty if they're able to turn over the Jedi's head. He also picks a fight with another bounty hunter and asserts himself as the guy who's been taking all the risks — if being around an unruly teenager sounds bad, imagine being around one with a homicidal streak. Unfortunately for them, R2-D2 is there and attempts to free Mace and Skywalker, but he fails and turns his attention to stopping Boba and the gang from getting away. Then, because he is unable to send a message to the Jedi Temple, he takes a ship to Coruscant to get help.

Several months later, a moody teenage Boba Fett appears in "The Clone Wars" Season 4 episode "Deception," still serving his time. It's a quick one-and-done moment, but it gives us an interesting glimpse into what Boba has been up to since his arrest after two failed assassination attempts. After Obi-Wan Kenobi (voiced by James Arnold Taylor) takes on the identity of a criminal named Rako Hardeen in order to infiltrate Count Dooku's (Corey Burton) inner circle, the bounty hunter Cad Bane (also voiced by Burton) — who just so happens to be Jango Fett's apprentice and Boba's future mentor — hires Boba to interrogate the disguised Kenobi and challenges him in the middle of the Republic prison they've found themselves in.

Understandably, Obi-Wan keeps his distance, not wanting to hurt anyone unnecessarily, especially a young boy who seems in over his head. After a brief fight, Kenobi makes a getaway with Cad Bane and Separatist Moralo Eval (Stephen Stanton), infiltrating their ranks to escape the prison, leaving Boba and his friend Bossk (Dee Bradley Baker) in the dust. Only a few episodes later, Kenobi takes down Dooku's plot and sends Cad Bane straight back to jail. Upon Bane's return, Boba criticizes the bounty hunter for not keeping out of prison, to which Bane tells Boba the full story.

Though Boba stays relatively consistent throughout the Clone Wars, the back half of the series sets him up better for success. Prison definitely changes the young Fett, and upon getting out, he takes his life back into his own hands.

In the years following the Clone Wars, Boba Fett trains with Cad Bane to become a better bounty hunter, though eventually, their partnership turns sour. In an unproduced episode of "The Clone Wars," Boba and Bane engage in a standoff that would have canonically explained the trademark dent in Boba's helmet. Though it never made air, their battle scene was nearly completed and would serve as the basis for their eventual rivalry seen at the end of "The Book of Boba Fett."

Before these events, Boba reclaims his father's Mandalorian armor and recolors it from its original blue and silver into a green, red, and yellow scheme. Additionally, he takes back control of his father's ship Slave I after it had been wrecked by his former mentor Aurra Sing. From here on, Boba learns to become the most ruthless bounty hunter he can be. With disintegration as his trademark, the Mandalorian-themed bounty hunter makes a name for himself around the galaxy, gaining the attention of criminal syndicates and Galactic Empire military types alike.

Unbeknownst to Boba, the animated series "The Bad Batch" reveals, he has a female counterpart, a young clone of Jango Fett dubbed "Omega" (Michelle Ang) whose genetic material is as pure Fett DNA as Boba's own. Aided by Clone Force 99, Omega is kept safe from the newly formed Galactic Empire looking to use her. Whether Boba ever learned about his sister remains a mystery.

By the time the Galactic Civil War officially commenced, Boba Fett (played by Jeremy Bulloch) was hired by the notorious gangster Jabba the Hutt (voiced by Scott Schumann and Larry Ward) on Tatooine. Back on the desert planet, the bounty hunter makes waves around Mos Eisley, where he frequently enforces the Hutt's will on his enemies. Before the Empire sets its sights on two droids wandering around the desert with hidden Death Star plans, Boba travels to Coruscant to take out a handful of Rebel spies. However, because he disintegrates them (leaving no trace of their bodies), Darth Vader refuses to pay. No wonder he moved away from that tactic in later years.

During the events of "A New Hope," Boba Fett acts as Jabba the Hutt's enforcer when the gangster confronts Han Solo (Harrison Ford) about his enormous debt. Though Boba doesn't do much, it establishes his connection to the Hutts, which would become important later on in his timeline. Interestingly, the short story "Added Muscle" reveals that Boba was planning on leaving Tatooine during this time, but after catching wind of the Empire's hunt for R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels), he decides to investigate.

It's during this endeavor that Boba tracks the droids across the desert, eventually concluding that their time on the Lars moisture farm is what prompted the Empire to kill Luke Skywalker's Uncle Owen (Phil Brown) and Aunt Beru (Shelagh Fraser). Additionally, he also deduces that there was a third member of the Lars household who likely traveled with the droids, but he wouldn't encounter him until later.

Not long after Luke Skywalker blew up the Death Star, a defeated and humiliated Darth Vader hires some of Jabba's finest men, Boba Fett and the Wookie bounty hunter Black Krrsantan, for some off-the-books jobs he can't trust a Stormtrooper with. Under Vader's thumb, Boba's new mission is to track down the young Rebel pilot who made that impossible shot and bring him to the Dark Lord. Oh, and apprehend the Millennium Falcon too. For a skilled bounty hunter like Boba Fett, this doesn't sound impossible, and he immediately begins his search. 

Knowing Han Solo's usual haunts, Boba quickly connects the smuggler with the "crazy old wizard" Ben Kenobi while at the Mos Eisley Cantina. There, he captures a young moisture farmer who spills the beans on Luke's identity. This takes him to Kenobi's desert home just in time for Luke's return. Hoping to find some of Old Ben's Jedi texts to advance his own training, Luke is surprised by Boba Fett's arrival.

Blinded by one of Boba's weapons, Luke fights valiantly against the experienced bounty hunter — whom he mistakes for a Stormtrooper. Luke's connection to the Force gives him an advantage (one Boba has never fully understood), and after a seriously bloody battle, the young Skywalker gains the upper hand and escapes with what he came for. Defeated, Boba reports Luke's identity to Darth Vader, who finally recognizes that he and Padmé had a son after all.

Turning the Rebels over to Darth Vader, Boba makes a deal with the Sith Lord that, in the end, he gets to deliver Han Solo personally to his other employer: Jabba the Hutt. Leave it to Boba Fett to be working two high-profile jobs at once, and doing so with such style. Naturally, Vader agrees, though he opts to use the Rebel crew — which includes Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), Chewbacca, and his own protocol droid C-3PO — first, constructing an elaborate trap for his son Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill).

This, of course, means freezing Han Solo in carbonite in front of his friends, thereby creating one of the most stylish wall pieces in the galaxy. After capturing Luke's friends and freezing Solo, Vader gives Boba Fett permission to leave with his bounty, his job for the Empire now complete. Aided by a band of Stormtroopers, Boba parades the frozen Solo through Cloud City, though is soon pursued by the young Skywalker (who had arrived just in time) and his friends.

Unfortunately for our heroes, Boba Fett loads Han Solo aboard Slave I and blasts off into the ether, heading back toward Tatooine to collect his bounty. But before Boba could make it to Jabba's Palace, there was a brief detour or three along the way. In fact, these events could've changed the course of the original "Star Wars" trilogy had they not been dealt with in time.

While attempting to reclaim Han Solo and restore his reputation, Boba is attacked by 4-LOM and Zuckuss, whom he quickly dispatches. Unfortunately, these weren't the only bounty hunters after him. Beilert Valance, the mercenary T'onga, and even his former friends Bossk and Dengar come after him too. Learning about the auction for Solo, Boba flies to Jekara to retrieve the frozen smuggler, only to run into Bossk, who attempts to appeal to their long history. Ruthless as always, Boba leaves Bossk out in the cold as a warning to those who might get in his way.

Upon infiltrating the auction, Boba devises a plan to attain Solo, only to be confronted by Leia Organa, Chewbacca, and Lando Calrissian. After a tussle with Chewie, Lando offers the bounty hunter a job to nab Solo for the Rebellion, but Boba refuses, noting that his code won't let him switch sides like this on a job. But as Jabba the Hutt wins the auction, Darth Vader arrives and claims Han Solo as his own, hoping to use the smuggler as bait for Luke once more. Old dog, same tricks.

Forging an uneasy alliance with Valance (who hates Boba for all but killing his mentor Nakano Lash), Boba intercepts Solo from the Imperial fleet and reclaims his bounty. It's not exactly a piece of cake, but his knowledge of Imperial systems helps the operation go smoothly. Unsurprisingly, Boba betrays Valance along the way before delivering Solo to Jabba, demanding full payment.

Except, it isn't the end. To the delight of "Star Wars" fans everywhere, Boba Fett — just as he did in the now non-canon Star Wars Expanded Universe — survives the Sarlaac, even if it takes him a while to break free. In the flashbacks seen in "The Book of Boba Fett" premiere, "Chapter 1: Stranger in a Strange Land," the bounty hunter wakes up sometime after the events of Han Solo's rescue and desperately burns an enormous hole into the creature's insides. Of course, he eventually claws his way out of the beastly pit before passing out face-first in the sand.

From there, Boba only awakens as Jawas strip him of his armor, leaving him for dead. Though Boba would remain in the desert for a while, his father's Mandalorian armor would eventually be claimed by Tatooine Marshal Cobb Vanth (Timothy Olyphant), who would use it to defend his hometown of Mos Pelgo (later renamed Freetown). Meanwhile, Boba is found by a band of Tusken Raiders, who claim him as their prisoner alongside an unnamed Rodian. Turns out, Boba Fett doesn't always have the best luck.

After a failed escape attempt, Boba gains the respect of the tribe after saving a young Tusken from a reptilian sand beast that roams the desert floor. After it kills his fellow captive, Boba strangles the creature before it can kill his child captor, thus earning himself a place within the tribe. (Yeah, their customs are a bit strange.)

Inspired by his vision, Boba Fett decides to return to Mos Eisley to ensure the Pyke Syndicate treats the Tuskens well. The Pykes don't exactly refuse here, but they don't pay Boba either since they're already paying "protection money" to a rival gang. Boba vows to handle it, but upon returning to his tribe's camp, he finds them all — including the chief and the young Tusken he'd befriended — dead. Unbeknownst to Boba, while he was away the Pyke Syndicate had them all killed, framing the Kintan Striders gang for the massacre.

Heartbroken, Boba burns his people's bodies, takes a bantha, and rides off into the desert. It's during his grief that he finds a wounded Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) and returns her to Mos Eisley, paying for the cybernetic body modifications that save her life. Owing him a debt, Shand agrees to help Boba retrieve Slave I from Jabba's Palace, and the two of them take out all his enemies along the way. They start with the Kintan Striders, whom Boba still believes responsible for the Tusken deaths, and soon after they destroy the Sarlaac Pit for eating him in the first place. This guy sure knows how to enact his revenge.

Though Boba hoped to find his armor at the Pit, he's quickly disappointed. Thankfully, he discovers that Cobb Vanth — who had worn his armor for a time — had given it to a Mandalorian, which leads him to meet one of the best characters of Disney-era "Star Wars."

Still indebted to Din Djarin, Boba and Shand continue their mission to help rescue Grogu in "The Mandalorian" episode "Chapter 15: The Believer." Allying themselves with New Republic Marshal Cara Dune (Gina Carano) and the mercenary Migs Mayfeld (Bill Burr), the team comes up with a plan to retrieve the child. But before that, they first need to know where he is being held. This leads them to an Imperial refinery on Morak where Djarin and Mayfield pretend to be Imperial troopers, which is especially difficult for Djarin, who is forced to remove his helmet in opposition to his Mandalorian creed.

During this time, Boba Fett — who has repainted his damaged armor — gains respect for Djarin's quest to find his adopted son. From here, their friendship expands beyond the eventual rescue of Grogu and the defeat of Moff Gideon at the end of the second season of "The Mandalorian." After witnessing the lengths Djarin will go for Grogu, Boba Fett is touched to the core, likely remembering what his own father would've done for him.

Speaking of, after attaining Grogu's location, Boba Fett intercepts Gideon's cruiser in Slave I while the rest, including new Mandalorian recruits Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) and Koska Reeves (Mercedes Varnado), infiltrate Gideon's ship to rescue their little green friend. The plan ultimately proves successful, especially with the help of Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker who arrives just in time (though, sadly doesn't rematch Boba again here). "Chapter 16: The Rescue" ends with Djarin and Grogu reunited as Boba and Shand exit stage right.

It isn't long before the Pykes get wind of Boba Fett's plans and hire an enforcer to make sure that he's cut off from any additional resources. Their choice: Cad Bane, Boba's former mentor and the most notable bounty hunter from the Clone Wars era. After Din Djarin convinces Marshal Cobb Vanth of Freetown to help Boba take on the Pykes, Bane arrives and puts a stop to that, ordering Freetown against assisting our hero in any way. From there, Bane travels to Mos Espa, where he reveals to Boba that the Pykes were the ones who killed his Tusken tribe.

Enraged, Boba nearly attacks his former mentor but stops himself with an impressive amount of restraint. Sadly, his newfound honor isn't enough to gain the upper hand. Mos Espa's other criminal forces unsurprisingly betray him, and Boba's forces are nearly depleted. But, thankfully, the people of Freetown come anyway, as does Grogu, and Boba's faction soon overpowers the Pykes. This all leads to a final confrontation between Boba and Bane that mirrors their previously unfinished duel from "The Clone Wars."

This time around, though older and slower, Boba uses his new Tusken training to disarm and dispatch Bane, leaving him for dead in the street, their friendship officially over. Following the turf war, Boba Fett reigns supreme over Mos Espa while Fennec Shand assassinates the heads of the Pyke Syndicate. Despite all the violence and bloodshed, it's a relatively happy ending, after all.