“Do I... Did I... know you?”
'Book of Boba Fett' could reveal a forgotten Sarlacc twist
'The Book of Boba Fett' is set to answer the biggest question surrounding the bounty hunter. But is the answer more complicated than we thought?
by Dais JohnstonBoba Fett’s actions between the original Star Wars trilogy and his appearance in The Mandalorian are mostly a mystery. We know he somehow escaped the Sarlacc, and somehow his armor ended up in a sandcrawler with Jawas and Cobb Vanth. But whatever went on between those two moments is unknown.
Boba’s upcoming spinoff, The Book of Boba Fett, looks like it will fill in the blanks and establish Boba’s place in Star Wars canon once and for all. But if it pulls from the earlier comics canon, the solution to Boba’s Sarlacc escape will be far more complicated than you thought.
For a long time, the best way to follow up on the Star Wars universe was through the Marvel Comics. After (like, just after) the release of Return of the Jedi, the comics seized the golden opportunity that was the much-anticipated return of Han Solo after he unthawed from the carbonite he was frozen in. But in addition to bringing back a recently-revived character, the comics also revived a recently-dead character: Boba Fett.
Mere months after falling into the Sarlacc pit, Star Wars #81 depicted Boba getting out with his armor intact but his memory gone. He wakes up in the cargo of a sandcrawler, then runs into Han and Leia. When he hears Leia call Han’s name, his memory is jogged and his original bounty hunter mission comes rushing back.
Lost Legends is an Inverse series about the forgotten lore of our favorite stories.
Boba awakens, totally unaware of his surroundings, in Star Wars #81, published in November 1983.
He fires his blaster at Han and the two fight, but Han escapes and leaves Boba in the sandcrawler as it heads straight for... the Sarlacc. Again. It’s a short escape for Boba, but it allows him one more adventure before he succumbs to his ultimate fate (until The Mandalorian Season 2, of course).
So how could this factor into The Book of Boba Fett? A recent leak suggests a de-aged Harrison Ford will appear as Han Solo, and while everyone assumes this will be a big Luke-Skywalker-esque plot point, it’s also possible he could appear in a flashback revealing how Boba escaped the Sarlacc only to end up right back in it again.
Han attempts to save Boba just as his memory returns in Star Wars #81, published in November 1983.
Fans are waiting on the edge of their seats for an explanation of just how Boba escaped the Sarlacc. By using this little excursion, Boba would get two different Sarlacc escapes for twice the fun. Imagine how amazing it would be to see Boba escape, chase after Han for old time’s sake, and then end up in the same pickle at the end of the episode, only to escape for good in yet another flashback.
It may be ridiculous, but the early Star Wars comics were often silly. What better way to pay homage to them than having Boba Fett say, “Throw me in the Sarlacc Pit once, shame on you, Throw me in the Sarlacc Pit twice, shame on me”? It’s just the levity Boba’s grim demeanor could use.
The Book of Boba Fett premeires December 29, 2021.
