Book of Boba Fett casting leak fixes a Mandalorian Season 3 problem
Star Wars could hit two birds with one reptilian stone.
Bounty hunters are the beating heart of the Star Wars universe’s criminal underbelly. Sure, there are smugglers like Han Solo and crime lords like Jabba the Hutt, but bounty hunters penetrate every facet of the canon, from being hired by Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back to pursuing Omega in Star Wars: The Bad Batch.
A new leak suggests we’ll see yet another classic bounty hunter return to Star Wars very soon, in a plot maneuver that could have major implications for The Mandalorian.
Bossk, the reptilian bounty hunter who first appeared in The Empire Strikes Back, is rumored to make a return in upcoming Disney+ spinoff series The Book of Boba Fett, as per LRM Online. A reunion between Bossk and his old colleague would be interesting enough, but a glance at the Legends storylines of these characters suggests a far more intriguing possibility for the character’s introduction.
While Bossk is all over canon, from novelizations to comics to episodes of Star Wars: Rebels, his most interesting character development lies in the non-canon works, specifically the Bounty Hunter Wars novels by K.W. Jeter. Those books follow the events of Vader’s motley crew of bounty hunters both after the events of Empire Strikes Back and through flashbacks.
Lost Legends is an Inverse series about the forgotten lore of our favorite stories.
Bossk in The Empire Strikes Back.
In those aforementioned flashbacks, Bossk and fellow hunter Zuckuss are sent on a mission by the Bounty Hunters’ Guild, which at that time was led by Bossk’s father, Cradossk. Bossk resented his father’s leadership as, in his old age, Cradossk’s actions drove the Guild into ruin. In order to stake a claim, Bossk murdered Cradossk with his own dagger, and the Guild was split into two sections: the younger-leaning Guild Reform Committee and the more experienced True Guild.
While all this sounds like a gripping story, it could be difficult to see any of it factors into The Book of Boba Fett. The answer lies in The Mandalorian.
Bossk’s father, Cradossk, was a leader of the Bounty Hunters’ Guild.
While we’ve seen the Bounty Hunters’ Guild in The Mandalorian before, the one leader we’ve been introduced to is Greef Karga, who’s now happily keeping the town of Nevarro afloat. That means if there’s going to be more bounty hunting work for Din Djarin, there’s bound to be a new leader in town. Why not a fan-favorite bounty hunter with a long history in the Guild?
Introducing Bossk into the new Star Wars live-action universe would simultaneously solve two issues in each of the upcoming series. Of course, it would explain who takes over as the Guild’s point of contact for Din Djarin. And in addition, it would allow Boba Fett to flex his contacts as he takes over operations at Jabba’s palace on Tatooine.
After all, there’s nothing better than calling on an old colleague for help with a new gig.
The Mandalorian is now streaming on Disney+, while The Book of Boba Fett arrives in December.
