Book Of Boba Fett: Every Star Wars Easter Egg & Reference In Episode 1

Here are all the Star Wars Easter eggs and references in The Book of Boba Fett episode 1. Though the bounty hunter first appeared in 1978’s infamously awful holiday special, Boba Fett became Star Wars royalty following an enigmatic and intimidating live-action debut in The Empire Strikes Back. Despite limited presence throughout the original trilogy (largely thanks to a less-than-spectacular opening act demise in Return of the Jedi), Boba Fett’s reputation grew via Star Wars‘ Legends canon. A younger Boba popped up in 2002’s Attack of the Clones, but it wasn’t until The Mandalorian season 2 that Star Wars‘ first bounty hunter finally became the star attraction audiences knew he could be.

After regaining his armor and seizing Jabba the Hutt’s throne, Boba Fett’s tale is continued by Disney+’s latest effort in a galaxy far, far away, The Book of Boba Fett. Episode 1 (“Stranger In A Strange Land”) combines scenes directly following The Mandalorian season 2 alongside flashbacks detailing Boba Fett’s journey in the immediate aftermath of Return of the Jedi. Taking place exclusively on Tatooine, the dual eras represent two very different periods for Boba Fett in the Star Wars timeline – one of power, and one of powerlessness.

As The Book of Boba Fett flicks between past and present there are, predictably, a bounty of Star Wars references, nods and callbacks for fans to enjoy. From returning musical heroes and familiar homesteads to original trilogy homages and Legends inspiration, these are the Easter eggs in The Book of Boba Fett‘s long-awaited premiere.

Jabba The Hutt’s Palace On Tatooine

The Book of Boba Fett opens with establishing shots of a location Star Wars fans will recognize as Jabba the Hutt’s palace. The distinct exterior upon Tatooine’s sandy backdrop, the hallway where Luke Skywalker made his triumphant return as a fully-trained Jedi, and the throne room with its giant trapdoor are all eerily deserted, but remain instantly familiar from Return of the Jedi.

Obscure Star Wars Writing On Jabba’s Throne

Robert Rodriguez’s (The Book of BobaFett episode 1 director) panning shot of Jabba’s throne room is perhaps the most interesting piece of the opening montage, providing another glimpse at the over-sized chair last seen in The Mandalorian season 2’s post-credits. The strange writing etched upon the throne itself is an old Sith tongue and pretty much just reads “Boba Fett.” Which is weird, since Boba inherited the chair from Bib Fortuna.

Boba Fett’s Recovery Mirrors Luke Skywalker

The Book of Boba Fett‘s trailer already answered why Boba looks healthier than he did in The Mandalorian. He sleeps inside a bacta tank kept on the palace’s top floor, which gradually nurses those old Sarlacc wounds. Boba’s tank apparatus looks to be a slightly more advanced (and more horizontal) version of the tank Luke Skywalker was plopped in after almost becoming wampa lunch in The Empire Strikes Back, even down to the black feeding tube.

Boba Fett Remembers The Prequel Trilogy’s Kamino & Geonosis

Many a Star Wars fan has suffered nightmarish flashbacks to the Star Wars prequels, and Boba Fett feels that pain keenly. Temuera Morrison’s sleeping warrior remembers the rainy landscape of Kamino, with Slave I visible in the background. Also from Attack of the Clones, Boba recalls the moment his father, Jango Fett, died at the Battle of Geonosis.

The Stormtrooper Inside The Sarlacc

Mining more recent Star Wars history, Boba Fett remembers waking up inside the Sarlacc’s long stomach after being embarrassingly knocked inside during Return of the Jedi‘s opening action sequence. He’s kept company by the dissolving corpse of a Stormtrooper, and this morbid Easter egg serves as a reminder that the Hutts were never truly allies to the Empire.

Book Of Boba Fett Changes Legends (But Still Pays Tribute)

The question of how Boba Fett escaped the Sarlacc has been asked endlessly since 1983, and Star Wars Legends provided an answer with 1996’s A Barve Like That comic book. Here, Boba psychically communicates with another Sarlacc victim, tricking the beast into detonating his still-attached jetpack. Boba then throws grenades to blast his way free. In The Book of Boba Fett, the swallowed bounty hunter simply ignites the Sarlacc’s innards using his flamethrower. Nevertheless, Robert Rodriguez pays tribute to Boba’s 1996 comic by mirroring the imagery of Fett emerging from the pit covered in sand.

Boba Fett’s Live-Action Star Wars Flamethrower

Mandalorians wielding flamethrowers is nothing new. Jango did it in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, and Din Djarin in The Mandalorian. Boba Fett has been in possession of a ZX miniature flame projector in Battlefront II, Legends canon, and Star Wars comics, but The Book of Boba Fett finally shows him spreading hot death in a live-action setting.

The Wreckage Of Jabba’s Return Of The Jedi Barge

Boba Fett fell into the Sarlacc’s mouth while Luke Skywalker and his friends rescued Han Solo in Return of the Jedi. Their efforts not only resulted in Jabba’s death, but also the destruction of his personal sailing barge, the Khetanna. As Boba Fett crawls free from the Sarlacc in The Book of Boba Fett episode 1, the Khetanna’s wreckage can be spotted in the background.

Book Of Boba Fett Retcons A George Lucas Special Edition Change

George Lucas is notorious for fiddling with his original Star Wars trilogy, and most of these changes have gone down like a Wookiee-fur sandwich. Among them is the addition of a weird beak-like mouth to Return of the Jedi‘s initial Sarlacc design, but in The Book of Boba Fett, that beak is absent. Robert Rodriguez could claim that the Sarlacc head has simply retreated into the pit, but everyone sees what’s really happening here…

The Jawas Steal Boba Fett’s Mandalorian Armor

Boba’s day goes from bad to worse. No sooner has he escaped the Sarlacc, a group of Jawas steal his precious Mandalorian armor. Jawas and their sand-crawler vehicles first appeared in 1977’s original Star Wars movie, and the story of how they acquired Boba’s gear was told first in Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath novels, then in The Mandalorian season 2.

Boba Fett Is Abducted By Tusken Raiders (& Meets A Rodian)

Boba Fett just can’t catch a break, as Tusken Raiders abduct his armor-free body. Otherwise known as Sand People, the Tuskens debuted alongside Jawas as one of Tatooine’s native races in 1977. They’re carrying gaffi sticks and riding Banthas, as we’ve seen multiple times before, and drinking from the black desert plants Cobb Vanth took a disliking to in The Mandalorian season 2. Arriving at his homely new stump, Boba Fett’s neighbor is a Rodian. This famous Star Wars species is recognizable largely thanks to Greedo, whom Han shot during Harrison Ford’s iconic Mos Eisley introduction. Guarding the two prisoners is a massiff. Originally designed to appear on Geonosis in Attack of the Clones, massiff dogs featured in Star Wars: The Clone Wars before becoming Tusken Raider pets in The Mandalorian.

Boba Fett Meets His New Vassals – Aqualish, Twi’leks & More

Like Don Corleone on his daughter’s wedding day, Boba Fett’s new position as Tatooine’s crime boss means he must entertain a procession of subjects. First up is an Aqualish (seen in Mos Eisley’s cantina), followed by a Trandoshan (the race of The Empire Strikes Back‘s Bossk), and finally a Twi’lek (from Jabba’s palace in Return of the Jedi). Introducing these guests is 8D8 – the droid torturing other droids on Jabba’s behalf in Return of the Jedi. Now acting as Boba Fett’s butler, 8D8 references “torturedscreams” in a nod to his previous role. Finally, 8D8 hauls in a pair of Gamorrean guards who served Jabba and Bib Fortuna, and are, therefore, very likely the same Gamorreans from Star Wars’ original trilogy.

Fennec Shand Mentions Jabba’s Menagerie

The mayor’s representative shows how big his thermal detonators are by not only refusing to pay Boba Fett’s tribute, but then demanding tribute from Boba. Fennec Shand warns that such insolence would’ve previously earned him a one-way trip to Jabba the Hutt’s menagerie, referencing Return of the Jedi‘s Rancor, which was one of many creatures cared for by Malakili, Jabba’s famously emotional animal keeper.

Mos Espa’s Background Star Wars Aliens & Droids

Boba Fett strolls through Mos Espa with his new crew, and The Book of Boba Fett‘s premiere hides an array of Star Wars aliens and droids among the townsfolk. A member of the Niima Outpost Militia with their distinctive purple/blue helmet walks across shot, and that unmistakable mechanic waddle can only belong to a GNK droid. The over-sized droid behind Boba’s entourage is a Loadlifter, inducted into Star Wars canon during the sequel trilogy era, but more interesting are the four-legged dog-like droids, which bear striking resemblance to the real-world robots being developed by Boston Dynamics.

Max Rebo Makes His Star Wars Return

The most eagerly-anticipated Star Wars comeback this side of Ewan McGregor, The Book of Boba Fett finally gives Max Rebo his overdue return. Rebo’s band rocked Jabba’s palace in Return of the Jedi, but with Boba Fett probably into heavy industrial metal and grindcore, Rebo is on the bar circuit playing to scum and villainy once again. The bright blue keyboardist has recruited a Bith shredding on guitar, and (wisely) a mechanical drummer.

The Sanctuary’s Star Wars Aliens & Droids

Madam Garsa Fwip’s Sanctuary boasts its own collection of species and robots from Star Wars history. An RX pilot droid (from Star Wars Rebels) is acting as a croupier, while a Hassk serves drinks to a C-3PO-meets-RA-7 protocol droid. R4 and R5 units are busily assisting customers, which include an Advozse (recognizable by the horn), and a Melbu (first featured in Solo: A Star Wars Story) who’s loitering outside with the Niima Outpost constable and a group of Jawas.

Star Wars Is Now Using New Republic Credits

Collecting his tribute from Garsa Fwip, Boba Fett’s helmet is nicely polished and filled with coins. Those with an eye for detail might notice this currency now comes adorned with the Rebel Alliance’s logo, signifying a change of galactic leadership since the Emperor was defeated.

Boba’s “Angry Face” From The Mandalorian

Boba Fett returned to Star Wars in style, protecting Din Djarin from oncoming Stormtroopers with a trademark lack of subtlety. An unmasked Boba – face maddened with rage and towering over his ill-fated opponent – became an iconic image from The Mandalorian season 2. The Book of Boba Fett references that moment with a similarly angry Boba face during episode 1’s Mos Espa fight sequence.

The Mandalorian Season 2’s Mining Collective Return?

A young Tusken raider takes Boba Fett and the unnamed Rodian prisoner to a homestead very similar to Owen and Beru Lars’ old farm (and just as toasted). The assailants on speeder bikes look like the Mining Collective, which made its live-action debut in The Mandalorian season 2. As explained by Cobb Vanth, these villains exploited the power vacuum left behind by the Empire’s downfall, and began subjugating innocent rural people of Tatooine, which is probably what’s occurring in The Book of Boba Fett‘s flashback.

Boba Fett’s “Youngling” Line Nods To Obi-Wan Kenobi

One doesn’t simply use the word “youngling” in a Star Wars setting and not expect fans to raise an eyebrow. The term became meme-worthy thanks to Ewan McGregor barely keeping a straight face while uttering the line “killing younglings” in Revenge of the Sith.

Book Of Boba Fett’s New Monster Pays Tribute To VFX Legends

The Book of Boba Fett episode 1 ends by introducing a brand new four-armed Star Wars monster. The mythological design and jerky movements feel intentionally reminiscent of early stop-motion special effects seen in Jason & The Argonauts, which were hugely influential upon a young George Lucas.

Boba Fett Mentions Tatooine’s Anchorhead

Looking to escape his Tusken Raider captors, Boba Fett believes he can fly off-world by fleeing to Anchorhead. While most Star Wars fans know their Mos Eisleys and Mos Espas, this little-known locale was mentioned in passing by Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker in the original 1977 Star Wars movie.

Boba Fett’s Monster Kill Has Echoes Of Jabba’s Death

As familiar as The Book of Boba Fett‘s new monster may be, the manner of his death goes even further. Boba strangles the creature using his own chains of slavery, mirroring how Princess Leia killed Jabba the Hutt in Return of the Jedi, and perhaps foreshadowing how Fett is destined to take Jabba’s place.

The Book of Boba Fett continues every Wednesday on Disney+.

About The Author

Craig Elvy
(3631 Articles Published)

Craig first began contributing to Screen Rant in 2016, several years after graduating college, and has been ranting ever since, mostly to himself in a darkened room. Having previously written for various sports and music outlets, Craig’s interest soon turned to TV and film, where a steady upbringing of science fiction and comic books finally came into its own.
Craig has previously been published on sites such as Den of Geek, and after many coffee-drenched hours hunched over a laptop, part-time evening work eventually turned into a full-time career covering everything from the zombie apocalypse to the Starship Enterprise via the TARDIS.

Since joining the Screen Rant fold, Craig has been involved in breaking news stories and mildly controversial ranking lists, but now works predominantly as a features writer.
Jim Carrey is Craig’s top acting pick and favorite topics include superheroes, anime and the unrecognized genius of the High School Musical trilogy.

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