Star Wars Canon May Already Explain How Boba Fett Survived Return of the Jedi

Star Wars canon may already explain how Boba Fett survived Return of the Jedi, setting up his return in The Mandalorian season 2. One of the galaxy’s most feared bounty hunters, Boba Fett apparently met an untimely end when a half-blind Han Solo inadvertently ignited his jetpack and sent him hurtling into the Sarlacc’s maw on Tatooine

Boba Fett has always had a significant appeal to Star Wars fans. The old Expanded Universe happily brought him back from the dead, revealing he had survived the Sarlacc and crawled out of the Great Pit. However, those stories were branded non-canon after Lucasfilm was purchased by Disney in 2012, and since then there’s been a Boba Fett-shaped hole in the franchise. It’s about to be filled in The Mandalorian season 2, with Boba Fett returning, played by Temuera Morrison.

Boba Fett’s return may have already been explained in Star Wars canon. The time between the original trilogy and the sequels has still only been developed a little, and the most notable story is Chuck Wendig’s “Aftermath” trilogy. Although this focuses on the end of the war between the Empire and the fledgling New Republic, a number of interludes give a sense of what’s happening in the wider galaxy. Several of these are set on Tatooine, and they featured a man in Mandalorian armor who leads an insurgency against the slave system. He is Cobb Vanth, a former slave himself, and he acquired the armor from a group of Jawas. It seems the Sarlacc was badly injured during Return of the Jedi, with the explosion of Jabba’s Sail Barge leaving the creature partially exposed. Some stoma-tubes were split open, and naturally Jawas raided them for treasure – such as the Mandalorian armor Cobb Vanth wore.

The “Aftermath” trilogy never explicitly explained where Cobb Vanth got his armor, but it was strongly implied to belong to Boba Fett. That raised the possibility Boba Fett was actually alive; after all, according to Jabba it took years to be digested inside the Sarlacc. The experience could have left Boba Fett weakened, allowing the Jawas to strip him of his armor. Presumably, by the time of The Mandalorian, Boba Fett has recovered and regained his armor, which probably means Cobb Vanth has paid a hefty price for donning it.

Alternatively, of course, Star Wars may well retcon that Cobb Vanth was wearing a completely different suit of Mandalorian armor. As potent as the Sarlacc’s digestive acids may be, there’s no reason to assume they can dissolve beskar, meaning this armor could have been worn by another Mandalorian who was unfortunate enough to be fed to the Sarlacc in times long ago. The Hutts ruled Tatooine for a long time, and Jabba won’t have been the first to use the Sarlacc as a horrific method of execution. If this explanation is correct, then Boba Fett may not have even been injured from his experience, because the armor was still protecting him when he clawed his way out of one of the breached stoma-tubes. In either case, though, the “Aftermath” trilogy neatly explains how Boba Fett is still alive after Return of the Jedi, and there’s sure to be real excitement among the fanbase at the prospect of his return in The Mandalorianseason 2.

About The Author

Thomas Bacon
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Tom Bacon is one of Screen Rant’s staff writers, as well as a Peer Mentor for new writers and a member of the Care Team, offering support and a listening ear to members of the Comics group. A lifelong fan of major franchises including Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Marvel, Tom is delighted his childhood is back – and this time it’s cool. You can find him on Twitter @TomABacon.

A graduate of Edge Hill University, Tom remains strongly connected with his alma mater as a volunteer chaplain. He’s heavily involved with his local church, and anyone who checks him out on Twitter will swiftly learn he’s into British politics too.

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