Warning: Contains spoilers for The Book of Boba Fett episode 4.

Boba Fett strangely still has scars in The Book of Boba Fett episode 4, even though the bacta tank completely heals him. George Lucas introduced the concept of a healing tank to the Star Wars franchise in The Empire Strikes Back, and it has become a core piece of Lucasfilm’s second live-action Disney+ series. The Book of Boba Fett puts Temuera Morrison’s bounty hunter in the bacta tank for healing purposes and to trigger the show’s flashbacks to his time before The Mandalorian season 2.

The bacta tank once again played a prominent role in The Book of Boba Fett episode 4. The majority of the episode is set in the past and brought upon by Fett undergoing another round of bacta treatments. It shows Boba finding and rescuing Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) after she nearly died in The Mandalorian season 1. The two of them then partner up to reclaim Boba’s ship formerly known as Slave 1, which marks the beginning of their continued working relationship. This is potentially the last flashback The Book of Boba Fett will feature, as the episode mentions Boba is now fully healed.

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Even though The Book of Boba Fett has a droid directly stating that Boba Fett is completely healed, viewers are sure to notice that he still has various scars on his face. He has a few across his forehead and others on the side of his face. This is quite confusing at first glance based on the show going out of its way to confirm that Boba Fett is fully healed. This is true beyond the scars, as the extensive bacta tank visits cleared him of the burns on his face and even restored Boba Fett’s eyebrows. Leaving the scars appears to be a limitation of the technology, though, as it lines up well with how bacta tanks have been used in the past.

Luke Skywalker became the first person to use a bacta tank in The Empire Strikes Back, as he was put in the machine following his encounter with a wampa on Hoth. The bacta tank helped heal Luke, but his single session still left some noticeable scarring on his face. It’s possible repeated use of the bacta tank or a prolonged single visit would’ve healed him, but The Empire Strikes Back at least provides some support for the bacta tank not healing all scarring. Similarly, Anakin Skywalker used the bacta tank frequently as Darth Vader but the tank sessions barely improved his physical appearance over the years.

One possible explanation for Boba Fett’s scars staying despite the bacta tank healing him could be the severity of them. The bacta tank is meant to help treat major injuries. This could explain why Fett’s time in the tank primarily focused on healing something like the acid burns he received from the Sarlacc Pit. Since small scars on his face might be minor injuries overall that have no potential lingering health issues attached, the bacta tank treatments might not heal them. It’s also possible that the bacta tank might not address old injuries and scars. If Boba Fett gets back in the tank before The Book of Boba Fett is over, however, then perhaps that could be when his final scars vanish.

The Book of Boba Fett releases new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+.

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Cooper Hood
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Cooper Hood is a news and feature writer for Screen Rant. He joined Screen Rant in late 2016 following a year-long stint with MCU Exchange, which came after first developing an MCU blog of his own. He graduated college in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in Media & Public Communication, with a minor in Media Production. Cooper’s love for movies began by watching Toy Story and Lion King on repeat as a child, but it wasn’t until The Avengers that he took an invested interest in movies and the filmmaking process, leading him to discover the world of film journalism. Every year Cooper looks forward to seeing the latest blockbusters from the likes of Marvel, DC, and Star Wars, but also loves the rush to catch up on Oscar films near the end of the year. When he isn’t writing about or watching new releases, Cooper is a fantasy football obsessive and looking to expand his Blu-Ray collection – because physical media is still king! Follow Cooper on Twitter @MovieCooper.

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