With Return of the Jedi, seemingly preventing any further appearances by the fan-favorite mercenary. However, like so many popular Star Wars villains, Boba Fett returned and will soon star in a Disney+ TV series.
Boba Fett’s first on-screen appearance was in 1978’s infamous TV special, The Star Wars Holiday Special. In a brief animated segment, Boba Fett’s introduction was notably one of the few parts of the bizarre program that viewers generally enjoyed. In the Legends continuity, Boba had prominent roles in numerous comics and novels, exploring his characterization and establishing that he’s a Mandalorian warrior in addition to being one of the galaxy’s greatest bounty hunters. Eventually retiring from his bounty hunting vocation, Boba embraced his cultural heritage and became the Mand'alor, uniting all Mandalorian clans.
The canon continuity, which replaced Legends in 2014, rewrote Boba Fett’s personality, background, and overall character development in large and small ways, beginning with Jango Fett actor Temuera Morrison returning to the franchise to play Boba, viewers will have plenty to look forward to in The Book of Boba Fett.
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones
Boba’s origin is depicted in Jedi Master Mace Windu, leaving the young clone heartbroken and angry. This also created a plot thread that would be explored in The Clone Wars.
The Clone Wars Boba Fett Trilogy
Boba’s next chronological appearance in the canon timeline is in The Clone Wars, where he becomes a major antagonist of the season 2 episodes “Death Trap,” “R2 Come Home,” and “Lethal Trackdown.” Intending to avenge his father, Boba infiltrates the Republic Clone Army and sabotages a Venator-class Star Destroyer to kill Mace Windu. Throughout the three-part story arc, Boba is shown to have a sense of morals and is visibly upset by the collateral damage his assassination attempts cause, particularly when the vicious bounty hunter Aurra Sing murders Clone Commander Ponds (Windu’s second in command) in cold blood in an attempt to lure Windu into another ambush. Boba fails to avenge Jango and is incarcerated at the end of the trilogy.
The Clone Wars Season 4, Episode 20, “Bounty”
Having escaped the Republic prison by this point in The Clone Wars, Boba Fett became the leader of a team of bounty hunters in season 4's “Bounty.” The team, which includes the Sith trained Nightsister, Asajj Ventress (no longer a member of the Separatist Alliance), is tasked with escorting a hovertrain carrying precious cargo to Otua Blank. During their trip, Boba kills numerous elite Kage Warriors, despite being only a teenager. The episode demonstrates Boba’s incredible combat skills, proving that Jango Fett’s training rendered him worthy of continuing his father’s legacy.
The Bad Batch Episode 4, “Cornered”
Although The Bad Batch generally focuses on the state of the Clone Army following Palpatine’s authoritarian coup, it also explores the galaxy’s criminal underworld through the eyes of clone deserters who are desperate to survive. Episode 4, titled “Cornered,” doesn’t feature Boba Fett; it is the first chronological appearance of Fennec Shand, a lethal mercenary and the co-star of The Book of Boba Fett. The episode shows that, even early in her career, Shand is one of the galaxy’s most dangerous mercenaries, able to fight off the elite commandos of Clone Force 99 in pursuit of her target, Omega.
The Bad Batch Episode 9, “Bounty Lost”
Fennec Shand reappears in The Bad Batch episode 9, “Bounty Lost,” continuing her pursuit of Omega and finding herself at odds with veteran bounty hunter Cad Bane. Bane, a reoccurring villain in The Clone Wars, was considered the galaxy’s second-best bounty hunter during Jango Fett’s lifetime, and he killed numerous elite Clone Troopers during the war, cementing his reputation. Fennec proves herself to be his equal (if not superior) early in her career, making her a valuable ally to Boba in the Book of Boba Fett. The episode also reveals that Omega is one of only two unaltered clones, the other being Boba. Before being named by Jango, the Kaminoans referred to Boba as “Alpha.”
The Empire Strikes Back
Boba’s first cinematic appearance, The Empire Strikes Back, has Boba (along with other famous bounty hunters) hired by Darth Vader to capture the crew of the Millennium Falcon. Boba famously catches his quarry before the others by hiding the Slave I amongst a Star Destroyer’s garbage and pursuing Han’s vessel to Bespin. Boba also repeatedly speaks to Vader like an equal with impunity, a feat that few others could survive. Boba’s quick reflexes and advanced tracking gear are also shown when he detects Luke Skywalker through an opaque wall and nearly blasts him in a brief encounter.
Return of the Jedi
Having delivered Han Solo to Jabba the Hutt, Boba acts as the crime lord’s bodyguard in Return of the Jedi. During the famous Sarlacc Pit battle, Boba enters the fray, demonstrating many of his iconic suit’s gadgetry. This includes his jetpack, capture cable, and wrist-mounted blaster. Boba’s defeat is infamously undignified, however, as Han Solo blindly swings a vibro-axe into Fett’s jetpack, sending him flying through the air before falling into the Sarlacc. But, like the Legends timeline’s Fett said, “the Sarlacc found (him) somewhat indigestible.” Boba’s popularity would inevitably ensure his survival in both continuities.
The Mandalorian “Chapter 5: The Gunslinger”
Fennec Shand debuted in Fennec Shand's history as a go-to assassin for the galaxy’s most dangerous crime syndicates, indicating that Shand is now in the prime of her career. Shand is ultimately defeated by a cowardly blaster bolt fired by Toro Calican. Although hit in the abdomen at point-blank range, Shand inexplicably survives. The episode’s final scene shows her dying form being approached by a mysterious figure, later revealed to be Boba Fett.
The Mandalorian “Chapter 9: The Marshal”
The first episode of The Mandalorian season 2 features the return of Boba Fett’s armor, now work by Marshal Cobb Vanth. Vanth uses the advanced and durable Mandalorian gear to protect the small town of Mos Pelgo. Boba Fett himself is notably absent throughout the episode until its final scene. With Din Djarin having peacefully reacquired the armor from Vanth, Boba Fett ominously watches the fellow bounty hunter travel to Mos Eisley. Despite Fett’s brief appearance, the episode showcases the versatility of his armor, depicting Vanth’s use of its blaster-proof beskar plating and jetpack-mounted rocket. There’s also a reference to Fett’s Return of the Jedi defeat when Djarin activated Vanth’s jetpack by striking it.
The Mandalorian Season 2 Three-Part Finale
Boba Fett makes his full, triumphant return in The Mandalorian “Chapter 14: The Tragedy.” Following Djarin to Tython, Boba earns his trust and retrieves his armor, using its weaponry to brutally eliminate squads of Stormtroopers. In addition to featuring the return of Fennec Shand, the episode also establishes that much of Jango Fett’s Legends-era history is now part of the canon universe, with Boba confirming that his father was a Mandalorian and a veteran of the Mandalorian Civil War. Like in Legends, the older Fett in canon is far more honorable than previously portrayed. With his armor back, Fett and Shand assist Din Djarin in his goal of rescuing the Force-sensitive child, Grogu. The following episode, "Chapter 15: The Believer," has Boba use the Slave I’s famous seismic charges for the first time since Attack of the Clones.
The season 2 finale, "Chapter 16: The Rescue," features an encounter between Boba and Bo-Katan Kryze, which quickly becomes heated. Though Kryze fought alongside Jango’s clones in the Siege of Mandalore, she had (unsuccessfully) attempted to kill several in the past, and is a member of the Death Watch, possibly an enemy of Jango’s as they were in Legends. Fett nevertheless works with Bo-Katan and helps Djarin rescue Grogu before departing to Tatooine with Fennec Shand. The episode’s final scene is a direct teaser for The Book of Boba Fett, showing Boba Fett and Fennec Shand raiding the late Jabba’s Palace, killing Bib Fortuna, and commandeering the remnants of Jabba’s criminal empire.