More than 40 years since the character first debuted (in – erm – the Star Wars Holiday Special), bounty hunter Boba Fett is finally taking centre stage in a Star Wars project, with the aptly-titled The Book of Boba Fett.
Temuera Morrison, who previously played Boba’s ‘father’ Jango Fett in the Star Wars prequels, is reprising the role of Boba (Jango’s clone ‘son’) that he played in Disney Plus series The Mandalorian.
Also reprising her role from that show is Ming-Na Wen, once again playing Boba’s ally Fennec Shand, who was last seen at Fett’s side after he stormed Jabba’s palace and executed Bib Fortuna in The Mandalorian season two’s post-credits scene.
Wen told Entertainment Weekly that, in contrast to The Mandalorian’s ‘space Western’ vibe, The Book of Boba Fett will be “more like a [Star Wars] take on gangster movies”, with Fett and his mercenary partner looking to stake their claim on the territory once ruled by Jabba the Hutt and his crime syndicate.
But when exactly is The Book of Boba Fett set in the Star Wars timeline, and how long after the events of The Mandalorian’s second season does it take place? Read on for all the essential info.
When is The Book of Boba Fett set?
Though plot details for The Book of Boba Fett are scarce, the teaser footage we’ve glimpsed thus far seems to suggest that the events of the series take place shortly after The Mandalorian’s second season.
In a post-credits scene featured as part of The Mandalorian’s season two finale, ‘The Rescue’, Boba Fett and Fennec Shand returned to sandy plains of Tatooine and found that Jabba’s former servant Bib Fortuna had inherited the dead crime lord’s empire.
Fennec liberated the Twi’lek woman chained to Bib’s throne and Boba then killed Fortuna without hesitation, before taking his place on Jabba’s old throne.
The series’ official trailer – which dropped on 1st November, 2021 – suggests that it’ll explore the immediate aftermath of Fett and Shand’s actions, with the pair meeting with the crime lords of Tatooine in an attempt to forge an (uneasy?) alliance.
“Jabba ruled with fear – I intend to rule with respect,” growls Boba.
In terms of where the series fits within the overall Star Wars chronology, like its parent series The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett set after the original Star Wars trilogy (aka A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi) but before the sequel trilogy (aka The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker).
Both Disney Plus series are set at a time when the Empire has been defeated, and the new Republic set up by the Rebel Alliance is taking charge – but some Imperial remnants are still at large and causing trouble.
However, it’s possible that The Book of Boba Fett might also be set at least partially in the immediate aftermath of Return of the Jedi and before the events of The Mandalorian’s second season. Confused? Let us explain…
In Return of the Jedi, Boba was knocked into a Sarlacc Pit – a living pit with a big appetite – by Han Solo and was presumed dead (by fans, and within the fictional universe of Star Wars).
He later resurfaced, alive, in season two of The Mandalorian, but we’re yet to discover how Fett escaped the Sarlacc Pit or much of what he’s been up to since. It sounds like that’s about to change, however…
“We’re going to see his past and where he’s been since The Empire Strikes Back,” Temuera Morrison told Rotten Tomatoes. “Somebody pointed out he’s been kind of stuck in this one place, and now’s the time to actually go back in time and check out his journey and find out more about him.”
It’s as yet unclear whether this means Boba simply revisiting people and places he encountered during his missing years, or whether The Book of Boba Fett will actually feature flashbacks detailing his escape and how he lost his now-recovered armour (which was salvaged by Jawas after his supposed death and briefly utilised by Cobb Vanth, as played by Timothy Olyphant in The Mandalorian).
Read more about The Book of Boba Fett:
- The Book of Boba Fett cast: Full list of confirmed characters
- How many episodes of The Book of Boba Fett will there be?
- The Book of Boba Fett unveils exciting new ‘Reign’ teaser trailer
The Book of Boba Fett premieres on Disney Plus on Wednesday 29th December 2021. Sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year.