After the Disney acquisition of Lucasfilm, everything seems to be on the table. The Expanded Universe could be partially kept or completely thrown away. The comics are moving to Marvel. Any video games are moving from Lucas Arts to Electronic Arts. There is a new trilogy coming as well as spinoff movies based on specific characters. One of the movies appears to be a story about Boba Fett. However, that Boba Fett (see who really killed Luke’s Aunt & Uncle) may not be the clone you came to know in the prequel trilogy. Again, everything is on the table. Another person may have killed the original Fett and taken up the mantle in Episodes IV-VI. Here are a few reasons that may be more of a possibility than you make think.
10. Boba Fett Never Hunted Obi Wan
If the Boba Fett in Episodes IV-VI is the Boba Fett in Episodes I-III, then you certainly could not tell it by his time on Tatooine. Ben Kenobi was known as a ‘crazy old wizard’ on Tatooine. If you are the best bounty hunter in the galaxy, then there would definitely be a premium on finding old JEDI as well as killing them. What’s more? If the Boba in the IV-VI is the same Boba from I-III, then he would have seen his father fight Obi Wan on Kamino. It would have taken one look for him to know that Ben Kenobi was actually Obi Wan Kenobi.
Boba Fett was also on Genosis when his father was killed by JEDI. He would have recognized Kenobi from the battle even if he did not kill Jango directly. However, Fett uses Tatooine as a base of operations frequently as does not track Kenobi. Furthermore, Kenobi uses a light saber ( dead JEDI giveaway ) in Mos Eisley while Fett is on the planet. Killing Kenobi, no matter what age, should be a priority for Jango Fett;s son (no matter what the price is.) Yet, Fett never tracks Kenobi or the Falcon during the events of A New Hope.
Was E.T. really a JEDI? Read this and see.
9. Boba Fett Never Takes His Helmet Off
This is actually kind of a salient point. Lets assume for a moment that not every clone died in the Clone Wars. As a matter of fact, whole there are whole battalions of them appear at the end carrying out Order 66 against the JEDI. Even if the clones were all retired by the time of A New Hope, it is reasonable to assume that some were still alive. There is also the fact that they all looked alike and presumably had the same fingerprints.
Boba Fett was a wanted bounty hunter. Fett could have hid in plain sight by simply taking off his armor and saying that he was an old clone warrior. It is the perfect camouflage. This would be unless the person under the mask was actually wanted more than Fett himself. This would mean that the face of Fett in Episodes IV-VI was so well known that it was actually more dangerous to take off the mask. As such, Fett in RETURN OF THE JEDI will even mack on chicks and keep the helmet on.
8. The Theory Of The ‘Dread Pirate Roberts’
No one fears the ‘Dread Pirate Westley.’ ‘Boba Fett’ could actually be more an ‘identity’ or an organization than any one actual person. It is the distinctive armor itself that strikes fear into the hearts of people, not whoever is wearing it. Therefore, Boba Fett wasn’t always even the same guy when he was in Episodes IV-VI.
This is certainly true of the actors working the Fett costume. In the Empire Strikes Back, the Fett armor is worn in different scenes by both actors Jeremy Bulloch and John Morton. In the Star Wars Holiday Special, the animated segment features Fett wearing different armor ( as well as encountering the heroes before The Empire Strikes Back ) and voiced by a completely different actor than the voice actor used in the subsequent movies.
7. Lookalikes And Doubles
Political figures are famous for using lookalikes and doubles. This is especially true when there is a public event and the political figure needs to be moved. The lookalike will move publicly (in case they are a target) and the real person is moved secretly. Josef Stalin had several doubles. One of the doubles is known to this day only as Rashid. Winston Churchilll did the same thing on the other side of the pond. The ‘real’ Fett was only really needed on hunts. He was not generally needed on things like negotiations or for standing around Jabba’s Palace waiting for work. This actually would tie directly into our next point.
6. The Real Boba Fett Did Not Die In The Sarlacc Pit
In the comic book Dark Empire, Boba Fett explains his continued life by saying that the ‘Sarlacc found me to be somewhat indigestible.’ Fett has one of the most disappointing deaths in cinema history. He can’t really fight. He can’t really operate his own jet pack. He rather promptly gets swallowed. What is Fett going to say? Crawling out of the pit actually enhances Fett’s legend. If he says that he was using some one else in the Fett armor to witness the execution, then the whole story goes downhill from there.
Did Han Solo Need to Die in Empire Strikes Back? Find out!
Fett had already been paid for Solo. There was no actual reason for him to stand on the Skiff. Fett used a stand-in for the day figuring it would all be routine. The stand in had no idea what he was doing and promptly died. Fett then lays low for a little while until he actually needs work again.
5. The ‘Hobgoblin’ Theorem
Roger Stern was the original creator of the Spider-Man nemesis The Hobgoblin. One of the great mysteries of the 1980s concerned who was underneath the mask of the successor to the Green Goblin’s throne. Stern actually left the title before the identity of the Hobgoblin was revealed. When Stern read that the Hobgoblin was revealed to be reporter Ned Leeds, he was upset (especially since it was not his intended Goblin.)
Later on, Stern would go back and write the Hobgoblin Lives storyline in which his intended Hobgoblin was revealed to be Roderick Kingsley (as Stern had always intended). Lawrence Kasdan reportedly faces the same trouble with Boba Fett. Kasdan is deeply involved in a Boba Fett spin-off movie and reportedly did not like the ‘Boba Fett is a clone’ explanation. There is a real chance that Clone Fett may be done away with by the more mysterious Fett that we know in Episodes IV-VI.
4. The Height/Weight/ Ethnicity Differential
In Episodes IV-VI, Boba Fett is played by actors Jeremy Bulloch and John Morton. Morton is American and stands around 6 feet tall. He was chosen as a stand in for the English Bulloch (who was again around 6 feet tall). This is in stark contrast to the prequel trilogy. Temuera Morrison played Jango Fett (the clone template) and stands around 5’7. Daniel Logan, who played Boba Fett, is also from New Zealand, and ten plus years after Attack of the Clones, stands around 5’6 – 5’7.
Since Fett is supposedly an unaltered clone, then it would stand to reason that he would not grow up to be five inches taller than the template. The New Zealand actors also have a different body type than their American / English counterparts. This is again important because Morton was chosen specifically for physically resemblance to Bulloch as Logan was chosen for his physical resemblance to Morrison. Ergo and therefore, they were intended to be the same person.
3. The Switch Had Not Occurred Yet In The ‘Star Wars Holiday Special’
Famously, the Star Wars Holiday Special is the first actual appearance of Boba Fett. This might actually be the last appearance of what will probably come to be known as the Clone Fett. There are several clues to this in the short animated sequence. First, the Boba Fett in the animated special has a more bluish helmet. This helmet (as well as the body armor) looks a lot more like the helmet that Boba picks up during the battle of Genosis in Attack of the Clones.
Also, the animation clearly establishes that Boba Fett is around the same height as C3P0. Anthony Daniels, the actor who plays C3P0, is around 5’7. This Fett would be in line with a clone of Jango Fett. There is also the fact that Fett in Empire Strikes Back seems to be picking up a new job on people which he is not necessarily familiar. The only way that this would make sense with the animated segment is in fact a different Fett than portrayed in The Empire Strikes Back.
2. The Methodology Is Different
During the Clone Wars, the teenaged Boba Fett specifically seeks out alliances with other Bounty Hunters in order to hunt down Mace Windu. Fett is also emotional as well as vindictive. In short, he is willing to take on targets for personal satisfaction. By the time of the Empire Strikes Back, Fett is known as being a mercenary. He also specifically works alone (even though he is shown in the Clone Wars with Bossk). In the roughly two decade interim, he changes his motivation as well as his methods? Also, the Fett in Empire and JEDI is perfectly willing to stay in the background and let the mark come to him. He allows the Empire to trap and deliver Solo with only really tipping them off to where Solo was.
A true clone of Jango would be much more proactive. Granted, we never really see Fett fight in Episodes IV-VI, but we know that he is willing to shoot some one who is unarmed or surrounded. This is a much more diplomatic Fett and not one that will or possibly even can stand toe to toe with a JEDI or who is willing to blow apart a JEDI masters as part of a blood feud. Also, neither Jango or the original Boba has any problem going without the armor. As a matter of fact, Jango goes out of his way in order to not show the armor when Kenobi visits.
1. Lawrence Kasdan
Besides George Lucas, Lawrence Kasdan has the most to do with our modern understanding of Star Wars. However, Kasdan had very little to do with the prequels. On the new trilogy, Kasdan was brought in to replace screen writer Michael Arndt. Reportedly, Arndt’s script focused on the next generation and left the original characters as cameos. Kasdan’s reported take reverses that trend in order to give the original trilogy characters a much larger role. This would seem to lead to the conclusion that Kasdan is more than willing to change things. Furthermore, Kasdan does not seem like he is particularly bound by much of what came before other than the original trilogy (IV-VI) up to and including the prequels. In the Boba Fett spinoff movie, Kasdan may actually take quite a bit of pleasure in killing off the prequel character in the first five minutes to re-add back a sense of mystery to the character.
4 Comments
Definitely worth trying out if you’re in the area!
All this theories and no mention of the Mandalorians, the group which he’s been affiliated with and shares armor with.
You geeks in love with Boba Fett really need to get a life. You put too much thought and effort into trying to make a legend out of something that originated as a liking towards a cool looking costume. You are just making a messiah out of a no one.
I never knew about the E.T. Easter egg! Guess I’m a trilogy gal.