The post-credits scene of Season 2 of The Mandalorian made a lasting impression on Star Wars fans, even in the wake of Luke Skywalker’s cameo earlier in the episode. Boba Fett arrives at Jabba’s palace and kills Bib Fortuna, who apparently took over the Hutt’s empire after the events of Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi. The upcoming Book of Boba Fett will presumably follow entails his exploits as a crime lord, but regardless of how it plays out in the series, it’s not the first time he’s controlled a crime syndicate.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars picked up Boba’s story several years after the death of his father Jango at the end of Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. He made his triumphant reappearance in Season 2, Episode 20, “Death Trap,” when he successfully sabotaged a Republic destroyer and came close to killing Mace Windu. He ended the multi-episode arc in prison, but he wouldn’t remain there for long.
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By the time the show entered its fourth season, Boba had already established a bounty hunting organization known as the Krayt’s Claw, based on Tatooine. This plot point forms the crux of Season 4, Episode 20, “Bounty,” in which Asajj Ventress finds herself working with the bounty hunters in search of her suddenly cloudy destiny. The group’s name comes from the Krayt Dragon, a near-mythic Tatooine predator, and it consists of several notable bounty hunters. Some were created for The Clone Wars, including Latts Razzi and C-21 Highsinger, while others already had roots planted in the Star Wars franchise, such as Bossk and Dengar, who famously appeared in Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back.
Despite how young he was during the Clone Wars, Boba was effortlessly in command. None of the others question his orders, and his plans appear sound and intelligent. It wasn’t always an easy path for Boba, however. Ventress humiliates him at the end of the episode, leaving him locked in a box the team was contracted to deliver. While the two patched up their differences in Dark Disciple, the canon novel by Christie Golden covering the fate of Ventress, Fett and Krayt’s Claw suffer defeat there too — this time at the hands of Count Dooku. In both cases, though, both Boba and his organization endured, and by the events of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, he had become a galaxy-renowned bounty hunter.
It remains to be seen how those early experiences will factor into his role as Jabba’s successor. The Krayt’s Claw was strictly a bounty hunting operation, while Jabba controlled a far larger organization that included piracy, slaving, smuggling and even political trafficking. Whether or not Boba intends to continue those operations or refocus Jabba’s resources towards bounty hunting exclusively remains to be seen. But regardless of the direction, his actions are bound to be informed by those earlier experiences. The coda in The Mandalorian already promises Fennac Shand’s presence, and it wouldn’t be difficult to include fan-favorites like Bossk and Dengar as well. Star Wars: The Bad Batch may also well reveal further details, especially since Shand is already a part of that series and Fett is canonically involved in his earlier endeavors at that point in the timeline.
Most importantly, Boba’s time working with the Krayt’s Claw suggests his grip on his new empire is stronger than it looks. Whatever Boba has planned, he’s not going into it blind, and he likely still has access to resources and personnel from the Krayt’s Claw. With both The Mandalorian and The Bad Batch ongoing, Star Wars’ creative team has a golden opportunity to show how the bounty hunter’s earlier efforts running a crime ring are reflected in his later ones.
The Book of Boba Fett stars Temuera Morrison and Ming-Na Wen. The series premieres on Disney+ in December 2021.
KEEP READING: Star Wars: Boba Fett Completely Destroys Two Classic Bounty Hunters
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