"No disintegrations."
ver since riding into the Holiday Special—or at least since The Empire Strikes Back—Boba Fett has been a fan favorite. Was it the iconic, well-worn armor? Was it the fact that Darth Vader himself had to caution him against disintegrating his prey? Was it the jetpack?
Whatever the reason, the bounty hunter's popularity isn't diminished by his limited screen time. He only gets a few lines in The Empire Strikes Back, a speedy exit in Return of the Jedi, an appearance as a youngster in Attack of the Clones, and a few plot arcs in The Clone Wars. With so few appearances, it's understandable that fans to want to see more of his story. But where can you go to find out more about him?
Here, we'll highlight a couple of our favorite places to read more about the adventures of Boba Fett – and if that's not enough, we'll point out even more books you can turn to.
“The Sarlacc Found Me Somewhat Indigestible”
If you think Boba Fett's exit in Return of the Jedi wasn't befitting of the galaxy's most feared bounty hunter, you'll be happy to know that the Legends line of Star Wars literature agrees. Shortly after the destruction of Jabba's sail barge, Fett blasts his way out of the Sarlacc, which you can read about it in A Barve Like That: The Tale of Boba Fett, one of the short stories in Tales from Jabba's Palace. But it's after his escape that things get interesting.
The Bounty Hunter Wars is a trilogy by K. W. Jeter that begins shortly after Fett's explosive exit. Another bounty hunter, Dengar, is perusing the wreckage of Jabba's sail barge when he finds Fett, severely injured and with badly damaged armor. Dengar takes Fett to a cave to recuperate in relative safety. A woman named Neelah – an escaped dancer from Jabba's palace – finds him there. She has no memory of her life before her time with the Hutt, but somehow she thinks Fett might have something to do with her past.
The trilogy includes several flashbacks that explore the fascinating Bounty Hunters' Guild (and Fett's strained relationship with it) and the roots of a conspiracy that's still unfolding as the Galactic Civil War reaches its climax over Endor. We're introduced to Prince Xizor, leader of the Black Sun crime syndicate, who has pitched Emperor Palpatine a plan to turn the galaxy's bounty hunter's against each other. The survivors would go to work for the Empire, helping to crush the Rebellion. Fett played a vital role in that plan.
As we follow Fett, we learn the true identity of Neelah and her role in a titanic power struggle within one of the Empire's most significant military contractors. We also find out that Xizor may have had motives other than the Empire's final victory.
“He's No Good to Me Dead”
If the flashbacks in The Bounty Hunter Wars whetted your appetite for more Boba backstory, or if you're a graphic novel aficionado, another great series to check out is Star Wars: Blood Ties, initially published by Dark Horse Comics in 2010 and 2012.
The first series of four issues, A Tale of Jango and Boba Fett, begins when the bounty hunter was just a boy. Jango gives him a quest – to get a tooth from a balyeg, one of the most fearsome creatures in the galaxy. After having faced one, Boba need not fear anything else as long as he lives. Perhaps that helps explain his Sarlacc escape...
Jango takes Boba on assignment from Count Dooku to kill a man who has information that could imperil production of the clone army, only to find that it's an escaped clone. After killing him, Jango finds the clone had a son – technically, Jango's genetic child (lineage gets complicated with clones, apparently). He lets the child, Connor Freeman, and his mother live. Unfortunately for Jango, Mace Windu's lightsaber keeps him from ever explaining the situation to Boba.
Years later, Boba Fett gets a bounty on someone who had allegedly cheated a short-tempered crime lord in a game of sabacc. Fett learns that his prey is Connor Freeman, and his banker explains just how they're connected. In a story of redemption that shows us a different side of Fett's character, we see the two grow close as Freeman becomes one of the few individuals Fett cares about.
In the second series, Boba Fett is Dead, Fett and Freeman reunite, and we learn even more about Fett's past. It starts with a group of mercenaries trying to kill him; he swaps clothes with the criminal he'd been chasing and stages his own death while he tries to figure out who's after him. He makes a detour to warn Freeman – barely saving him in time, and then sending him on a personal mission to protect something important to Boba. Fett finds out who's behind the mercenaries, and we learn it's a ghost from his past... a past few of us would have imagined as we're shown yet another facet of this mysterious character.
“Follow Me, Friend”
Of course, we've barely scratched the surface: that's just two series out of the vast Expanded Universe. With Boba Fett's following, it's no surprise that he's been well represented in Star Wars media. In addition to the Blood Ties series, he was featured in several other Dark Horse comics (since collected in Star Wars Omnibus: Boba Fett). In The Force Unleashed II video game and companion novel, he plays a crucial role in Vader's attempt to catch Starkiller. And, in an alternative view of the Star Wars Universe after Return of the Jedi, he figures prominently in the Dark Empire comic series as well as the Legacy of the Force and Fate of the Jedi series of novels.
So, even if his time on the big screen is limited, there's plenty of reading adventures out there for fans of the dented helmet!
Coming Soon
Our team is hard at work building out this collection. Stay tuned!
Books in this Collection
Dark Empire
Hard Merchandise
Boba Fett fears only one enemy--the one he cannot see....
Feared and admired, respected and despised, Boba Fett enjoys a dubious reputation as the galaxy's most successful bounty hunter. Yet even a man like Boba Fett can have one too many enemies....
When Boba Fett stumbles across evidence implicating Prince Xizor in the murder of Luke Skywalker's aunt and uncle, Fett makes himself an enemy even he fears: the unknown mastermind behind a monstrous deception, who will kill to hide his tracks. Fett also finds himself in possession of an amnesiac young woman named Neelah, who may be the key to the mystery--or a decoy leading Fett into a murderous ambush. Fett's last hope is to run through the list of Xizor's hidden enemies. And since Xizor's hidden enemies are almost as legion as Fett's, the chance of survival is slim--even for someone as skilled and relentless as Boba Fett.
Boba Fett: A Practical Man
On the surface, it seems like just another routine contract for Boba Fett and his Mandalorian commandos, but the mystery client who hires them to start a small war is more dangerous than any of them can possibly imagine. When the Yuuzhan Vong invasion force sweeps into the galaxy, the Mandalorians find they’re on the wrong side–fighting for an alien culture that will bring about the end of their own.
Now Fett has to choose between his honor and the survival of his people. Since he’ s a practical man, he’s determined help the resistance beat the Yuuzhan Vong—even if it means working with a Jedi agent. Trouble is, no one trusts a man with Fett’ s reputation. So convincing the New Republic that they’re fighting on the same side is a tall order. Denounced as traitors, Fett’s Mandalorians need to stay one step ahead of their Yuuzhan Vong paymasters–and the Republic who sees them as collaborators with the most destructive enemy the galaxy has ever faced. . . .
Star Wars Adventures: Boba Fett And The Ship Of Fear
Blood Ties Volume 1: Jango & Boba Fett
Here begins a multigenerational tale of honor and redemption, starring two of the heaviest hitters in the Star Wars galaxy: Jango and Boba Fett! Before the beginning of the Clone Wars, Jango accepts a mission which will affect the course of Boba Fett's life some twenty years into the future! When an important assignment with a big payday from Count Dooku goes awry for Jango, Boba will be tasked with picking up the pieces...
Star Wars (2015) Vol. 1: Skywalker Strikes (Trade Paperback)
Age Of Rebellion: Boba Fett #1
Younglings
Omnibus: Boba Fett
Boba Fett, the most feared, most respected, and most loved bounty hunter in the galaxy now has all of his comics stories collected into one massive volume!
In these stories, Boba Fett gets caught between the Rebellion and the Empire; seeks a mysterious relic from a wrecked Star Destroyer; settles a diplomatic dispute — with extreme prejudice; takes part in a bounty-hunter free-for-all; fights Darth Vader; and even goes up against a Boba Fett imposter! There’s no job too deadly for the man in Mandalorian armor!
Collects: Boba Fett: Enemy of the Empire 1 Boba Fett: Enemy of the Empire 2 Boba Fett: Enemy of the Empire 3 Boba Fett: Enemy of the Empire 4 Underworld: The Yavin Vassilika 1 Underworld: The Yavin Vassilika 2 Underworld: The Yavin Vassilika 3 Underworld: The Yavin Vassilika 4 Underworld: The Yavin Vassilika 5 Empire 7: Sacrifice Empire 28: Wreckage Boba Fett: Overkill Boba Fett ½: Salvage Boba Fett: Twin Engines of Destruction Boba Fett: Bounty on Bar-Kooda Boba Fett: When the Fat Lady Swings Boba Fett: Murder Most Foul Boba Fett: Agent of DoomThe Book Of Boba Fett
The Book Of Boba Fett S01E02: The Tribes Of Tatooine
The Book Of Boba Fett S01E03: The Streets Of Mos Espa
The Book Of Boba Fett S01E04: The Gathering Storm
The Book Of Boba Fett S01E07: In The Name Of Honor
War of The Bounty Hunters (Omnibus)
Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters
A hardcover Marvel Omnibus compilation of the entire War of the Bounty Hunters Crossover Event Series
All-out war engulfs the galaxy! Notorious bounty hunter Boba Fett has finally landed his greatest prize: Han Solo, frozen in carbonite. But Solo is about to become one highly sought-after smuggler! The Rebels want their friend back, the Empire seeks revenge on one of its greatest enemies and other bounty hunters have their eyes on a big payday – but what moves will the Crimson Dawn syndicate make? Featuring Darth Vader, Jabba the Hutt, Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, Valance, Doctor Aphra and more!
Collecting:
War of the Bounty Hunters Alpha
War of the Bounty Hunters #1-5
War of the Bounty Hunters: Jabba the Hutt
War of the Bounty Hunters: 4-LOM and Zuckuss
War of the Bounty Hunters: Boushh, and IG-88
Star Wars (2020) #13-18
Bounty Hunters #12-17
Darth Vader (2020) #12-17
Doctor Aphra (2020) #10-15
Material from Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters Alpha Director's Cut (2021) #1
Bloodlines
A new era of exciting adventures and shocking revelations continues to unfold, as the legendary Star Wars saga sweeps forward into astonishing new territory.
Civil war looms as the fledgling Galactic Alliance confronts a growing number of rebellious worlds-and the approaching war is tearing the Skywalker and Solo families apart. Han and Leia return to Han's homeworld, Corellia, the heart of the resistance. Their children, Jacen and Jaina, are soldiers in the Galactic Alliance's campaign to crush the insurgents.
Jacen, now a complete master of the Force, has his own plans to bring order to the galaxy. Guided by his Sith mentor, Lumiya, and with Luke's young son Ben at his side, Jacen embarks on the same path that his grandfather Darth Vader once did. And while Han and Leia watch their only son become a stranger, a secret assassin entangles the couple with a dreaded name from Han's past: Boba Fett. In the new galactic order, friends and enemies are no longer what they seem.…
Slave Ship
He's both feared and admired, respected and despised. Boba Fett is the galaxy's most successful bounty hunter. Now he finds himself the hunted in the oldest game of all: survival of the fittest.
The once powerful Bounty Hunter's Guild has been shattered into warring factions. Now the posting of an enormous bounty on a renegade Imperial stormtrooper is about to start a frenzy of murderous greed.
Hoping to fuel rumors of his death, Boba Fett abandons his ship, Slave I, and sets out to claim the prize. Yet his every move leads him closer to a trap set by the cunning Prince Xizor. Fett will die before becoming Xizor's pawn in the Emperor's war against the Rebels. And he may have to. For in order to gain his freedom he must outwit a sentient weapon that feeds on human spirits. Then he must escape a galaxy of deadly enemies who want to make the rumors of his death a reality.
The Mandalorian Armor
He's the most feared and successful bounty hunter in the galaxy. He is Boba Fett, and even the most hardened criminals tremble at his name. Now he faces the deadliest challenge of his infamous career--an all-out war against his most dangerous enemies.
As the Rebellion gathers force, Prince Xizor proposes a cunning plan to the Emperor and Darth Vader: smash the power of the Bounty Hunters Guild by turning its members against each other. Only the strongest and most ruthless will survive, and they can be used against the Rebellion. It's a job for the fiercely independent Boba Fett, who jumps at the chance to destroy his rivals. But Fett soon realizes the game is rigged, as he finds himself the target of murderous factions, criminal conspiracies, and the evil at the Empire's dark heart. Boba Fett has always finished first. And in this game, anything less is death.
Tales from Jabba's Palace
In the dusty heat of twin-sunned Tatooine lives the wealthiest gangster in a hundred worlds, master of a vast crime empire and keeper of a vicious, flesh-eating monster for entertainment (and disposal of his enemies). Bloated and sinister, Jabba the Hutt might have made a good joke -- if he weren't so dangerous. A cast of soldiers, spies, assassins, scoundrels, bounty hunters, and pleasure seekers have come to his palace, and every visitor to Jabba's grand abode has a story. Some of them may even live to tell it. . . .
Featuring original stories by: Kevin J. Anderson, M. Shayne Bell, John Gregory Betancourt, Mark Budz and Marina Fitch, A.C. Crispin, Dan'l Danehy-Oakes, George Alec Effinger, Kenneth C. Flint, Esther Friesner, Barbara Hambly, Daryl F. Mallett, J.D. Montgomery, Judy and Gar Reeves-Stevens, Jennifer Roberson, Kathy Tyers, Deborah Wheeler, Dave Wolverton, William F. Wu, Timothy Zahn.
From A Certain Point of View
A truly unique and heroic feat in Star Wars publishing, From a Certain Point of View is a compilation of forty short stories by more than forty incredible authors to retell the story of A New Hope in celebration of its fortieth anniversary. Not only did Del Rey assemble a massive team consisting of their catalog of regular Star Wars writers such as Chuck Wendig, John Jackson Miller, and Claudia Gray, they managed to rope in many award-winning authors to pen their first stories in a galaxy far, far away. Such authors include Ken Liu, Sabaa Tahir, Zoraida Córdova, and Rae Carson. All of the book’s authors donated their pay to First Book, a nonprofit dedicated to improving literacy.
The stories represent the points of view of many of the notable side characters from A New Hope, such as Wedge Antilles, Greedo, and Grand Moff Tarkin. But they don’t stop there. The book benefits from forty years of expanding the Star Wars universe, and as such many characters not originally in the original film provide perspective in creative ways–Lando Calrissian, Yoda, Breha Organa, and even Qui-Gon Jinn! It is a compilation not only of characters and authors, but also styles and tones. At times heartbreaking, hilarious, and head-scratching. Some stories will connect differently with different readers. It certainly has something for everyone and is a remarkable read.
Forty years. Forty stories.
In honor of the fortieth anniversary of Star Wars: A New Hope, this collection features Star Wars stories by bestselling authors, trendsetting artists, and treasured voices from Star Wars literary history. More than forty authors have lent their unique vision to forty "scenes," each retelling a different moment from the original Star Wars film, but with a twist: Every scene is told from the point of view of a background character. Whether it's the X-wing pilots who helped Luke destroy the Death Star or the stormtroopers who never quite could find the droids they were looking for, Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View places the classic movie in a whole new perspective, and celebrates the influence and legacy of the unparalleled cultural phenomenon, Star Wars.