Is There Room for Boba Fett in Clone Wars?
What can make a cool Star Wars show even cooler? Add Boba Fett. At least that looks
like the strategy that Lucasfilm is using to bring in more viewers for the conclusion of
Season 2 of The Clone Wars. As a fan of the Star Wars Expanded Universe of course my
first thought was, “Oh no, what EU story are they going to disregard this time?” Don’t get
me wrong. I love The Clone Wars series…for the most part, and I understand that it will
not always fit in with the existing EU stories. With George Lucas so involved it is to be
expected that the EU will be trod upon. He doesn’t even know half of the stuff exists and
frankly he doesn’t care. Thank goodness for Dave Filoni (a self-admitted EU fan) for
throwing some EU bones at us here and there. We will have to wait for the conclusion of
the Clone Wars series to see how they will reconcile some major conflicts in continuity. I’m
sure efforts will be made with some creative retconning.
For now though I wanted to take a look at what we do know about Boba Fett at
this point in galactic history. Is his inclusion in the Clone Wars series something
that can work with existing continuity?
Most of what we know about Boba Fett after the Battle of Geonosis and before the events
of Revenge of the Sith can be found in the six Boba Fett young readers novels written by
Terry Bisson and Elizabeth Hand. Here is a brief summary of the events of those novels.
- Boba Fett is about 10 years old at the time of Jango’s death
- After his father’s death Boba takes the Madalorian armor and buries his father
- Jango left instructions for his son to seek out Jabba the Hutt and Count Dooku
- Aurra Sing helps Boba but then captures him and takes him to Count Dooku
- About a month after the Battle of Geonosis the clones invade Dooku’s base at Raxus
Prime and Boba is taken by the clones
- Boba is taken to Cloud City to find foster parents but escapes. Aurra Sing once again
finds him and tries to swindle him for his dad’s money
- Boba escapes from her again and sets out on his own to find Jabba
- Only 2 months after the Battle of Geonosis, Boba finds Jabba the Hutt. At this time he
has Jango’s armor resized to fit his smaller frame. Jabba hires him along with Durge (of
Dark Horse comics and Genndy animated series fame) to kill someone. Boba returns to
Jabba victorious
- Boba works for Jabba for a couple years and then gets an assignment to kill Wat
Tambor. At this time he would be about 12 years old.
- While trying to get Tambor, Boba has a run in with General Grievous on Xagobah.
Grievous defeats him and Boba fakes his death
- While leaving Xagobah, Fett has a brief dogfight with Asajj Ventress. With unexpected
assistance from Anakin Skywalker, Fett is able to survive this encounter.
- Anakin convinces Fett to go to Coruscant and share some vital information he has with
the Republic
- While on Coruscant Fett has a run in with Mace Windu and they have a brief battle. The
fight is stopped by Chancellor Palpatine.
- Palpatine hints to Fett about his plans for the clones and pays Fett a large amount of
money to keep quiet
- These events lead up to the events of the Revenge of the Sith
So the two years of Boba’s life between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith are
pretty well chronicled. The writers made sure he encountered a Who's Who list of Star
Wars characters including Anakin, Windu, Ventress, Grievous, Jabba, Aurra Sing and
others. Depending on the scope of the story they are planning to tell in The Clone Wars it
could be tough to fit into the stories that are already out there. Here are a few
thoughts...
- In the trailer it looks like he is not wearing the armor yet. In my mind this is a good thing.
I never liked the idea of a 12 year old Fett running around in Mando armor. He would look
pretty ridiculous in that armor and not too intimidating. In the books Boba does have
Jango's armor resized to fit him but my guess is we will not see him don the armor in Clone
Wars
- In at least one picture released from the Clone Wars we see Boba wearing what looks
like clone armor on his knees. Maybe he got these "kneepads" from the clones who
rescued him from Raxus Prime?
- The trailer also shows Boba working with Aurra Sing. In a panel at a recent convention it
was explained that Sing was taking on the role of Boba’s mentor.
In the existing storyline from the books Boba and Sing do spend some time together, most
notably in the book Maze of Deception. I almost wonder if Filoni is aware of this and put
that detail into the story as a nod to the EU fans. It seems like quite a coincidence.
- Where this story will fit in exactly will be easier to determine after we see the episode.
The timing does seem to be off right from the start though. According to an online article
from TV Guide Magazine, Boba Fett will be 12 years old in his appearance on Clone
Wars.
In the Boba Fett books Fett is already in the employ of Jabba the Hutt and has collected
some bounties by the time he is 12. He is already wearing the armor too. So in the books
he is already an experienced Bounty Hunter at 12 but the Clone Wars show seems to be
portraying him as a bounty hunter in training under the tutelage of Aurra Sing. In the
books he had his time with Aurra Sing when he was more like 10 and had left her behind at
that time.
- If he is twelve years old this means the events of the episodes he is in would have to take
place toward the end of the Clone Wars. He was 10 at the end of Attack of the Clones and
the Clone Wars apparently last less than 3 years.
Some elements in the trailer or from info that has been released that seems
similar to the Expanded Universe
- In a panel Jamie King (voice of Aurra Sing) says of Slave 1 "I get to fly it. It's my ship
now." In the books Sing is given Slave 1 as a reward for delivering Fett to Dooku
- In the trailer for the season finale you can briefly see a clone with Boba that looks to be
the same age as Boba. In the books Boba does have an encounter with a clone of his age
called CT-9779
- In the trailer you see a few shots of Aurra Sing on a speeder bike or swoop. In the Dark
Horse comics Sing has a customized swoop she uses while hunting a Jedi on Tatooine
So is there room for Fett in Clone Wars? Sure. Why not? There is always room for some
Fett. Will it be able to fit in with existing Star Wars continuity? No. Not without some
retcon. But we are starting to get used to that by now.
-AG
You can read and comment on this blog post at StarWars.com Blogs
You can also send comments to avgoins@yahoo.com or to @avgoins on Twitter.
(your comments may be re-posted to this page)
Comments -
Gildrea Lightsky
Apr 13, 2010 11:09 AM
I can take him or leave him. He doesn't add any interest for me, but he won't keep me from
watching TCW, either.
I do think that for such a minor character he gets way more attention than he deserves.
(Captain) Jack Sparrow
Apr 13, 2010 11:31 AM
I haven't cared for the way Boba has been used, misused, and overused in the EU, but it
looks as if Dave Filoni and company are finally going to do it right, just as they did with the
series's portrayal of the clones.
As for canon, I could care less. As long as they churn out a good program, which they
have thus far, I'm not going to compare the number of engine cylinders on Aurra's speeder
bike in TCW to her speeder bike in a comic ;)
Leland Chee
Apr 13, 2010 12:57 PM
Nice Blog! :)
FAN4YRS
Apr 13, 2010 1:45 PM
I think Boba Fett would appear as no more than 12-years-old. Obviously most 12-year-
olds wouldn't be a threat. However, he is Jango's son. He would make a good vice for
Anakin's apprentice and a nifty way to write her out of the story.
Master Ki-Aaron-Mundi
Apr 13, 2010 5:52 PM
Thanks for this rundown of Boba's early life--I'm less than familiar with it.
my first thought was, "Oh no, what EU story are they going to disregard this time?" Don't
get me wrong. I love The Clone Wars series
While I, too, like the show, I admit to gritting my teeth every time it dips toward established
continuity in a way that could lead to a conflict. Still, usually I'm being overly cautious, as
the show has done very few things that irreconcilably contradict established canon
(Ryloth's appearance would be one example of the latter). I was actually quite surprised
how easily the Mandalorian episodes will be able to fit into established canon.
(cont.)
Master Ki-Aaron-Mundi
Apr 13, 2010 5:53 PM
Will it be able to fit in with existing Star Wars continuity? No. Not without some retcon
Really? Your numbers make it look like we've got a couple years to play with while Boba is
in Jabba's employ, before he is assigned to take out Wat Tambor. Might this not fit in
there?
madsith2008
Apr 13, 2010 9:25 PM
George doesnt care this is cannon what is in the clone wars and thats final as much as we
love the Eu
jon1180
Apr 13, 2010 11:33 PM
This is true, cannon is king and trumps the EU.
Aaron G
Apr 14, 2010 12:00AM
Re: Ki-Aaron-Mundi
Yes, there are a couple years to play with in there. I guess me saying "No" was more a
prediction than a fact. The timing of when he starts wearing the armor and when he
becomes a bounty hunter are more the issues I am looking at. We will know more
obviously once the episodes air. My guess is after we see the Clone Wars episodes and
more details become clear it will get even harder to fit it all together. I will hopefully do a
followup post once the season is over.
What can make a cool Star Wars show even cooler? Add Boba Fett. At least that looks
like the strategy that Lucasfilm is using to bring in more viewers for the conclusion of
Season 2 of The Clone Wars. As a fan of the Star Wars Expanded Universe of course my
first thought was, “Oh no, what EU story are they going to disregard this time?” Don’t get
me wrong. I love The Clone Wars series…for the most part, and I understand that it will
not always fit in with the existing EU stories. With George Lucas so involved it is to be
expected that the EU will be trod upon. He doesn’t even know half of the stuff exists and
frankly he doesn’t care. Thank goodness for Dave Filoni (a self-admitted EU fan) for
throwing some EU bones at us here and there. We will have to wait for the conclusion of
the Clone Wars series to see how they will reconcile some major conflicts in continuity. I’m
sure efforts will be made with some creative retconning.
For now though I wanted to take a look at what we do know about Boba Fett at
this point in galactic history. Is his inclusion in the Clone Wars series something
that can work with existing continuity?
Most of what we know about Boba Fett after the Battle of Geonosis and before the events
of Revenge of the Sith can be found in the six Boba Fett young readers novels written by
Terry Bisson and Elizabeth Hand. Here is a brief summary of the events of those novels.
- Boba Fett is about 10 years old at the time of Jango’s death
- After his father’s death Boba takes the Madalorian armor and buries his father
- Jango left instructions for his son to seek out Jabba the Hutt and Count Dooku
- Aurra Sing helps Boba but then captures him and takes him to Count Dooku
- About a month after the Battle of Geonosis the clones invade Dooku’s base at Raxus
Prime and Boba is taken by the clones
- Boba is taken to Cloud City to find foster parents but escapes. Aurra Sing once again
finds him and tries to swindle him for his dad’s money
- Boba escapes from her again and sets out on his own to find Jabba
- Only 2 months after the Battle of Geonosis, Boba finds Jabba the Hutt. At this time he
has Jango’s armor resized to fit his smaller frame. Jabba hires him along with Durge (of
Dark Horse comics and Genndy animated series fame) to kill someone. Boba returns to
Jabba victorious
- Boba works for Jabba for a couple years and then gets an assignment to kill Wat
Tambor. At this time he would be about 12 years old.
- While trying to get Tambor, Boba has a run in with General Grievous on Xagobah.
Grievous defeats him and Boba fakes his death
- While leaving Xagobah, Fett has a brief dogfight with Asajj Ventress. With unexpected
assistance from Anakin Skywalker, Fett is able to survive this encounter.
- Anakin convinces Fett to go to Coruscant and share some vital information he has with
the Republic
- While on Coruscant Fett has a run in with Mace Windu and they have a brief battle. The
fight is stopped by Chancellor Palpatine.
- Palpatine hints to Fett about his plans for the clones and pays Fett a large amount of
money to keep quiet
- These events lead up to the events of the Revenge of the Sith
So the two years of Boba’s life between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith are
pretty well chronicled. The writers made sure he encountered a Who's Who list of Star
Wars characters including Anakin, Windu, Ventress, Grievous, Jabba, Aurra Sing and
others. Depending on the scope of the story they are planning to tell in The Clone Wars it
could be tough to fit into the stories that are already out there. Here are a few
thoughts...
- In the trailer it looks like he is not wearing the armor yet. In my mind this is a good thing.
I never liked the idea of a 12 year old Fett running around in Mando armor. He would look
pretty ridiculous in that armor and not too intimidating. In the books Boba does have
Jango's armor resized to fit him but my guess is we will not see him don the armor in Clone
Wars
- In at least one picture released from the Clone Wars we see Boba wearing what looks
like clone armor on his knees. Maybe he got these "kneepads" from the clones who
rescued him from Raxus Prime?
- The trailer also shows Boba working with Aurra Sing. In a panel at a recent convention it
was explained that Sing was taking on the role of Boba’s mentor.
In the existing storyline from the books Boba and Sing do spend some time together, most
notably in the book Maze of Deception. I almost wonder if Filoni is aware of this and put
that detail into the story as a nod to the EU fans. It seems like quite a coincidence.
- Where this story will fit in exactly will be easier to determine after we see the episode.
The timing does seem to be off right from the start though. According to an online article
from TV Guide Magazine, Boba Fett will be 12 years old in his appearance on Clone
Wars.
In the Boba Fett books Fett is already in the employ of Jabba the Hutt and has collected
some bounties by the time he is 12. He is already wearing the armor too. So in the books
he is already an experienced Bounty Hunter at 12 but the Clone Wars show seems to be
portraying him as a bounty hunter in training under the tutelage of Aurra Sing. In the
books he had his time with Aurra Sing when he was more like 10 and had left her behind at
that time.
- If he is twelve years old this means the events of the episodes he is in would have to take
place toward the end of the Clone Wars. He was 10 at the end of Attack of the Clones and
the Clone Wars apparently last less than 3 years.
Some elements in the trailer or from info that has been released that seems
similar to the Expanded Universe
- In a panel Jamie King (voice of Aurra Sing) says of Slave 1 "I get to fly it. It's my ship
now." In the books Sing is given Slave 1 as a reward for delivering Fett to Dooku
- In the trailer for the season finale you can briefly see a clone with Boba that looks to be
the same age as Boba. In the books Boba does have an encounter with a clone of his age
called CT-9779
- In the trailer you see a few shots of Aurra Sing on a speeder bike or swoop. In the Dark
Horse comics Sing has a customized swoop she uses while hunting a Jedi on Tatooine
So is there room for Fett in Clone Wars? Sure. Why not? There is always room for some
Fett. Will it be able to fit in with existing Star Wars continuity? No. Not without some
retcon. But we are starting to get used to that by now.
-AG
You can read and comment on this blog post at StarWars.com Blogs
You can also send comments to avgoins@yahoo.com or to @avgoins on Twitter.
(your comments may be re-posted to this page)
Comments -
Gildrea Lightsky
Apr 13, 2010 11:09 AM
I can take him or leave him. He doesn't add any interest for me, but he won't keep me from
watching TCW, either.
I do think that for such a minor character he gets way more attention than he deserves.
(Captain) Jack Sparrow
Apr 13, 2010 11:31 AM
I haven't cared for the way Boba has been used, misused, and overused in the EU, but it
looks as if Dave Filoni and company are finally going to do it right, just as they did with the
series's portrayal of the clones.
As for canon, I could care less. As long as they churn out a good program, which they
have thus far, I'm not going to compare the number of engine cylinders on Aurra's speeder
bike in TCW to her speeder bike in a comic ;)
Leland Chee
Apr 13, 2010 12:57 PM
Nice Blog! :)
FAN4YRS
Apr 13, 2010 1:45 PM
I think Boba Fett would appear as no more than 12-years-old. Obviously most 12-year-
olds wouldn't be a threat. However, he is Jango's son. He would make a good vice for
Anakin's apprentice and a nifty way to write her out of the story.
Master Ki-Aaron-Mundi
Apr 13, 2010 5:52 PM
Thanks for this rundown of Boba's early life--I'm less than familiar with it.
my first thought was, "Oh no, what EU story are they going to disregard this time?" Don't
get me wrong. I love The Clone Wars series
While I, too, like the show, I admit to gritting my teeth every time it dips toward established
continuity in a way that could lead to a conflict. Still, usually I'm being overly cautious, as
the show has done very few things that irreconcilably contradict established canon
(Ryloth's appearance would be one example of the latter). I was actually quite surprised
how easily the Mandalorian episodes will be able to fit into established canon.
(cont.)
Master Ki-Aaron-Mundi
Apr 13, 2010 5:53 PM
Will it be able to fit in with existing Star Wars continuity? No. Not without some retcon
Really? Your numbers make it look like we've got a couple years to play with while Boba is
in Jabba's employ, before he is assigned to take out Wat Tambor. Might this not fit in
there?
madsith2008
Apr 13, 2010 9:25 PM
George doesnt care this is cannon what is in the clone wars and thats final as much as we
love the Eu
jon1180
Apr 13, 2010 11:33 PM
This is true, cannon is king and trumps the EU.
Aaron G
Apr 14, 2010 12:00AM
Re: Ki-Aaron-Mundi
Yes, there are a couple years to play with in there. I guess me saying "No" was more a
prediction than a fact. The timing of when he starts wearing the armor and when he
becomes a bounty hunter are more the issues I am looking at. We will know more
obviously once the episodes air. My guess is after we see the Clone Wars episodes and
more details become clear it will get even harder to fit it all together. I will hopefully do a
followup post once the season is over.
Boba with Aurra Sing as he will appear in Clone
Wars. He is sporting some cool looking knee pads
Wars. He is sporting some cool looking knee pads
The cover of Boba Fett: Maze of Deception also
featuring Aurra Sing. The book was released in
2003
featuring Aurra Sing. The book was released in
2003
The cover of Boba Fett: A New Threat showing a
young Boba Fett in his father's armor. The events
of this book were said to have happened about 2
and a half years after the Battle of Geonosis
young Boba Fett in his father's armor. The events
of this book were said to have happened about 2
and a half years after the Battle of Geonosis
The cover of Boba Fett: Pursuit featuring both
Anakin Skywalker and Asajj Ventress. The cover
also shows a 12 year old Boba Fett already
wearing the Mando armor
Anakin Skywalker and Asajj Ventress. The cover
also shows a 12 year old Boba Fett already
wearing the Mando armor