According to executive producer Jon Favreau, the next Star Wars TV series, The Book of Boba Fett, will explore the power vacuum left behind after the crime lord Jabba the Hutt‘s death. Last we saw Boba, he and his companion Fennec had travelled to Jabba’s old palace on Tattooine and claimed his throne after disposing of Bib Fortuna.
The suggestion was that Boba planned on taking Jabba’s place as the Outer Rim’s new kingpin of crime. Now, though, Favreau has confirmed this is indeed the clone bounty hunter’s plan during an interview with Empire Online. Although it doesn’t sound like taking over Jabba’s former territory is going to be easy.
“There is a power vacuum […] because Jabba is gone. Jabba was clearly a very strong and imposing leader, who people were very scared of, and who seemed to rule with an iron fist,” he said. “You pull somebody like that out of the ecosystem of Tatooine – and Hutt Space in general – and you have the opportunity that’s ripe in the gangster genre.”
According to Favreau running a criminal empire and being a top tier bounty hunter require slightly different skill sets. This will be a challenge for Boba, who’s very good at disintegrating people, but presumably less up to date on the bureaucracy that comes with crime.
“Although Boba Fett is a very experienced bounty hunter, he’s not experienced at running a criminal syndicate or managing forces,” Favreau explained. He’s not normally a newcomer. He’s an expert, as we see him in most areas. But in this case, he’s trying to transition to another position.”
In the same feature, Robert RodriguezBoba Fett made his live-action debut in the science fiction movie Empire Strikes Back (George Lucas had him added to A New Hope at a later date). The character made a huge impression on audiences, and he quickly became a fan favourite. Unfortunately, he met an ignoble end in Return of the Jedi when he was knocked into the Sarlacc Pit.
Thankfully the Force was with Boba, and he managed to escape, eventually returning in The Mandalorian. In the same feature, Robert Rodriguez spoke about how the show will reveal Boba’s “true character”.
You can watch all of Star Wars and The Mandalorian on Disney Plus now ahead of The Book of Boba Fett’s release on the same streaming service on December 29.