--- description: A spin-off of The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett looks like Star Wars' take on organized crime. Here's what to know. title: Everything You Need to Know Before Watching 'The Book of Boba Fett' image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbdb714611e5bd25f/698a20ecb21a9c570350591e/03_boba_fett_trailer_stills_uhd_t_r709_211010_69c1b538-e1640028155459.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Television](/tag/television/) ## Television Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Everything You Need to Know Before Watching _The Book of Boba Fett_ by [James Grebey](/author/james-grebey/) ## James Grebey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Grebey is a contributor for TIME. Dec 27, 2021 12:01 PM CUT  Temuera Morrison and Ming-Na Wen in The Book of Boba Fett Temuera Morrison and Ming-Na Wen in The Book of Boba FettLucasfilm by [James Grebey](/author/james-grebey/) ## James Grebey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Grebey is a contributor for TIME. Dec 27, 2021 12:01 PM CUT As we prepare to close the book on 2021, Disney+ is opening up another one, and this tome comes from a library far, far away. [_The Book of Boba Fett_](https://time.com/6089615/fall-tv-shows-2021/ "undefined"), a new series that’s a spin-off of the acclaimed _Star Wars_ show [_The Mandalorian_](https://time.com/5922946/mandalorian-season-2-finale-rogue-one/ "undefined"), will premiere on December 29. Despite having little to do in the original trilogy besides stand around looking cool (in _The Empires Strikes Back_) and seemingly dying like a chump (in _The Return of the Jedi_), [Boba Fett](https://time.com/5706585/mandalorian-boba-fett-difference/ "undefined") has long been one of the franchise’s most popular characters. The bounty hunter escaped death in several comics and books that were thrown out of official canon when Disney restarted the films with _Episode VII_, but _The Mandalorian_ marked his return to the _Star Wars_ universe. After making a teasing cameo appearance in the first season, [Boba returned in season 2](https://time.com/5904965/the-mandalorian-boba-fett/ "undefined"), where he was played by Temuera Morrison. The New Zealand actor _kind_ of reprised his role because he played Boba Fett’s father, Jango Fett, in _Attack of the Clones_, and since Boba is an identical clone of Jango, they’re basically the same. Boba Fett went on an [adventure with the titular Mandalorian](https://time.com/5901362/mandalorian-season-2-plot/ "undefined") to finish off the season, but the finale’s post-credits scene teased that he would be getting his own series which would follow him to Tatooine where he seems poised to take over Jabba the Hutt’s crime empire. To prepare for what looks like _Star Wars_’ take on organized crime, let’s go over some Boba Fett backstory. ## **Who is Boba Fett?**  Temuera Morrison in The Book of Boba Fett Lucasfilm Boba Fett made his live-action debut in 1980’s _The Empire Strikes Back,_ though hard-core _Star Wars_ fans will no doubt be quick to point out that he actually first appeared in an animated segment in the infamous 1978 _Star Wars Holiday Special_. His first chronological appearance in the franchise, though, was in _Attack of the Clones_. In that movie, we meet Boba as a little kid (here played by Daniel Logan), when Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) travels to the planet Kamino to investigate rumors of a Clone Army. Every single clone trooper was a modified copy of Jango Fett, a Mandalorian (though not as devout one as Pedro Pascal’s title character in _The Mandalorian_). Boba was different, as he was the only clone that wasn’t altered to age faster or be more obedient. (There was one other special clone, a female version of Jango named Omega who appeared in the animated _Bad Batch_ series but _probably_ won’t factor into _The Book of Boba Fett_.) Boba was Jango’s son, for all intents and purposes, but he didn’t get to spend too much time with dear old dad because Jango died fighting Jedi in the big battle that closed out _Episode II_. The animated series _The Clone Wars_ sort of helps to fill in the gaps of what happened to Boba after he watched Mace Windu decapitate his dad, but most of what happened between _Episodes II_ and _IV_ happens off-screen. At some point, he started wearing his dad’s Mandalorian armor and became a bounty hunter, eventually taking a job with Darth Vader to help try to capture [Luke Skywalker](https://time.com/5357362/mark-hamill-jimmy-kimmel/ "undefined"). In the process, Boba captured [Han Solo](https://time.com/5265081/star-wars-han-solo-exclusive-360-video/ "undefined"), froze him in carbonite, and sold the Hansicle to the crime lord Jabba the Hutt. Boba hung around Jabba’s palace on the desert planet Tatooine, but when Luke and his pals pulled off their (convoluted) plan to rescue Han, Boba suffered a jetpack malfunction and went plummeting into the jaws of a Sarlaac — a buried monster that slowly digests its prey over the course of 1,000 years. It was an inglorious end to a surprise fan-favorite character…or was it? ## **What did Boba Fett do in** **_The Mandalorian_** **?**  Temuera Morrison in The Book of Boba Fett Lucasfilm Canonically, that’s the last anybody saw of Boba until he reappeared in _The Mandalorian_. How exactly he escaped the Sarlaac is yet to be revealed, but one way or another he got out of the belly of the beast. His armor, though, was found (and worn) by a local named Vanth (Timothy Olyphant), and Vanth gave the Mandalorian armor to _the_ Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin) after the pair killed a menacing Krayt Dragon together. Boba, along with Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen), a bounty hunter whose life he saved, manages to track Din down on the planet Tython. Boba proves his dad’s Mandalorian heritage and then just lays waste to a ton of stormtroopers. He ends the season by accompanying Din and the Mandalorian’s other various allies on a mission to rescue Grogu, aka Baby Yoda. Upon successful completion of the mission, Boba and Fennec got back on his ship (the unfortunately named Slave I) and headed off to Tattooine, as the post-credits scene revealed. The pair strolled into Jabba’s mostly abandoned palace, quickly dispatched of Bib Fortuna, one of Jabba’s lackeys who had seemingly been running the place, and took a seat in the throne. Based on trailers for _The Book of Boba Fett_, the series will be about Boba, with Fennec as his No. 2, building a crime empire of their own in the vacuum that Jabba left behind. _The Book of Boba Fett_ will be the most in-depth look at Boba Fett as a character in the current _Star Wars_ canon, but there are a ton of stories involving the bounty hunter that are now no longer canon. Prior to Disney’s takeover of the franchise in 2012, Boba was a regular feature in what was then called the Expanded Universe—a sprawling series of books, comics, and video games. In that canon, Boba escapes the Sarlaac thanks to his Mandalorian armor and sheer determination. He went on to become the leader of the Mandalorians during an intergalactic war and eventually trained one of Leia and Han’s children to kill the other one after their turn to the dark side. However, none of that is canon (the Expanded Universe has been renamed “Star Wars Legends”) so _The Book of Boba_ will be a brand-new page for the character, though the new movies and shows do on occasion borrow or remix plots and characters from the Legends canon. ## **What can we expect from** **_The Book of Boba Fett_** **?**  Jennifer Beals in The Book of Boba Fett Lucasfilm Promotional material for _The Book of Boba Fett_ has kept the plot pretty vague, though the basic premise seems pretty straightforward. Boba, who claims to have put his bounty hunting days behind him, wants to rule the criminal underworld that Jabba the Hutt once loomed over. He’s gathered Jabba’s former generals and is proposing that they work together to their mutual benefit and wealth. Where Jabba ruled with fear, Boba will rule with respect (although given how good Boba is at killing his enemies, it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to be _a little_ afraid of him.) So far, Boba and Fennec are the only familiar characters that are confirmed to appear in _The Book of Boba Fett_, but given how _The Mandalorian_ loves to bring back fan-favorite characters or pepper the screen with Easter eggs, it would not be a shock if an old face or two appears. (My money is on Watto, personally.) Other characters from _The Mandalorian_ might pop up, too, as the series is reportedly more closely linked to the flagship _Star Wars_ series than other spin-offs like the Rosario Dawson-led _Ahsoka._ _The Book of Boba Fett_ boasts a lot of the same creative team that _The Mandalorian_ did, as it’s being executive produced by Jon Favreau. Dave Filoni, the mastermind behind the beloved _Clone Wars_ animated series, produces as well, as do Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and Robert Rodriguez, who directed the _Mandalorian_ episode where Boba made his violent return. _The Mandalorian_ composer Ludwig Göransson also returns to score the spin-off. Filming for the series began in November 2020, using the same groundbreaking LED screen projection techniques utilized in _The Mandalorian_. The first of _The Book of Boba Fett_’s seven episodes premieres on Disney+ on Dec. 29, with new episodes debuting every following Wednesday. The finale will air on Feb. 9\. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6130332/book-of-boba-fett-what-to-know/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6130332/book-of-boba-fett-what-to-know/"},"headline":"Everything You Need to Know Before Watching The Book of Boba Fett","datePublished":"2021-12-27T12:01:34.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:54:38.599Z","description":"A spin-off of The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett looks like Star Wars' take on organized crime. Here's what to know.","url":"https://time.com/6130332/book-of-boba-fett-what-to-know/","keywords":["Television","Explainer","freelance","culturepod"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbdb714611e5bd25f/698a20ecb21a9c570350591e/03_boba_fett_trailer_stills_uhd_t_r709_211010_69c1b538-e1640028155459.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"James Grebey","jobTitle":"Grebey is a contributor for TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/james-grebey/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbdb714611e5bd25f/698a20ecb21a9c570350591e/03_boba_fett_trailer_stills_uhd_t_r709_211010_69c1b538-e1640028155459.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"boba-fett-1","caption":"boba-fett-1","creditText":"Lucasfilm","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/television/","name":"Television"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/6130332/book-of-boba-fett-what-to-know/","name":"Everything You Need to Know Before Watching The Book of Boba Fett"}}]}] ```