Boba Fett’s spin-off TV show,The Book of Boba Fett, was an infamous disappointment for manyStar Warsviewers, but this failure actually began withThe Mandalorian’s massive success. Boba Fett became a fan-favorite character even before he made his big screen debut inThe Empire Strikes Back, with his official debut inThe Star Wars Holiday Specialand the release of his first official action figure in 1979. He was unlike any other character seen inStar Warsat that point, and hisMandalorian armorprompted the creation of an entire planet and a group of renowned warriors.
Thus, it was Boba Fett who paved the way for all Mandalorians,Din Djarinincluded. The titular character ofThe Mandalorianhas since become the most famous Mandalorian in theStar Warsfranchise, as that term alone causes most people, even those outside theStar Warsfandom, to think of Din Djarin’s silver helmet and his adorable green sidekick. Without Boba Fett, this wouldn’t have been possible, but it did come at a cost for the galaxy’s most famous bounty hunter. The massive successStar Warshas had with Din Djarin stunted Boba’s own story.
Din Djarin Perfectly Fits The Boba Fett Pattern
An Iconic Silhouette, A Bounty Hunting Reputation, & More
Because Din Djarin couldn’t have been created without Boba Fett, he very much became a new iteration of the character - and, in many ways, took the story that many had imagined for Boba himself. While Boba Fett received a detailed story treatment in theStar WarsLegendscontinuity, those tales were rendered non-canon in 2014, and his story became a clean slate once again. Even then,much of Boba’s story took place in novels and comics rather than on-screen, and Din Djarin’s story beat him to itin Disney’s newer canon.
8 Ways Din Djarin Has Become Star Wars Canon’s Boba Fett Replacement
Boba Fett was the iconic Mandalorian bounty hunter of the original trilogy and Star Wars Legends, but Din Djarin has clearly replaced him in canon.
Like Boba Fett, Din Djarin’s silhouette became essential to his character, with the famous Mandalorian mask and the Western head-nods of his tattered cape, Amban phase-pulse blaster rifle, and more. Din, of course, was also renowned as the “best [bounty hunter] in the parsec”, a title that Boba certainly had prior to his supposed death in the Sarlacc pit.Din’s story has even started to adapt elements of Boba’s story in Legends, including the diaspora element of the Mandalorians themselves. Ultimately, Din Djarin ended up becoming who many thought Boba Fett to be.
Star Wars Couldn’t Figure Out What To Do With Boba Fett
There Wasn’t Really A Solid Plan For The Character
With Din Djarin essentially taking over Boba Fett’s role in modernStar Wars, the franchise didn’t really know what to do with theactualBoba Fett after his return. His role inThe Mandalorianseason 2 hit a sweet spot, with him confronting Din Djarin to get his original armor back before creating an alliance with the honorable Mandalorian to help rescue Grogu from Moff Gideon. Afterward, however,there was nowhere solid for Boba’s story to go. Din had theDarksaberand thus the right to rule Mandalore, the way Boba did in Legends, so that wasn’t an option.
The Book of Boba Fett
Cast
The Book of Boba Fett follows the legendary bounty hunter Boba Fett, alongside mercenary Fennec Shand, as they journey to Tatooine to assert their dominance over the territory formerly controlled by Jabba the Hutt’s crime syndicate while navigating the galaxy’s underworld.
Despite this,Star Warsstill intended to capitalize on the hype around Boba Fett’s return by promising his spin-off series,The Book of Boba Fett, during a post-credits scene inThe Mandalorianseason 2 finale. The unfortunate thing is that there was no clear plan for Boba’s story;since Din Djarin was essentially doing what Boba would have done, or did do in Legends, there weren’t many familiar options for Boba’s story. As a result, Boba ultimately received a story that wasn’t true to his character and disappointed the greaterStar Warsaudience.
Star Wars Shouldn’t Have Brought Boba Fett Back Without A Better Plan
He Deserved To Have A More Thorough Story Treatment
While noStar Warsfan would deny that Boba Fett’s return inThe Mandalorianis still one of the franchise’s best moments to date, they really should have waited until they had a better plan in place for the character.Rushing into Boba’s spin-off show gave them little time to forge a new path that wasn’t already taken by Din Djarin, and it led them to a place that wasn’t true enough to who Boba is as a character. To make matters worse, Din Djarin took over half of Boba’s story himself in that same spin-off.
8 Lessons From The Mandalorian’s Boba Fett Debut That Lucasfilm Sadly Forgot For His Own Show
The Mandalorian season 2’s Boba Fett debut was 3 years ago today, & it makes these 8 forgotten lessons for his own show even more glaringly obvious.
This has now leftStar Warsin a difficult situation as far as Boba’s story goes. They have clearly been afraid to even touch the character ever sinceThe Book of Boba Fettconcluded in 2022, as the character didn’t even appear inThe Mandalorianseason 3, butsomething has to be done for such a classic, fan-favorite character. Temuera Morrison also deserves another chance to return as Boba, as there’s no doubt he’s been fantastic in the role. Hopefully,Star Warscan fix this problem that their success withThe Mandalorianaccidentally created to bring Boba back.
The Mandalorian
Released on July 14, 2025 The Mandalorian follows a lone gunfighter navigating the galaxy’s outer reaches after the Galactic Empire’s fall. As a skilled bounty hunter, he operates in a lawless universe, undertaking various missions on the fringes of the New Republic’s territories.
