Features and Columns · TV

‘The Book of Boba Fett’ Could Be Building to an Epic ‘Star Wars’ Crossover

All our hope lies in some familiar theme music.
The Book Of Boba Fett Chapter Explained
Lucasfilm
By  · Published on January 19th, 2022

Star Wars Explained is our ongoing series where we delve into the latest Star Wars shows, movies, trailers, and news stories to divine the franchise’s future. This entry explores Episode 4 of Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett (Chapter 4: “The Gathering Storm”) and the bounty hunter war its climax suggests. Yes, prepare for SPOILERS.


Again, most of Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett Chapter 4 is caught up in how we got here. This week’s episode languishes in explaining why Fennec Shand (Ming–Na Wen) would saddle up alongside Lord Fett (Temuera Morrison) and give her blaster to his cause. And in doing so, Chapter 4 also puts a few more words in Fett’s mouth, detailing his desire to be his own boss.   His time with the Tuskens rekindled his sense of family, but a Tribe cannot survive on its own.

Unity is strength, and Fett wishes to reinforce Tatooine against the invading Pyke Syndicate. He and Shand are not enough. They need a crew, and his pet Rancor, the Mod scooter gang, and a couple of Gamorrean guards will not suffice. Fett’s gang has no respect amongst the underworld, and they will not throw in with him. It’s time for Fett to flex and phone in a friend.

An Old Friend is on His Way

The Book of Boba Fett Chapter 4 concludes with Shand and Fett observing Tattooine’s three crime families retreating from Jabba’s palace. They cannot trust them, and they can only trust them to be them.

Shand asks Fett how much treasure he has in reserve. Fett tells her that credits are not a problem, and he’s been saving away for a rainy day.

“Credits can buy muscle,” says Shand, “if you know where to look.”

And that’s when it happens—those sweet, sweet notes. Ludwig Gorrensson’s theme from The Mandalorian kicks in as the screen fades to black, and everyone across Star Wars Twitter released a little squee.

A Mandalorian Crossover

It’s only fair. Boba Fett hung with Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) during the last bits of his second season. He can return the favor.

With Grogu in Luke Skywalker’s hands, the bounty hunter with the shiniest Beskar steel can’t possibly have much going on in his life. He completed his mission and fulfilled his purpose. There must be a tiny void in his center growing ever bigger, and Lord Fett can grant him some distraction from his empty nest syndrome.

When Lucasfilm did their big Star Wars presentation in December 2020, they promised a myriad of spin-off stories. The impression was that interconnectivity would play a large part in the franchise’s future. They’re reaching for that Marvel Studios thing, where various characters can wander in and out of each other’s stories.

Boba Fett’s arrival on The Mandalorian season two was the start, and The Book of Boba Fett is the next logical link. The new series has seemingly been shy regarding Star Wars’ larger story, but that’s only because not all is yet revealed. Din Djarin joining Fett’s mob war could propel us into tales involving a much larger scope and one that could tie back to Solo: A Star Wars Story or push into the upcoming Star Wars: Ahsoka series.

War of the Bounty Hunters

The Mandalorian theme stirs excitement, but it’s just the beginning. Fett knows war with the Pykes is eminent. He’s assembled some serious scrappers under his roof, including the Wookie gladiator Black Krrsantan. Free from the Hutt Twins, the bounty hunter is wallowing in gambling dens and ripping arms off Trandoshans. Left to his own devices, he’ll either wind up dead or in chains. Fett offers him an alternative.

With Krrsantan recruited and Din Djarin undoubtedly on his way, do we think Lord Fett is done recruiting? Is he already out of credits? No way, he’s got treasure to spare. And it’s exciting to consider what other bounty hunter badasses might be in transit.

The mind immediately flashes to Boba Fett’s introduction in The Empire Strikes Back. We saw him standing next to other rad action figures like IG-88, Bossk, Dengar, 4-LOM, and Zuckuss. Can you truly complete a Book of Boba Fett series without calling back to that original lineup? Executive Producers Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, and Robert Rodriguez cherished their Kenner toys too much to leave them in the memory of their childhood.

Recently, Marvel Comics published a Star Wars crossover event called War of the Bounty Hunters. Set almost immediately after The Empire Strikes Back, the storyline involved rival bounty hunters stealing Han Solo’s carbonite-encased body from Fett. The original bounty hunter lineup from Empire appeared throughout the series, establishing them as cantankerous and formidable rivals. Fett hates them but respects them as well. He needs a team with special skills, and they got special skills to spare. For a price.

Although, that could be wishful thinking. The real shocker is not coming from comic books or old movies but from the animated bounty hunter realm.

A Cartoon Surprise

A production listing names Dave Filoni as writer and director on The Book of Boba Fett Chapter 6, the penultimate episode. The last time he directed anything, The Mandalorian Chapter 13 introduced The Clone Wars’ Ahsoka Tano into live-action. Filoni is precious about his babies, and you have to wonder if he’s bringing her back or someone else from Star Wars’ animated adventures.

Rumblings suggest the bounty hunter Cad Bane, last seen in Star Wars: The Bad Batch, fighting against Fennec Shand in their attempt to capture the clone Omega. Both bounty hunters failed in their mission, but Shand got to see Bane’s exceptional skills in person. Years later, if she were to spend some credits on a bounty hunter tough enough to go against the Pyke Syndicate, she would undoubtedly suggest him to Boba Fett.

Of course, Boba Fett has some history with Cad Bane too. In The Clone Wars, a young Fett ran with Bane’s crew, serving at one point as an apprentice. Bane helped Fett because he learned his bounty hunter ways from Boba’s father, Jango. A debt was owed.

Before The Clone Wars was canceled, Boba Fett and Cad Bane were meant to come into conflict during a proposed four-episode arc. You can even watch an animatic in which Fett and Bane duel each other, concluding with blaster fire that dents Boba Fett’s Mandalorian helmet. Since this suggestion, many are anxious to see these two finally square off. The Book of Boba Fett could deliver.

What Comes After the War?

Bounty hunter speculation aside, Din Djarin’s arrival now seems guaranteed by his theme music concluding The Book of Boba Fett Chapter 4. Maybe that’s enough for Dave Filoni to step in to direct. Where we should focus our attention is toward what comes after Fett’s conflict with the Pykes. What’s the big reveal?

The Pykes are not the end goal. They’re in business with someone else. Since the series launched, we’ve predicted a Crimson Dawn dun dun dunnnnn, and it’s still a solid bet. Only they could make the Hutts tremble.

The Book of Boba Fett seems perfectly happy with indicating its future through theme song. And, again, we cannot help but hear a hint of the Crimson Dawn theme from Solo: A Star Wars Story in The Book of Boba Fett theme. They’re calling their shot, using flashbacks to withhold pleasure, but a release is on its way. Criminal revelation is at hand, and with it, the narrative tendrils to the next Star Wars spin-off stretch.

Where do they go? A Crimson Dawn deep dive could be explored in the ObiWan Kenobi series, detailing the deceased Maul’s rule over the galactic mafia. The underworld could also be where Ahsoka Tano travels to discover Grand Admiral Thrawn’s whereabouts in her series. Even Star Wars: Andor has room for Crimson Dawn goons and bosses.

A Hunter Looking for a Tribe

That’s our hope for The Book of Boba Fett. We’re looking for it to reach these beloved Star Wars avenues, but maybe, we should take it at face value. So far, the series has mostly spent its time expanding on Lord Fett’s inner life. He’s a quiet man and only now just opening up to his audience. We should probably listen to what he has to say.

Nightmares plague Fett. They continually take him back to his childhood, the last time he knew happiness before his father lost his head. His days as a bounty hunter did not erase that pain, but those sun-drenched months (years?) he spent with the Tuskens rejuvenated his spirit and recalled his youth and his father.

Boba Fett is not assembling a bounty hunter squad. He craves family. He’s forming his tribe.


Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett Chapter 4 is now streaming on Disney+.

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Brad Gullickson is a Weekly Columnist for Film School Rejects and Senior Curator for One Perfect Shot. When not rambling about movies here, he's rambling about comics as the co-host of Comic Book Couples Counseling. Hunt him down on Twitter: @MouthDork. (He/Him)