Disney’s latest venture in the live-actionStar Warsuniverse,The Book of Boba Fett,is a bit of a mixed bag compared to its immensely popular predecessor. WhileThe Mandalorianwas embraced wholeheartedly by fans and criticsalike,Fettis a different story. Many found the first few episodes to be relatively slow, and the second half of the season sidelined the main character in his own program.
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For better or worse, the decision to give legendary bounty hunter Boba Fett his own story was probably all but inevitable given the character’s enduring popularity. However, one thing the show did right was the inclusion of numerous Easter eggs and references to other Star Wars material, which has been a staple of the franchise almost as long as it’s been around.
Tatooine Music Collaboration (Eps 1 and 5)
True Star Wars nerds would probably have been guilty of breathing a sigh of relief at the sight of the legendary musician Max Rebo behind the keys at the Sanctuary Bar during the first episode when Boba went to check it out. Max is, of course, the leader of Jabba’s palace band; however, fans did not know his canonical fate afterReturn of the Jedi’s sail-barge opening.
When the action returns to Sanctuary, Rebo is large and in charge, jamming with another famous Tatooine musician. One of the most iconic tracks from the Original Trilogy, known as “Mad About You,” in-universe but more casually as “Cantina Band,” which was performed by the band Figrin D’an and the Modal Nodes, all members of a species known as Biths. We see Rebo jamming with a Bith in the 5th episode, who could quite possibly be a member of the iconic band.
Echuta! (Ep 2)
Though we don’t have the kind of extensive records on the languages used in the Star Wars universe that, say,J.R.R. Tolkienkept for Elvish orGene Roddenberryfor Klingon, we’ve heard various languages in the 45 years of the franchise’s history, with some phrases sticking out more than others.
Perhaps one of the most well-known is the Huttese phrase “echuta!” First uttered inEmpire Strikes Backas a response to C-3PO’s greeting of a fellow protocol droid, his response - “how rude!” - gives us all the context we need. When Fennec Shand captures a would-be assassin and brings him before Boba, he’s asked for his last words and responds with this iconic curse word.
Patton Oswalt Predicts a Scene…7 Years Ago (Ep 1)
This is a bit of a deep cut. One of the many hilarious scenes from the NBC sitcomParks & Recreationinvolves performer and well-known nerdPatton Oswaltembarking on a filibuster to stop a law from being changed. To do this, he does a monologue speculating on the content of the then-unreleased 7th chapter in the Star Wars franchise,The Force Awakens.
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A lot of it is gibberish, involving an elaborate crossover event with Marvel and Hannibal Lecter for some reason. However, one image - that of the opening scene, in which we see a shot of the Sarlacc pit and “the Mandalorian armored-gauntlet of Boba Fett grabs onto the sand outside the Sarlacc pit, and the feared bounty hunter pulls himself from the maw of the sandbeast.” - is pretty much exactly how it goes down in the opening episode.
The BD Unit (Ep 5)
Another character who carried over fromThe Mandalorianwas ship’s mechanic and comic relief Peli Motto. Despite their differences, she’s been the (sometimes reluctant) helper to Din Djarin. One of their primary disagreements revolves around droids - because of trauma in his past, Djarin mistrusts them, but Motto relies on them for her business.
We’d already seen the pit droids from the podracing in Episode 1 as her helpers. However, since we’d seen her last, she also managed to acquire a BD Unit. This made fans of the recent gameJedi: Fallen Orderparticularly happy, as your companion in that game is known as BD-1. He sits on the protagonist’s shoulder and helps to crack doors and solve puzzles.
The Wookie/Trandoshan Enmity (Ep 4)
Although it has been part of the “Legends” canon for a while, the traditional hatred between Wookies and Trandoshans had not been seen manifested on our screens - until episode 4 ofThe Book of Boba Fettfollows Black Krrasantan after being dismissed by the Hutts from his initial assignment to kill Boba. Morose and irritable anyway, he starts a fight with a group of Trandoshans at the next table.
He rips the arm off one of the Trandoshans (despite pleas from the owner) and leaves. Boba is also given a Wookie pelt as a form of tribute.This hostility between the two species is centuries old, as Trandoshans often come to Kashyyk and gather Wookies to take them back to Trandosha to hunt for sport.
Where do We Get the Power Converters? (Ep 2)
The Book of Boba Fettsaw, amongst other things, a far more in-depth exploration of Tatooine than we had gotten outside the extended materials. After all, it was mainly presented as a planet to escape from in both the prequel and original trilogies. However, setting the action on Tatooine gave the audience a chance to be introduced to things that had only been referenced before.
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Chief among these was the Tosche station. Most casual fans will know it from one of Mark Hammill’s more whiney line deliveries inA New Hope, but it is also where Boba confronts a biker gang. Already being hassled when Boba shows up, there are two characters, Laze “Fixer” Loneozner and Camie Marstrap. These characters were initially included inA New Hopeas childhood friends of Luke’s but were relegated to a deleted scene. For long-time franchise fans, making these two canonical is an exciting pay-off.
Boba Fett’s past had always been shrouded in mystery - until the prequels shed some light on who his father was and introduced us to Boba as a boy. The Clone Wars series continued that story, with the young Boba showing himself to be capable and fierce - the first time we see his character, he nearly succeeds in his plan to take revenge on Mace Windu, despite his age.
Like all good Star Wars characters, Boba needed a mentor during this time, andthe show introduced Cad Bane, a long-time bounty hunter, and friend of Jango Fett’s. Cad showed Boba the ropes of being a bounty hunter. The showdown between the characters in the live-action show is still pretty impressive, but given this history, it gives the scenes far more depth and impact.
A Director Cameo (Ep 1)
The Star Wars of the Disney era has become somewhat famous for multiple celebrities making cameo appearances - in a manner that is far from a conventional cameo.Simon Peggwas under the Unkarr Putt suit inThe Force Awakens,Daniel Craigwas the stormtrooper who let Rey out of her cell, andJason SudeikisandAdam Pallywere the stormtroopers left in charge of Grogu.
Adding to this series of cameos under a mask, the executive producer - and director of several episodes - makes a cameo appearance in the first episode.Robert Rodriguezplays the head of the Tradoshan crime family that formerly answered to Jabba; however, he’s unrecognizable. He also voices the Mayor of Mos Espa.
Ralph McQuarrie’s Painting (Ep 3)
The chase sequence between the mods and the Mayor’s personal envoy was pointed to as a low point for the series. Fans didn’t like the speeder bikes that the mods used, and the whole sequence felt like it was taking place in slow motion. They have a point - it’s a bit of a fizzle and ends pretty suddenly.
However, there’s an extremely deep-cut, blink and you’ll miss it visual gag that takes place during the chase. Two aliens are trying to move a painting in the road, and one of the speeders rips right through it. The painting is actually a rendering of one of designerRalph McQuarrie’s original concept drawings for Jabba’s palace, with Luke removed. Even the most hardcore fans might’ve missed this.
Boba Rides the Rancor (Ep 7)
Boba’s two theatrical appearances established him as a bad-ass, despite minimal dialogue and a pretty unceremonious death at the hands of a still temporarily blinded Han Solo. However, his first appearance in any media was actually the much-malignedStar Wars Holiday Special.He appears in an animated sequence riding a giant beast (later called the mythosaur).
Boba riding his recently-gifted baby Rancor brings his character full circle, as this - one of his last appearances (so far) - closely mirrors his first. Add to that the use of the iconic line “do it!” when the Rancor is about to rip one of the vulture droids to pieces, and it makes for perfect Star Wars - referencing the old while creating something new.
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