Star Wars Secretly Made Boba Fett Responsible For Both ESB & RotJ

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Throughout The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, Boba Fett stood alongside some of the franchise’s most menacing villains, including Darth Vader and Jabba the Hutt. And of course, after Han Solo was captured by the Empire and frozen in carbonite, it was Fett who took him to collect the award from Jabba. Aside from that, Fett didn’t provide many great contributions to the story before he unceremoniously fell into the Sarlacc Pit. However, Star Wars #6 offered new information revealing that Boba Fett was responsible for one of the most interesting aspects of the Star Wars franchise: Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker’s relationship.

Boba Fett Told Darth Vader Luke Skywalker’s Name

Image Courtesy of Marvel Comics

In the original The Empire Strikes Back film, it had appeared as though Emperor Palpatine was the one who informed Vader about his familial relationship to the last Jedi. However, the events of both Star Wars #6 and Darth Vader #6 revealed how Vader discovered he had a son. When Luke Skywalker blew up the Death Star in A New Hope, Darth Vader and the rest of the Empire were understandably determined to discover who had destroyed their ultimate weapon. Naturally, before the events of The Empire Strikes Back, Vader hired the galaxy’s greatest bounty hunter, Boba Fett, to track down and kill the Force-Sensitive rebel.

In Star Wars #6, after a great deal of searching and of torturing people for information, Boba Fett discovered that the rebel pilot’s name was Luke Skywalker. Fett ambushes Luke on Tatooine, and they engage in an epic battle. Even when temporarily blinded by a flash grenade and facing off a skilled bounty hunter, Luke manages to emerge victorious by relying on Obi-Wan’s teachings of the Force. Unfortunately for Luke, Fett survived their encounter and returned to Darth Vader to give his report. Since Fett had failed to capture Luke, the Sith Lord asked Fett if he had discovered anything useful. It’s here that Fett discloses Luke’s last name: Skywalker. It’s here that Darth Vader finally learned that he had a son.

The Sith Lord’s response to this Earth-shattering news was expanded in Darth Vader #6, which showed the aftermath of this revelation. As the prequel movies had indicated, Vader believed that his unborn children died with Padme at his hands, leading to his complete descent into the Dark Side. After having suppressed his Anakin Skywalker identity for so long, the discovery that his son was alive led to the resurfacing of all those suppressed thoughts, causing him to lash out and crack a window with the Force. With the knowledge that he has a son, Vader swears that Luke, along with the rest of the galaxy, will be his. And thus, the most intense and complex father-son dynamic in modern film history officially began.

Boba Fett’s Actions Led to the Most Important Moments in the Star Wars Franchise

Image Courtesy of Marvel Comics

Although Boba Fett didn’t know it at the time, the mere utterance of the Skywalker name to Darth Vader set off a chain reaction that forever altered the course of the galaxy. Part of what made the original trilogy such a masterpiece was the relationship between Anakin Skywalker, aka Darth Vader, and his son, Luke Skywalker. The reveal that Vader was Luke’s father during The Empire Strikes Back is one of the greatest plot twists in movie history, and Boba was the one responsible for its revelation.

It was Fett’s determination and tracking skills that led him to discover Luke’s identity and set off Vader’s obsession with making his son join the Dark Side. Of course, Fett himself knows a thing or two about complicated father-son relationships, given that he’s a clone that was raised by the man he was based on, the Mandalorian bounty hunter Jango Fett. It was Jango’s death at the hands of Jedi Mace Windu that helped set Boba Fett down a dark path of hate and vengeance. In contrast, Boba’s revelation that the rebel pilot’s name was Luke Skywalker was the beginning of Darth Vader’s path to redemption.

As seen in Darth Vader #6, the Sith Lord was desperate to reclaim what he had lost. Of course, at the time, this meant that he wanted Luke to join the Dark Side and rule the galaxy together as father and son. This familial revelation would also set into motion Luke’s mission to redeem his father. Initially, Vader believed himself to be beyond redemption. However, Luke’s words clearly had an impact, as the Sith Lord finally learned to let go of his hate. When Palpatine was getting ready to kill Luke, Vader sacrificed his life to kill Palpatine, saving not just his son but the entire galaxy.

Boba Fett has always been a character whose importance was established after the fact. Even though he didn’t have much to do in the original films, his immense popularity guaranteed that Star Wars would expand his character and give him bigger roles, including his own Disney+ series. However, it’s his actions during Star Wars #6 that ensured that he’s one of the most influential people in the universe.

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