BOBA FETT - To Prequel or Not To Prequel

We all know Lucasfilm plans on making a Boba Fett stand alone film. What isn't known at the moment is whether it will take place before or after the events in Return of The Jedi. GeektTyrant editors Eli Reyes and Mick Joest consider the possibilities of making the Boba Fett film a sequel or a prequel to the original Star Wars trilogy in this side by side scroll. Eli makes a case for setting the film before the original trilogy, and Mick makes a case for setting it after. Check out their pitches and let us know where you stand!

A long time ago in a galaxy far,
far away....

Prequel

The Jedi are all but extinct, and with vengeance no longer in his grasp, a young man struggles to walk his own path in the shadow of his father's death and in the looming presence of the Empire.

Under training from the notoriously war-skilled Mandalorians, he begins to make a name for himself by taking on increasingly dangerous bounties.

His work brings him infamy and vast income, but he must embark on a quest to uncover his father's past in order to come to terms with his own existence.

His father kept his friends close, but his clones even closer...

Sequel

Jabba’s palace has been destroyed. Night has fallen in the deserts of Tatooine and the Sarlacc that has devoured our protagonist is quiet. Suddenly there is a tremendous struggle. The tentacles of the beast flail and thrash violently and after much squealing and shrieking the beast falls silent. An armored hand claws from the edges of the beast out onto the desert sand. It’s Boba! He’s in rough shape but he’s alive. Once done struggling through the desert and perhaps battling a few sand people for food and shelter Boba makes his way into town. Now at the famous Mos Eisley Cantina Boba lacks in direction. His employer is dead and the bounty he hoped to claim for Han Solo with it...

It is a period  of....

Prequel

..discovery. One of the many problems with the Star Wars prequels (and most prequel films for that matter) is that there were very few surprises and way too many winks at the audience and neatly wrapped coincidences that simply didn't need to be there. So how do you successfully tell the backstory of a character whose appeal has in large part been attributed to the mystery surrounding him? Deepen the mythology! Boba isn't just uncovering his father's past, he's developing his skills and finding his own place in the galaxy. The story should open doors and lead down new avenues which further expand the Star Wars universe.

Sequel

...action. From here Boba could go back to his bountying ways and I’m sure that would be all sorts of action packed, but mission by mission objectives might not progress a story the length of a film.

The expanded universe puts Boba as part of the invading army against the Mandalorians in the Yuuzhan Vong War, only to switch sides and eventually lead the Mandalorians in battles alongside the New Republic.

Why It Would Be Awesome

Prequel

A Boba Fett stand alone film could basically be Batman Begins/Iron Man in space. He is the closest character the Star Wars universe has to Iron Man and Batman. Jon Favreau and Christopher Nolan both did a fantastic job of telling their character's origins while making them interesting enough where you weren't just counting down the minutes until they put on the suit. 

The Mandalorian armored bounty hunter is very similar on paper to both the Armored Avenger and the Caped Crusader. If you thought those two had daddy issues, Boba isn't just living in the shadow of his father like Tony and Bruce, in a way, he literally IS his father. Also, Boba may be a good guy at heart, but he is a ruthless mercenary who runs around with "scum." Imagine what it'd be like if Bruce Wayne hadn't betrayed the League of Shadows, but instead carried on their traditions and eventually became their leader. The Boba Fett movie has the potential to be the darkest, most action-packed Star Wars film yet. 

Seeing Boba assemble his iconic armor and seeing the missions that earned him the trophies that garner his suit would obviously be amazing to see. But I'm also interested in seeing how smart he is. Boba Fett has to be a much better detective than Batman because he's not just chasing costumed villains around Gotham, he's tracking down bounties around an entire galaxy. He could also be as tech savvy as Tony Stark. Darth Vader didn't warn everybody to not use disintegration, just Boba. What other technological weapons has he invented while becoming the most feared bounty hunter in the universe?

Sequel

In keeping Boba alive you give a proper rebirth to one of the most celebrated characters in the Star Wars universe. Reviving Boba also makes him fair game for ample appearances in the upcoming trilogy.

His bounty hunter lifestyle leaves him open to free agency to either rejoin the failing Empire or the New Republic. Make him part of the Empire and you give added strength to a side of the battle that at present is in desperate need of new recruits. As a foe we might finally see the true power of Boba shown so accurately in the novels and Robot Chicken. 

Make him a good guy though? You have the potential for dream team alliances. Who wouldn’t love to see Fett appear in battle alongside Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, or Chewbacca?

The books even set Fett up to mentor (in a very Yoda like way) Han’s daughter which would be incredibly interesting and absolutely fantastic fan service.

Other pluses to continuing future Boba Fett? Being abandoned on Tatooine allows Fett to revist locales that there won’t be time for in the new trilogy.

It could also serve as a bridge between the prequels and canon by combining the new and the old features of the universe (pod racing in Mos Eisley perhaps?).

Basically it can introduce the viewer to the world they can expect to see in the upcoming films in the way a young Han Solo film can’t.

But only if…

Prequel

…it does NOT lead us up to events in the original Star Wars trilogy. What left fans reeling at the end of Batman Begins and Dark Knight was the promise of more adventures--how disappointed were you to find out Bruce became a hermit after his battle with Two Face? If successful, a sequel should be able to pick up right where this leaves off, with more bounties and more adventure.

It also shouldn't tread too much, if at all, on him as a child. Other than maybe a few flashback sequences reminding the audience how his father died. I think we've seen enough of him as a child in Attack of The Clones and The Clone Wars animated series.

Sequel

Producers use the spin off to introduce us to future Boba. You can’t waste time in the new trilogy explaining how a minor side character escaped apparent death in a previous film. It would confuse too many non geeks who didn’t know the origins and invariably piss people off. It’s a bold move, but hopefully a direction filmmakers would be willing to take. 

I also don’t think anyone is in favor of this film is looking for a hack and slash “Boba Fest”. A whole movie focused on bounty hunting may be action packed, but without a purpose it would soon grow old and drag. If we are going to continue Boba Fett’s story, let’s continue Boba Fett's story.