Here's How Boba Fett Escaped The Sarlacc in The Star Wars Legends Expanded Universe
The first episode of The Book of Boba Fett offered the back story on Boba Fett and shows us how he escaped the Sarlacc after falling in during his battle with Luke Skywalker in Return of the Jedi.
In The Book of Boba Fett, Fett wakes up inside the Sarlacc. He ends up finding the remains of a Stormtrooper that also fell in. Boba connects his suit to the Stormtrooper and siphons his remaining oxygen. He then uses his flame thrower to burn a hole through the creature and climbs through. He then crawls out of the sand next to the Sarlacc pitt. He was then found by Jawas, who strip him of his armor. Then he was taken captive by a tribe of Tusken Raiders.
Boba’s escape from the Sarlacc is a little different in the comic book series Dark Empire, which is set years after the events of Return of the Jedi. In 1995, a short story was released in the Tales from Jabba's Palace anthology. That story is titled "A Barve Like That: The Tale of Boba Fett" and it was written by J. D. Montgomery.
In that story, Boba Fett is immobilized in the Sarlacc and his armor was heavily damaged by the creature's digestive system. Boba then finds himself able to make a telepathic connection with Susejo, who is one of the Sarlacc's earliest victims.
Susejo’s consciousness had fused with the creature and Boba learns that Susejo can exert some control over the Sarlacc. “He goads Susejo, making the Sarlacc contract around his jetpack. The resulting explosion frees the bounty hunter from the Sarlacc's grasp. He then fires concussion grenades into the wall of the beast, blowing a hole in its interior. Boba Fett escapes the Sarlacc, which like him is badly injured but still alive.”
When Boba Fett emerges from the Sarlacc, he is found by the bounty hunter Dengar, who ends up nursing Fett back to health. They end up forming a partnership afterward.
A year later, Fett returns to the Sarlacc in the Slave II and he is able to reestablish the telepathic connection with Susejo. He decides not to destroy the Sarlacc yet, but promises to return.
Things play out super differently. The version that we saw in The Book of Boba Fett is obviously much more simple. I liked it, but I still like the Extended Universe version more. It’s the one I grew up knowing! When I read it in high school, I thought that escape from the Sarlacc and telepathic connection was awesome! Which version of Boba Fett’s escape do you like more?