Scum & Villainy: 10 Characters who could show up in The Book of Boba Fett:
- Donovan McComish
- Apr 12, 2021
- 9 min read
It's safe to say that the concluding chapter of The Mandalorian Season 2, The Rescue, went big, with a mind-boggling cameo appearance from Luke Skywalker, the status-quo-shattering departure of Grogu, aka Baby Yoda and the sowing of potential conflicts over the ownership of the Darksaber for Season 3. There was however, one further surprise saved for the end of the credits, where we see Boba Fett return to Tatooine, swiftly dispose of Bib Fortuna and, with Fennec Shand at his side, claim Jabba's Palace (and it's newly installed throne) for himself, with the following text announcing that THE BOOK OF BOBA FETT will debut in December of 2021.
It's unclear at this point what the premise of the show will be or what kind of characters will feature, but given the nature of the post-credits scene, it's fair to assume that the show will be focused on Boba and Fennec filling the void left in the criminal underworld by Jabba's death in Return of the Jedi, as well as potentially featuring Boba grappling with the question of his Mandalorian heritage after his encounters with Din Djarin and Bo-Katan.
What's more, given Boba's seeming new crime-lord aspirations, it stands to reason that he might be looking to recruit and work with some familiar faces in order to build up his organisation. This opens up the possibility for a whole host of established bounty hunters, scoundrels and the like to show up in guest-appearances throughout the series, which is where this list comes in. In no particular order, here are my picks for Ten Characters Who Could Show up in THE BOOK OF BOBA FETT.
Bossk
Let's start with an obvious choice, because really, if any character is guaranteed to make an appearance in this show at some point, it's Bossk. First appearing in The Empire Strikes Back as one of the bounty hunters hired by Darth Vader to find the Millennium Falcon, this Trandoshan Bounty Hunter has quite the history with Boba Fett, having known him since he was an angry child pulled into fellow hunter Aurra Sing's crew in a quest for vengeance against the Jedi.
Though the sadistic and amoral Sing soon deserted Boba in favour of saving her own skin, Bossk continued to tag along with the young Fett, effectively serving as his bodyguard in prison and running many jobs with him as part of his fledgling bounty hunter syndicate Krayt's Claw. Indeed, it's arguable that in the ruthless world of bounty hunting, Bossk might just be the closest thing Boba Fett has to a friend, which makes him a prime recruit for Boba's budding organisation.
Dengar
Scarred, bandaged and generally looking the worse for wear, Dengar was also glimpsed briefly in The Empire Strikes Back and has gone on to make many appearances in both Legends and the new canon under Disney. Given how much The Mandalorian showrunner Jon Favreau enjoys pulling from the original trilogy, that makes Dengar a likely inclusion, though whether The Book of Boba Fett will re-canonise his longstanding grudge against everyone's favourite Corellian smuggler, Han Solo is anyone's guess.
His most notable appearance thus far came in the fourth season of The Clone Wars, where he was voiced by Cornetto Trilogy star and noted Star Wars fan Simon Pegg, who reprised the role for Star Wars Battlefront (2015). Pegg has previously expressed interest in playing Dengar again for The Mandalorian, but I'd argue that The Book of Boba Fett is a much better place for Pegg to bring this veteran bounty hunter into live-action
Embo
Embo might be one of the most visually striking characters created for The Clone Wars, but he's also perhaps the most underrated. The Kyuzo bounty hunter boasts many notable attributes, such as a fearsome animal sidekick and his distinctive hat which doubles as a weapon. He's also voiced by Dave Filioni, the series' supervising director who has gone on to become one of Lucasfilm's most vital assets, creating both Star Wars: Rebels & Star Wars: Resistance as well as directing multiple episodes of The Mandalorian and developing the expansion of the New Republic era of Star Wars alongside Jon Favreau.
Filoni's involvement in The Book of Boba Fett is a strong indication that Embo could appear, especially since he has already appeared twice in The Mandalorian as New Republic pilot Trapper Wolf. Embo would certainly be alive by this point. He remained an active bounty hunter all the way up to the Battle of Jakku, as depicted in Chuck Wendig's Aftermath trilogy of novels. His last canon appearance saw him peacefully retired as a farmer on Felucia, but given his prior affiliation with Boba as a member of Krayt's Claw, there's a strong possibility he could be coaxed out of retirement.
Latts Razzi
Another member of Krayt's Claw was Latts Razzi, who managed to stand out despite being something of a minor character in The Clone Wars. Like Embo, she too carries a distinctive weapon, in this case her grappling boa, which would certainly add some variety to the many action scenes the show will doubtlessly feature. Latts was in fact created as a wedding gift to her voice actress Clare Grant, owing to her love of Star Wars, with the characters facial features being based off hers, which incidentally takes care of casting.
Latts is currently missing in action as of the short story 'Wait For It' included in the book From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back, with Boba himself noting that none of her former associates know what became of her. This seems like a question that would be worth answering in The Book of Boba Fett, perhaps serving as the basis for an episode in of itself. It's also worth noting that, before she disappeared, Latts established her own criminal gang known as 'The Razzi Syndicate', meaning she could serve as either friend or foe to Boba in his new foray into crime.
Hondo Ohnaka
Hondo Ohnaka is nothing if not persistent. Despite going from pirate warlord to small-time smuggler over the course of the Empire's rise to power, Hondo has refused to admit defeat, not when there's a profit to be had. His infectious charm and charisma, coupled with a spirted voiceover performance from Jim Cummings, made him a standout character in The Clone Wars, a fact which continued into Rebels as Hondo encountered the Ghost crew and eventually became something of a rebel himself, eventually aiding in the liberation of the planet Lothal, after which he promptly returned to smuggling.
Indeed, Hondo's popularity is such that his transition into live-action feels inevitable, and The Book of Boba Fett seems like the ideal place to make that happen. Given that he remained a smuggler all the way up to the conflict between the Resistance and the First Order (as depicted in the theme park Galaxy's Edge) it's highly likely that Hondo would seek to do business with Boba, since he used to work with his father Jango. Whether Boba will be capable of tolerating Hondo's avariciousness remains to be seen.
Ketsu Onyo
Appearing sporadically throughout Rebels' four-season run, Ketsu Onyo is unique among bounty hunters for being an ally to the then-burgeoning Rebel Alliance during the Galactic Civil War, after being coaxed into heroism by her friend Sabine Wren. This does mean that Onyo could appear instead in the upcoming Rangers of the New Republic series, but it's possible that, now that the war is over, she might seek to return to her "complicated profession". One could even imagine there being some resentment towards her in the bounty hunting community. She did after all help bring the New Republic to power, which, as we've learned in The Mandalorian, has less use for their kind than the Empire did.
More pressingly however, Ketsu is a Mandalorian, a fact which would make her potential appearance all the more interesting. Whereas Sabine's relationship both to Mandalore and her family has been well documented in Rebels, Ketsu has been strangely absent from any Mando-centric episodes, leaving a big question mark over how she views her heritage. This is also true for Boba, who seems reluctant to embrace his Mandalorian status, perhaps because he is looked down upon by the likes of Bo-Katan and others for being a clone, yet he still maintains a sense of honour befitting a Mandalorian warrior. A meeting with Ketsu would be a welcome chance to shed some further light on how Boba feels about his Mandalorian roots.
Doctor Aphra:
An archaeologist with a very flexible moral compass, Doctor Chelli Lona Aphra initially debuted as a supporting character in Marvel Comics' Darth Vader series, but swiftly became enough of a fan-favourite to warrant her own ongoing comic book. It's not hard to see why she became so popular. Aphra is essentially the inverse of Indiana Jones, in that she's often motivated by greed and self-preservation over the desire to do good, yet she remains a charming character throughout due to her quick wit and tenacity. She also comes with her own psychotic, murderbot equivalents to R2-D2 and C-3PO in Triple Zero and BT-1.
For these and many other reasons, Aphra is a refreshing addition to the pantheon of Star Wars characters, which has left fans clamouring for her to make the jump to live-action for years. While she could conceivably fit into any of the upcoming Disney Plus shows, I'd argue the best fit for her would be The Book of Boba Fett due to her general amorality. Plus, Boba and his colleagues tend to be a business-oriented and humourless lot, so adding a quipster like Aphra to the mix would be a good way to shake things up.
Durge:
Over two thousand years old and virtually indestructible, the Gen-Dai warrior known as Durge is truly a force to be reckoned with. He was a big presence across the 'Legends' canon of Star Wars, but is best known for his appearance in Gennedy Tartakovsky's Clone Wars series, in which he engaged in a memorable duel with Obi-Wan Kenobi. Durge's status as a 'Legends' character initially led to my excluding him from this list, as I was focusing on characters already established in the new canon. However, the cover of an upcoming issue of Doctor Aphra has confirmed that he is set to be re-canonised in the upcoming War of the Bounty Hunters crossover event, so here he is.
While Durge has many notable attributes, such as shapeshifting powers and a huge arsenal of weaponry, by far the most pertinent is his deep distaste for Mandalorians. Killing clones of Jango Fett was in fact his sole motivation for fighting on the side of the Seperatists during the Clone Wars. This alone gives Durge a compelling reason to appear in The Book of Boba Fett and the New Republic period in general. With the conflict between Mandalorians and the Imperial Remnant escalating, it would make sense for Durge to be involved, perhaps even serving as a reason for Boba to be involved in the larger fight against the Empire?
Cad Bane
Cad Bane is arguably what some Star Wars fans thought they wanted Boba Fett to be. Namely a ruthless mercenary who'll carry out any dirty deed "for the right price", whether that's kidnapping Force-Sensitive children for Darth Sidious, or holding the Senate hostage in order to free Ziro the Hutt (a truly evil act). But whereas Boba has gradually shifted to anti-hero status after his villainous debut in Empire , Cad Bane has remained a through and through baddie. In fact he's probably the most challenging opponent the Jedi faced in The Clone Wars, often succeeding in his missions and escaping capture almost every time.
Yet unlike other Clone Wars favourites like Ahsoka, Captain Rex and Hondo, Bane has not gone on to appear in Rebels or any other sequel material. That's because he was originally set to meet his end in a duel with a young Boba in a future season of The Clone Wars. This was scrapped when the series was cancelled after it's fifth season, leaving Bane's ultimate fate unknown. As a result, there are several ways in which he could turn up here, either in flashbacks to Boba's youth, or even an appearance in the present as an aging gunslinger. Maybe we could finally get that space Western showdown after all.
Jango Fett
Boba's father Jango Fett is low-key one of the most important figures in the entire Star Wars saga. As the deadliest bounty hunter in the galaxy, he served as the genetic template for the Grand Army of the Republic, which led to the Clone Wars, the downfall of the Jedi Order and the ascension of the Empire. Despite his death in Attack of the Clones, there's still room for Jango to make an appearance in a flashback, expanding on his bond with Boba and exploring his dual nature as Mandalorian and bounty hunter.
Yes, although he was labelled as "nothing but a common bounty hunter" by Mandalorian Prime Minister Almec in The Clone Wars, Jango was indeed confirmed by Boba to have been a foundling in The Tragedy, with Boba adding that his father "even fought in the Mandalorian Civil Wars". Aside from that comment seemingly re-canonising the Dark Horse comic Jango Fett: Open Seasons, the reveal opens up a world of possibilities as to Jango's place in the broader Mandalorian history that is currently being sketched out. And since it's likely that The Book of Boba Fett will explore Boba's inner conflict over his heritage, it would make sense for him to reflect back on his father's teachings.
That concludes my list. There are a few notable names I left out, such as Black Krrsantan, Beilart Valance, Azmorigan and IG-88, but regardless of who does or doesn't show up, there's plenty of reason to be excited for this show. Boba Fett's appearance in The Mandalorian, while not unexpected, turned out to be one of the best parts of an already eventful second season, delivering a overall satisfying take for long-suffering fans of the bounty hunter and giving him a formidable partner in Ming-Na Wen's Fennec Shand.
There's also the bigger picture to consider, as all of the New Republic era Disney Plus shows are set to culminate in "a cinematic story event". While it might be easy to guess the roles of characters like Din Djarin and Ahsoka Tano could play in an epic crossover, Boba Fett remains a wildcard whose full motivations will only become clear once his series hits. For all of those reasons and more, The Book of Boba Fett is shaping up to be an incredibly exciting chapter in the Star Wars saga.
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