‘Star Wars’: Heartbreaking Fan Theory Gives Vader a Reason to Hire Boba Fett
Two of the most iconic Star Wars villains are Darth Vader and Boba Fett. While Fett has been back in the news due to his appearance in Season 2 of The Mandalorian, Vader continues to loom over the Star Wars universe years after his last appearance.
While Vader had plenty of character development in the original trilogy, additional Star Wars material released since then has given his backstory even more explanation. Vader and Fett met in one of the Star Wars films, but fans have one explanation for why Vader may have kept the bounty hunter around. It has to do with Vader’s former identity as Anakin Skywalker during the Clone Wars.
How Boba Fett and Darth Vader interacted in the original Star Wars trilogy
In The Empire Strikes Back, Vader hires a team of bounty hunters to locate Princess Leia and Han Solo. In reality, he’s trying to lure his son, Luke Skywalker, into his clutches. The only successful bounty hunter is Fett, who is able to track Solo and company to Cloud City. That’s where he claims the frozen-in-carbonite body of Solo to deliver to Jabba the Hutt.
That wouldn’t be the only time the two would be near each other, however. They’d also be on the same planet at one point during the prequels. When Fett was a young boy, he accompanied his father Jango to Geonosis during the events of the film Attack of the Clones. While the Separatist forces battled the Jedi, he’d witness his father beheaded by Jedi Master Mace Windu. Taking part in the battle, though far from that particular skirmish, was Anakin Skywalker.
The fates of Boba Fett and Darth Vader
Both Vader and Fett had rather sad endings. Vader’s end came aboard the newly built Death Star in Return of the Jedi. After being defeated in hand-to-hand combat by Luke, he watched as Luke tossed aside his own lightsaber and told the Emperor he’d never strike down his father. The Emperor took this opportunity to attempt to kill the young Jedi.
Vader, realizing he couldn’t save his wife from death, but he could save his son, stepped up and tossed his evil mentor into the bowls of the Death Star.
Fett’s fate was much less heroic. After delivering Solo to Jabba, he was on hand during Luke’s rescue attempt. On board Jabba’s sail barge, he was accidentally knocked into the Sarlacc Pit by the still-blinded Solo.
The heartbreaking fan theory about why Vader hired Boba Fett
A Star Wars fan took to Reddit to post about a Fett-Vader connection theory posted on Twitter. The tweet said the following:
“What if Vader just liked working with Boba Fett so he could hear a familiar voice when he had lost everthing and everyone else?”
It’s a sad thought, and it may not be what the creative team behind Star Wars intended. But it could be possible. Vader (as Anakin Skywalker) had friendships with many members of the Clone Army, including Captain Rex. He went into battle with these men and developed a strong relationship with them, often sacrificing his safety and life for theirs. The Clonetroopers often did the same.
Fett was a clone of his father, as was the entire Clone Army. That means that Fett’s voice and appearance would match up with them. He’s never seen taking his mask off around Vader, so he wouldn’t have gotten a look at him. But he would have heard a voice. It was one of the only familiar voices Vader would still have around him.
