Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Book of Boba Fett episode 1.

How long was Boba Fett inside the Sarlacc after Return of the Jedi? In The Book of Boba Fett episode 1, the famed bounty hunter is seen having flashbacks to his earlier days, which answer a number of questions (as well as raising new ones) about how Boba Fett escaped from the Sarlacc, including how long he was in there. In chronological terms, the character was never seen again in the films after Return of the Jedi, though did make an appearance as a young boy in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (as well as Star Wars: The Clone Wars). Indeed, he was presumed dead until The Mandalorian season 2, and is now continuing his later adventures in The Book of Boba Fett.

Before Disney acquired Lucasfilm, Boba Fett enjoyed resurrection in the Star Wars novels and comics, where his adventures continued past Return of the Jedi. In Star Wars Legends, Boba Fett escaped the Sarlacc not once, but twice. The first involved him waking up and fighting his way out of the belly of the Sarlacc after unceremoniously crashing into it during the Battle of the Great Pit of Carkoon in Return of the Jedi. However, shortly after his escape from the Sarlacc, Boba Fett was captured by Jawas and eventually crashed a sandcrawler back into the beast, where he experienced a much longer journey escaping it. Eventually he discovered a psychic connection with the monster, allowing him to coerce the Sarlacc to crush his jetpack, forcing an explosion that killed it. Fett ws severely injured in the process, but escaped nonetheless and was nursed back to health, going on to more adventures in a galaxy far, far away.

Related: Book Of Boba Fett: Every Star Wars Easter Egg & Reference In Episode 1

As Disney is reestablishing a new canon for the Star Wars franchise outside of the already released films, The Book of Boba Fett is now filling in some of those gaps, starting with episode 1. The show reveals Fett, just after the Battle of the Great Pit of Carkoon, awakening and struggling to break free. After securing some air from a dead Stormtrooper's armor, meaning it's been long enough for Fett to need fresh oxygen, he's able to use his flamethrower to aid in his escape. As he breaches the sand and climbs out, Jabba The Hutt's sail barge can be seen nearby, looking burned and destroyed courtesy of Luke, Han, Leia, and Lando. However, the rubble isn't smoldering, nor does it look particularly picked apart, so the best assumption is that it's been little more than a few days at most before Boba Fett crawls out of the Sarlacc.

boba fett, sarlacc pit

It's unclear just how long Boba Fett could have survived inside the Sarlacc before dying. In Legends, the creature actually keeps its victims alive while digesting them over 1,000 years; the same timeframe for digestion is given by C-3PO in Return of the Jedi, though it's not revealed whether or not the Sarlacc keeps people alive for it. However, this particular Sarlacc was killed after Jabba's sail barge crashed into it and exploded, so regardless it couldn't have kept Fett alive, meaning that, had this escape attempt not worked, he likely wouldn't have lived for too much longer.

Interestingly, Boba Fett's escape from the Sarlacc pulls from both of the Legends stories, combining them to varying degrees. Fett awakens in the pit and utilizes his flamethrower to aid in his escape, emerging from the beast, albeit severely injured, all of which happens similarly in the old canon. He is even confronted by Jawas (and a sandcrawler), who take his armor and leave him for dead, again a similar connection to the Jawa interactions he had in the Legends stories. From there, Boba Fett's journey begins anew, as viewers see him in flashbacks where he is captured, tortured, and eventually freed by Tusken Raiders, which is a new addition to his untold story in the Disney-owned Star Wars narrative. Where it goes from episode 1 is anyone's guess, but it's entirely possible that more connections are made to the Legends stories.

Next: When Boba Fett is Set In The Star Wars Timeline (Flashbacks & Present)

The Book of Boba Fett releases new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+.