Warning: SPOILERS for The Book of Boba Fett episode 1.
The Book of Boba Fett hints at a dark and disturbing fan theory; however, Star Wars interestingly debunked it previously. Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) officially returned to the Star Wars universe in The Mandalorian season 2, appearing multiple times and giving longtime fans several exciting moments. A Mandalorian post-credits scene then sets up Boba Fett's ongoing Star Wars journey, showing the bounty hunter killing Bib Fortuna (Matthew Wood) and taking the Twi'lek's place on Jabba the Hutt's throne. Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) sits by his side in the scene. The moment indicates Boba Fett is the new crime lord on Tatooine, though the Book of Boba Fett premiere shows more may be going on.
Owen Lars and Beru Lars have a long history in the Star Wars universe. Phil Brown and Shelagh Fraser first portrayed the roles in 1977's A New Hope, and Joel Edgerton and Bonnie Piesse brought the characters back in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Owen is Anakin Skywalker's (Hayden Christensen) stepbrother, and he takes care of Anakin's/Darth Vader's son, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), until tragedy strikes his Tatooine moisture farm. After C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) and R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) arrived at the moisture farm carrying plans for the Death Star, Imperial stormtroopers showed up and killed Owen and Beru. Luke later discovered his aunt's and uncle's bodies and left, taking up the path of the Jedi.
Though Star Wars previously debunked a Boba Fett fan theory that the bounty hunter killed Owen and Beru, the new Disney+ series may backtrack on that fact. According to Star Wars canon, Boba Fett only found Owen and Beru after the stormtroopers had murdered them. However, the bounty hunter's new series hints that Boba Fett was the actual assassin behind the deaths of Luke Skywalker's family members, showing Disney may be retconning the story. If so, it would give The Book of Boba Fett premiere new meaning and a deeper connection to the larger Star Wars universe, but it may also rewrite the new canon.
Boba Fett Killed Owen & Beru Lars - Dark Star Wars Theory Explained
For years, Star Wars fans have speculated that Boba Fett secretly killed Owen and Beru Lars, and there's significant evidence hinting at it. The primary support comes way back in 1980's The Empire Strikes Back. In the film, Darth Vader (voiced by James Earl Jones) tells various bounty hunters that there will be a substantial reward for tracking down the Millennium Falcon. He makes a point of saying he wants the rebels alive and points directly at Boba Fett. "No disintegrations," he warns the bounty hunter. Considering Owen and Beru were left as charred skeletons on Tatooine, the disintegration line could reference the murders. Additionally, despite what Alec Guinness's version of Obi-Wan Kenobi says in A New Hope, stormtroopers are notoriously bad at their aim. This may further hint that someone else is responsible for the deaths of Owen and Beru.
How Star Wars Canon Has Debunked The Boba Fett Fan Theory
From a Certain Point of View is a canon 2017 Star Wars anthology chronicling A New Hope from different perspectives. One of the short stories in the novel tells Boba Fett's perspective, showing he didn't kill Owen and Beru. In the Boba Fett story, Added Muscle, the bounty hunter explains he previously "crisped" rebel spies on Coruscant, which seemingly prompted Vader's line about disintegration. To get on Darth Vader's good side, he takes up the hunt for R2-D2 and C-3PO and eventually discovers Owen and Beru Lars's destroyed moisture farm. Because the story reveals that Boba Fett arrived after Owen and Beru were dead, From a Certain Point of View seemed to discredit theories that Boba Fett was the real murderer.
Book Of Boba Fett Supports Him Killing Owen & Beru
The Book of Boba Fett premiere includes an Easter egg that references Owen and Beru's moisture farm attack. In the series premiere, Tusken Raiders capture Boba Fett after he escapes from the Sarlacc pit. Eventually, a young Tusken Raider takes Boba Fett and a Rodian prisoner to a homestead similar to Owen and Beru's. The three watch while unknown assailants trash the place and leave it smoking, much like what happens to the moisture farm in A New Hope. While watching the group destroy the homestead, Temuera Morrison's Boba Fett has a pained look, almost as if he's experiencing a shameful and familiar sight.
Though From a Certain Point of View attempts to debunk the Boba Fett theory, Book of Boba Fett may be changing things. The Star Wars Easter egg for Owen and Beru may hint that Boba Fett did murder the moisture farmers, and he's now ashamed of it. Additionally, The Book of Boba Fett premiere showcases the bounty hunter's penchant for fire, which he uses to escape the Sarlacc. This further connects him to Owen and Beru, who wind up as smoldering skeletons in A New Hope. He also disintegrates one of the assailants who attack him in Mos Espa during the Book of Boba Fett premiere.
What It Would Mean If Boba Fett Did Kill Owen & Beru
If Book of Boba Fett confirms that the bounty hunter killed Owen and Beru, it could have far-reaching implications in the Star Wars universe and give the series an entirely new meaning. Before the hints that Boba Fett murdered Owen and Beru, the series just seemed like a side mission, giving fans an exciting but stand-alone story about Boba Fett becoming a crime lord on Tatooine. However, if Boba Fett did murder Owen and Beru, it further connects Boba Fett's story to the main Star Wars saga. And like The Mandalorian did with Grogu/Baby Yoda, it could allow the series to bring back surprise characters, such as Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker.
There are also problems with the potential Star Wars retcon. Disney isn't afraid to go against Star Wars books and comics, retconning years of the Star Wars materials after purchasing Lucasfilm in the early 2010s. However, since From a Certain Point of View was part of Disney's new Star Wars canon, it could be detrimental to Disney's growing library of stories about the galaxy far, far away. After all, if the company retcons From a Certain Point of View, that means it could retcon the other new stories in the Star Wars canon, essentially making everything changeable and less meaningful. For instance, explanations for lingering Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker questions given in the official Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker novelization could change on a whim. Darth Vader once warned Boba Fett of "no disintegrations," but by changing the story of Owen and Beru Lars, the bounty hunter's series could incinerate the Star Wars canon.
The Book of Boba Fett streams Wednesdays on Disney+.