The Book of Boba Fett will continue the story of the galaxy's most infamous bounty hunter; however, the series will also have to answer a lingering Star Wars plot hole. Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) returned to the Star Wars universe in The Mandalorian season 2. In "Chapter 9: The Marshal," the character makes a last-minute appearance, watching Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) drive off with his armor from afar. Then, in "Chapter 14: The Tragedy," he confronts Din Djarin to take his armor back. He ultimately gets the armor and helps the Mandalorian take on Stormtroopers.
A Mandalorian post-credit scene sets up Boba Fett's upcoming spinoff. In the scene, the bounty hunter returns to Jabba the Hutt's palace in Tatooine's Dune Sea. He encounters Bib Fortuna, who has taken over the place following Jabba's death in Return of the Jedi. Trying to save himself, Bib Fortuna blabbers about how he thought Boba Fett was dead and that he's happy he's alive. It doesn't help. Boba Fett shoots Bib Fortuna, killing the Twi'lek without hesitation, and takes his place on Jabba the Hutt's throne. The scene shows Boba Fett's story coming full circle.
For now, Boba Fett's reappearance is a Star Wars plot hole. In 1983's Return of the Jedi, the bounty hunter falls into the Sarlacc pit and supposedly dies. For good measure, the monster even belches after consuming Boba Fett. The Mandalorian retcons that death, revealing the character somehow made it out of the Sarlacc pit. However, despite Boba Fett's multiple appearances in the Disney+ series, his miraculous survival isn't explained. The series never adequately addresses it, and Morrison admitted in interviews that he doesn't know how Boba Fett survived the Sarlacc.
The Book of Boba Fett won't be able to ignore the bounty hunter's survival. The Mandalorian only vaguely touches on Boba Fett surviving the Sarlacc in Return of the Jedi. In "Chapter 14," Boba Fett says he was left for dead on the sands of Tatooine. "But fate sometimes steps in to rescue the wretched," he adds. Besides Bib Fortuna mentioning that he thought Boba Fett was dead, the series brushes the topic aside. All that's known is Boba Fett survives, and he lost his armor somewhere along the way. The Mandalorian isn't Boba Fett's story, so the series can get away with ignoring the apparent plot hole. Book of Boba Fett won't be so lucky.
Of course, The Book of Boba Fett won't have to work from scratch. Star Wars previously explained Boba Fett's survival in A Barve Like That: The Tale of Boba Fett, a now-non-canon Legends story by J. D. Montgomery. His escape is somewhat complicated, with Boba Fett having a telepathic connection with a previous Sarlacc victim and using an explosion to break free. However, some elements from non-canon Star Wars stories have made their way back into shows and movies about the galaxy far, far away. With that in mind, A Barve Like That could provide the blueprint to explain Boba Fett's return. Until Disney explains Boba Fett's story, the bounty hunter's survival is a massive plot hole from any point of view.
