Is Boba Fett Dead or Alive?

Updated to address The Book of Boba Fett Chapter 1 and The Mandalorian S2E1 and S2E6. This article also looks back at how things have been one way or another, too.

TL;DR

Alive, as seen crawling out of the sand in "The Book of Boba Fett" Chapter 1 and further recovered in Season 2 of "The Mandalorian." This resolved the "neither dead nor alive" angle (aka "Schrodinger's Fett") that Disney has taken for years.

Last revised January 2, 2022. Please continue reading for all the facts versus the fiction.

This page is our own repository of the facts: quotes with attribution over time from official sources. Specifically for this feature, we note what is “canon” versus what is considered a legend / expanded universe and therefore is “not canon.”

We track who’s behind the information and what’s the evidence. This helps in reasoning and evaluating facts.

Note that after Disney bought Lucasfilm and created the Story Group, on April 25, 2014, they decided that all of the “Expanded Universe” (EU) books and comics made up until that point were now considered “legends” and therefore not canon. Previously, EU involved a sort of “hierarchical” canon, which is ripe for confusion. George Lucas coined the EU for everything he didn’t create. Our use of “canon” below is George’s canon and nowadays Disney’s canon. For the brief period there were “tiers” of canon, where on one hand there’s the canon we still call canon today (aka George Lucas’ canon) but then the often-contradictory stories that make up the EU, which was always considered separate and not-Lucas-canon. In the Essential Reader’s Companion from 2012, there’s a clear explanation, too. Post-2014, it’s all not canon, too. (See StarWarsNewsNet.com‘s article for more of a deep dive into this all.) Nowadays, thanks to Disney and the Story Group actually, it’s even more clear what’s canon and what’s not (“legends”).

This exclusive “Fett Fact Check” is our own repository of what we learn, when we learn it. We’re both logging and analyzing Boba Fett-specific confirmations, ambiguities, and denials — each with date and original attribution. Below are our findings, sorted from newest to oldest:

Verdict Key

  • Green Text = Confirmation
  • Yellow Text = It’s Complicated / Ambiguous / TBD
  • Red Text = Debunked / Fake News

Source Key

  • CANON = Official and Current
  • OPINION = Expert or Creator Opinion
  • LEGENDS = Outdated aka Expanded Universe

Timeline

  • December 29, 2021 … CANON

    In “The Book of Boba Fett” Season 1 Episode 1 (Chapter 1), we see Boba Fett inside the Sarlacc and getting out of the pit. While this played out in “legends” going back to 1984, this is the first time in live-action.

  • December 4, 2020 … CANON

    In “The Mandalorian” Season 2 Episode 6 (Chapter 14), Temuera Morrison’s character is finally confirmed by name as Boba Fett, alive and reunited with his armor post-Sarlacc. It’s assumed that he’ll be in at least another episode of the show, too.

  • October 30, 2020 … CANON

    “A cloaked figure with a pale, bald head” played by Temuera Morrison appears at the end of “The Mandalorian” Season 2 Episode 1 (Chapter 9). It’s 99.9% likely to be Boba Fett, although he’s not named in the end credits, which would make it 100%. This would mean he’s alive after falling into the Sarlacc. The “cloaked figure” is also named just that in the descriptive audio feature in Disney+.

  • September 18, 2020

    Temuera Morrison’s agency, The Robert Bruce Agency, now lists Boba Fett in The Mandalorian on his resume. This follows the May 8th report done first by The Hollywood Reporter about the casting. While unconfirmed by Lucasfilm, this second source adds validity. We reported this in Temuera Morrison’s Agency Lists “Boba Fett” in Season 2 of “The Mandalorian” on His Resume. If it’s a flashback, then it could still mean he’s in the Sarlacc or dead. If it’s a flash forward, to the post-ROTJ era that is The Mandalorian, then it would mean he’s alive. This falls under the it’s complicated banner.

  • September 15, 2020

    In the new trailer for Season 2 of The Mandalorian, there’s a distinctive shape and color on the back of Mando’s speeder, resembling Boba Fett’s jetpack in “Return of the Jedi.” It appears damaged and also possibly flipped horizontally. We reported this in “Is that Boba Fett’s damaged “ROTJ” jetpack on The Mandalorian’s speeder?” Since Fett without his jetpack doesn’t confirm he’s dead or alive, this falls under the it’s complicated banner.

  • May 28, 2020 … OPINION

    During a panel discussion with the cast of “The Mandalorian” with ATX Festival, Jon Favreau brought up Boba Fett as inspiration for the series. He also says Boba Fett “came to an unceremonious end in Return of the Jedi.” Does this end mean death? Or just that his storyline ended? It’s a little ambiguous, but leaning towards dead. We’ll have to wait and see when something reaches the canon screen/page/etc., but this puts a spin on all of the unconfirmed reports recently about Fett appearing in the show, which is post-ROTJ. We reported this in Jon Favreau: Boba Fett “Came To An Unceremonious End in Return of the Jedi”.

  • May 2020 … OPINION

    Industry trade The Hollywood Reporter, movie site /Film, and fan site The Direct are each reporting various post-Sarlacc Boba Fett rumors connecting into Season 2 (and even 3) of the Disney+ series, “The Mandalorian.” See our page dedicated to Boba Fett in live-action TV series for more about each significant report. Note that nothing reported has been confirmed nor denied by Lucasfilm.

  • December 6, 2019 … CANON

    At the end of Episode 5 of “The Mandalorian,” we see the feet of a menacing character and hear the sound of spurs, which is what Boba Fett sounded like when he walked in “The Empire Strikes Back.” We also hear some other sound effects associated with Boba Fett. When the character kneels down, we see some thigh armor that also looks familiar. “The Mandalorian” is set five years after Boba Fett has fallen into the put in “Return of the Jedi” and this scene takes place on the same planet as the pit, Tatooine. However, in a show full of both new characters and familiar Easter eggs, it’s may or may not be Fett.

    Furthermore, the executive producers (Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni) have both commented that Fett is not in the season — although they could be leading us all astray.

    The show also features other Mandalorian armor-clad characters, including one in a hallway and a street fight with similar colors, that fans have over-zealously said is Boba Fett, but it’s not Fett. It’s just another character in Mandalorian armor.

  • May 30, 2018 … OPINION

    Author Chuck Wendig, who wrote the “Aftermath” trilogy, shared his opinion on Twitter that his intention for the first book was that “[i]t is definitely Boba Fett’s armor, [i]t is [definitely] not Fett in that armor, [and] meaning the name Boba Fett need not be married to a single character, but rather, to whoever wears the armor.” He then elaborated that his second book casts some doubt on that intention. In a later tweet the same day, he added “that [it] was kinda my hope. I mean, I don’t control that fate, though.” This “Dread Pirate Roberts” / mantle idea has been brought up as opinion before. Note that none of this is spelled out in his books, each which we’ve reviewed, and therefore cannot be truly considered Star Wars canon.

  • March 2, 2018 … CANON

    So how about now, is Boba Fett alive? “He was last seen falling into the Sarlacc. That’s all we know,” tweets Pablo Hidalgo, member of the Lucasfilm Story Group. It’s worth nothing that nothing has changed in the official stance since April 2015 that Boba Fett is neither dead nor alive in the current canon.

  • February 21, 2017 … CANON

    The last book in the “Aftermath” trilogy, “Empire’s End,” there is a vague reference again to what could be Boba Fett’s armor, as there was in the prior two books. It’s brief and ambiguous and may or may not be Fett’s. We reported this in “The “All-Too-Familiar Mandalorian Armor” in “Star Wars: Empire’s End.”

  • September 2016 … CANON

    Pablo Hidalgo (Lucasfilm Story Group) shared the following when his Twitter account was public:

  • July 12, 2016 … CANON

    The sequel to “Aftermath,” which is called “Life Debt,” came out today. Boba Fett is not mentioned by name in this one, but there are some vague mentions of “Mandalorian armor” being salvaged and then worn. We had some of this already in the first book. Both books are canon. We reported this in “Did ‘Life Debt’ Continue a Slow (Yet Canon) Reveal of Boba Fett’s Fate?”. Note that the armor may or may not be Fett’s. There is no body, but it’s at the right place and time. The book also suggests that the Sarlacc has been killed — possibly right after Jabba’s Sail Barge exploded.

  • July 5, 2016 … CANON

    Boba Fett’s listing in “Star Wars Galactic Maps: An Illustrated Atlas of the Star Wars Universe” was revealed early online in a fan site’s tweet. The canon guidebook comes out in December. While Mace Windu and Palpatine are noted as dead, the wording for Fett just says he fell into the pit, re-iterating the theme of the new Disney canon that he’s still neither dead nor alive. (See April 24, 2015 for when #SchrodingersFett began.)

  • June 28, 2016

    “LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” the latest video game to include non-story mode situations, includes Boba Fett on Jakku. Because canon status needs a story, and there are all kinds of goofy situations in this game like “Battlefront,” it’s again false to say Boba Fett is alive post-Sarlacc just because he appears in this game.

  • 2016 … LEGENDS

    Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary gets re-printed by Disney. It repeats the 2006 book’s page on the Sarlacc where it says Boba Fett alive, but re-printing an old book doesn’t make it canon. (We confirmed this with Pablo Hidalgo of the Lucasfilm Story Group just to double check.)

  • October 27, 2015

    Premiering at today’s Paris Games Week, the new “gameplay” trailer for the upcoming video game Star Wars Battlefront, which we know already includes Boba Fett, has a line that references life after Sarlacc. When the character flies in the trailer over the Sarlacc, we hear him say, “not making that mistake again.” This would be a nod that he’s alive after “Return of the Jedi,” however, see April 29 below to clear up that non-story video games are not canon. Therefore, this is a “helmet nod” moment, but not a confirmation that Boba Fett is alive in the new canon.

  • September 2, 2015 … CANON

    In “Star Wars: Aftermath”, which is set in the canon storyline after “Return of the Jedi,” page 300 hints at what sounds like Boba Fett’s Mandalorian armor. The context is a Jawa sale on Tatooine with Jabba’s Sail Barge wreckage. Since it’s just about his armor — without him — this means he is dead or alive. The book is officially scheduled to be released September 4, 2015. This continues the theme here of deliberately ambiguous references in the new canon.

  • June 7, 2015 … CANON

    In “Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need To Know”, the second guidebook to be released that has the newly-official / canon storyline, Boba Fett’s spread in the book does not address his death; therefore, he is dead or alive. We host an image of this spread. The book is officially scheduled to be released September 4, 2015.

  • April 29, 2015

    On April 17, the debut trailer for “Star Wars Battlefront” includes Boba Fett, flying around on a planet with a wrecked Star Destroyer, identical to the one in “The Force Awakens,” which is set 30 years after “Return of the Jedi.” We reported this in “Boba Fett Confirmed for New ‘Star Wars: Battlefront’ Game.” While this match may seem to some like instant validation that Boba Fett survives, we need to verify that video games without story campaigns are canon. They are not. In this interview with IGN on April 29, Patrick Bach (GM of DICE, the developer of the game) explains “it’s complicated. … Canon is connected often to story. Is every battle you play out canon, or is this specific item canon? I can’t give you a clear answer on canon.” The reporter at IGN clarifies the point: “Battlefront honors the canon of Star Wars, but the unpredictable nature of competitive multiplayer in an online sandbox means there’s no way to make any match matter to the wider fiction. … Boba Fett can show up on Hoth and start wrecking Rebels.” This suggests to us that Boba Fett has an ambiguous role in the game — a game that could include characters who are dead in the films, on planets they weren’t ever on, et cetera and it doesn’t matter to the larger canon. Because of this randomness, it’s false to say Boba Fett is alive just because he appears in this game.

  • April 28, 2015 … CANON

    In “Ultimate Star Wars,” the debut canon guidebook, Boba Fett’s page simply says he “falls” into the pit. This suggests he’s dead or alive. We host an image of this quote.

  • April 24, 2015 … OPINION

    During the Star Wars Celebration Anaheim panel, Lucasfilm’s Pablo Hidalgo explains how Boba Fett is dead or alive until a new story decides it moving forward. We reported this in “Schrodinger’s Fett: The Life and Death Paradox of Boba Fett” and coined the hashtag #SchrodingersFett.

  • April 19, 2015

    Flickering Myth runs a bold headline that Disney has confirmed Boba Fett is alive because of the video game Battlefront. Given what we know at this date, this declaration is false. The game does not have a story mode, which is the basis for canon. And there is no official source that spells out Boba Fett is alive after falling into the Sarlacc, which we require for true confirmation.

  • April 17, 2015

    Today’s debut trailer for “Star Wars Battlefront” includes Boba Fett, flying around on a planet with a wrecked Star Destroyer, identical to the one in “The Force Awakens,” which is set 30 years after “Return of the Jedi.” We reported this in “Boba Fett Confirmed for New ‘Star Wars: Battlefront’ Game.” Video game storylines (if there is a story mode) are not necessarily canon, so this appearance is to-be-determined.

  • July 16, 2014 … OPINION

    During a Reddit AMA with J.W. Rinzler, the Lucasfilm author says he personally had discussions with George Lucas and that Boba Fett is alive: “Yes, he does. I have been in meetings with George [Lucas] where he confirms that Fett survived. If it comes from George then it’s true!” We reported this in “J.W. Rinzler Confirms George Lucas: Boba Fett Survived the Sarlacc.”

  • 2013

    The Lucasfilm Story Group is established. Everything considered “expanded universe” is now a “legend” and not canon. The group and future stories will be considered canon.

  • August 2012 … OPINION

    During Star Wars Celebration VI, George Lucas was recorded without his knowledge at an exhibit of Boba Fett fan-made helmets. In that video and our news report, Lucas says Boba Fett did not die and therefore is alive. We reported this in “George Lucas Says Boba Fett Didn’t Die After All”.

  • 2011 … LEGENDS

    DK published the Star Wars Character Encyclopedia, a pre-Disney book says Boba Fett escaped the Sarlacc, meaning alive.

  • September 25, 2006 … LEGENDS

    Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary has a page for the Sarlacc, where a blurb of copywriting says Boba Fett is alive and escaped the Sarlacc.

  • September 2004 … OPINION

    During the DVD commentary for “Return of the Jedi,” at the 33 minute mark, George Lucas says the following: “In the case of Boba Fett’s death, had I known he was gonna turn into such a popular character, I probably would’ve made it a little bit more exciting. Boba Fett was just another one of the minions, another one of the bounty hunters and bad guys. But, he became such a favorite of everybody’s that, for having such a small part, uh he had a very large presence. And now that his history has been told in the first trilogy, y’know, it makes it even more of a misstep that we wouldn’t make more out of the event of his defeat, because most people don’t believe he died anyway. I’d contemplated putting in that extra shot in where he climbs out of the hole, but y’know I figure that’s … it doesn’t quite fit, in the end.”

    Also, during an interview with USA Today, Lucas summarized the same point of “having Boba Fett survive and crawl out of the” mouth of the sand creature in Jedi. “But that doesn’t quite fit in the end.” This infers that Boba Fett is dead. This quote was also in “Star Wars: The Annotated Screenplays,” published September 8, 1997.

  • June 1, 1998 … LEGENDS / EXPANDED UNIVERSE

    In “The Mandalorian Armor,” which is the first of the three “The Bounty Hunter Wars” books, we establish Boba Fett has is alive and escaped the Sarlacc days after the battle, thanks to Dengar, Neelah, and Kuat of Kuat.

  • 1997 … OPINION

    During an interview with MTV, George Lucas explains how Boba Fett is dead when asked about why is Boba Fett so popular. “I don’t know why. [Laughs]. I’m mystified by it. He’s a mysterious character. He’s a provocative character. He seems like an all powerful character, except he gets killed. Although he’s gotten killed, the people who write the books, and everything, and the comics say ‘we can’t kill him, we gotta bring him back, we can’t let him die!'” We host this video clip.

  • March 7, 1997 … CANON

    In the “Return of the Jedi: Special Edition,” George Lucas adds an audible burp to the Sarlacc when Boba Fett falls in. Since that doesn’t mean an instant death, it’s unclear whether he’s dead or alive.

  • November 1, 1996 … LEGENDS / EXPANDED UNIVERSE

    In “Tales of the Bounty Hunters,” within the short story “Payback: The Tale of Dengar,” Dengar finds Boba alive near the Sarlacc and saves his life.

  • December 1, 1995 … LEGENDS / EXPANDED UNIVERSE

    In “Tales from Jabba’s Palace,” within the short story “A Barve Like That: The Tale of Boba Fett,” Boba Fett is alive and escaping the Sarlacc.

  • Fall 1995 … LEGENDS / EXPANDED UNIVERSE

    In Topps Star Wars Galaxy Magazine #5 thru #8, which originally published four parts of “Twin Engines of Destruction,” later collected as a single issue in 1996, we see Boba Fett with scars from the Sarlacc and he converses with Dengar under the alias “Sarlacc Food.” This shows Boba Fett is alive after falling into the Sarlacc.

  • 1993 … LEGENDS / EXPANDED UNIVERSE

    In Dark Empire Sourcebook, Michael Allen Horne wrote the story “The Ordeal of Boba Fett,” where Boba Fett is alive after falling into the Sarlacc.

  • 1992 … LEGENDS / EXPANDED UNIVERSE

    In “Dark Empire #3,” Boba Fett is alive. He confronts Han Solo and Princess Leia to say, “The Sarlacc found me somewhat indigestible.”

  • March 1, 1984 … LEGENDS / EXPANDED UNIVERSE

    In Marvel Star Wars #81 “Jawas of Doom,” Boba Fett is alive and found by Jawas.

  • May 25, 1983 … CANON

    In “Return of the Jedi,” we see Boba Fett fall into the Sarlacc. Especially with a jetpack to get out, the one thing anyone would need to get out of a pit, it’s unclear if he’s dead or alive.


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