Boba Fett: The Bigger Story

With the popularity of The Mandalorian there has been a renewed interest in the mysterious character that introduced the infamous and iconic Mandalorian armour to Star Wars so long ago. 

Boba Fett has captured the imaginations of Star Wars fans since his animated on-screen debut in The Star Wars Holiday Special back in 1978. His appearance in 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back was limited but had a huge impact on audiences. Suddenly Darth Vader wasn’t necessarily the coolest bad guy in the galaxy! That armour was just so cool, and he barely speaks but you know he means business. And he dares to talk back to Vader!

The 1978 Screen Debut!

While it may have appeared that the notorious bounty hunter died in the belly of the horrifying sarlaac creature in Return of the Jedi, there has always been speculation of how that armour could have saved him. Maybe he blasted his way out? Maybe he killed the sarlaac? Fans loved the character so much that many created their own storyline of how Boba Fett could have plausibly escaped.

Jango and Boba Fett

Knowing the ever-growing popularity of the character, Star Wars creator George Lucas made young Boba and his father Jango into key characters in 2002’s Attack of the Clones. That’s when fans learned for the first time that Boba is a clone of his father, that bounty hunting is the family business, and that Boba has a very good reason to dislike the Jedi.

What happens next for young Boba Fett was originally explored in a series of six middle-grade chapter books from Scholastic publishing. While entertaining and still fairly easy to find, these stories are not the official story of Boba Fett and are now out of print. 

When The Clone Wars was in its second season, young Boba Fett was introduced into the animated series in 2010. Once again Boba Fett was on the small screen, animated just as he had debuted almost 32 years earlier! Unlike the earlier novels, those seven episodes are part of the official Star Wars chronology, or “canon”, and expand on the story of the vengeful youth and his loathsome bounty hunter mentors.

Anyone wanting to know the whole story of Boba Fett would be well-advised to watch those episodes. Several of them were adapted by frequent Star Wars author Jason Fry (The Weapon of a Jedi) into the illustrated chapter book Star Wars: The Clone Wars Boba Fett: Bounty Hunter in 2010.

While not entirely in sync with the official Star Wars chronology, 2013's The Bounty Hunter Guide is also an excellent read for fans of The Mandalorian and Boba Fett.

More recently, some of Boba Fett’s young appearances on The Clone Wars were adapted into short stories in the 2020 collection Star Wars: The Clone Wars Tales of Light and Dark.

However you dive into the story of the fearsome bounty hunter Boba Fett, there may be more to the story than you realize. There’s probably plenty more to come too! Without spoiling too much, Boba Fett fans really need to check out The Mandalorian!

Read, You Must: I Am A Padawan

It's been a while since we had a look at the Star Wars Little Golden Books. Returning to the Star Wars galaxy in 2015 with adaptations of each of the movies, the classic Little Golden books line has continued and has well over 20 related titles in the past few years!

One running theme looks at all aspects of what it means to be who you are, in the Star Wars galaxy. This inspirational series started with I am a Jedi, I am a Droid, I am a Pilot and even included the bad guys with I am a Sith! Each has the trademark retro style of painted illustrations and simple story usually with a motivational message about being yourself, rising to challenges, helping others, making friends etc.

More recent titles in this series have included I am a Princess, I am a Hero, I am a Wookiee, I am a Stormtrooper, and We Are the Resistance.

The latest addition to this theme is the Clone Wars-focused I am a Padawan, written by Ahsoka Tano herself, Ashley Eckstein! The voice of Ahsoka for The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, Eckstein has previously written the empowering 2018 book It's Your Universe, and is the founder of the Her Universe fangirl fashion line.

This is a rare instance – possibly the first and only instance - where a major Star Wars performer has become a Star Wars author!

 

The story inside tells of the life of a young Jedi, learning from Masters and Knights alike. Acts of bravery, selflessness and friendship are all here, along with the challenges Ahsoka specifically faced during her Jedi training years. The circle of learning becoming the teacher provides many helpful messages for young readers.

The wonderful illustrations by Shane Clester continue the stylized retro-cartoon look of all the Star Wars Little Golden Books.

Fans of The Clone Wars will especially enjoy this book with many characters like Clone Commander Rex, Barriss Offee, Asajj Ventress, Plo Koon, Cad Bane, Aurra Sing, and many other making surprise appearances in the illustrations. Even young Saw Gerrera makes an appearance, his only one in a Little Golden Book. Rogue One is so far the only Star Wars movie not adapted in this line.

I am a Padawan is full of great little life-lessons and ideals for younglings, and is almost a must-have for ANY fan of The Clone Wars!

Publisher’s Recommendation: Ages 2 - 5 years

Also available:

Coming August 2020!

Choose Your Destiny: The Choice is Yours!

Would you like to be able to decide the fate of Han Solo and Chewbacca? How about make the decisions for the crew of the Millennium Falcon?

A new book series from Lucasfilm/Disney Press not only allows young readers to do that sort of thing, but the first book also gives a new glimpse of the relationship of Han Solo and Chewbacca before they meet Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia.

Choose Your Destiny: A Han & Chewie Adventure is the first in a series of (hopefully many) new Star Wars books that flow with multiple story paths and outcomes based on the choices of the reader. 

Author Cavan Scott (from the Adventures in Wild Space series) provides the optional storylines over 122 pages, with artwork by Elsa Charretier (Star Wars Adventures) along the way.

This is the first of many new Han Solo-focused new books coming soon as excitement builds for the upcoming film Solo: A Star Wars Story.

Longtime Star Wars readers may remember previous book series’ with a similar adventure-choosing format. Some of them can still be found in used book stores and online.

Back in 2008-2010 a series of The Clone Wars books had a similar structure for self-determined readers. “Decide Your Destiny” was the series name for these five books, starting with The Way of the Jedi and ending with Dooku’s Secret Army. These adventures were connected to the events of the animated series, but of course could end up being very different based on reader’s choices!

 

Even further back, in 1998 “Choose Your Own Star Wars Adventure” was a set of three books based on A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. If you can remember a time when there were only three Star Wars movies, you may remember these books. “You control the twists, turns, and outcomes of the most exciting adventure in the galaxy,” the books promised.

Whatever Star Wars books you choose, may the Force be with you!

Read, You Must: Star Wars Galactic Maps

New from Disney/Lucasfilm Press comes one of the last Star Wars books released in 2016, and one of the best surprises of the year!

Galactic Maps: An Illustrated Atlas of the Star Wars Universe is a delight for fans of the whole Star Wars saga. Illustrator Tim McDonagh shines on every large-sized 2-page map spread as writer Emil Fortune (writing as archivist “Amel Fortoon”) tells the story of these newly-discovered “ancient” maps that “seem to be centred on the saga of the legendary Skywalker family”.

These aren’t ordinary maps though - each map is filled with character moments and action scenes based in that location. The illustration style harkens back to antique maps of the high seas (of Earth) and woodcut printmaking, giving the whole book a cool, old-fashioned look. Star Wars is, after all, set “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away”.

The sprawl of Coruscant captured in a few key moments

Obvious important planets like Tatooine, Coruscant, Geonosis, Naboo, Jakku and Hoth are all here but over 80 pages, Galactic Maps also details locations seen only in The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels TV series as well.

Events on Jakku from The Force Awakens

As an added bonus there’s even some info and a map of Jedha from Rogue One. The various planetary systems are organized into groups and then categorized together by proximity. The book is admittedly more an artistic representation of each place rather than a collection of reliable topographical maps for navigation. Amel Fortoon warns at the beginning “these maps are not strictly accurate…the artist was more interested in the feel of these strange worlds and the galaxy-shaking events that took place on them.”

Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon could've used a map on Naboo!

Each map spread is full of detail and in some cases sharp eyes are rewarded with tiny details to discover. With self-referential humour and surprise appearances of all sorts of lesser-known characters from Meebur Gascon to Dr. Vindi to the Gorax, Galactic Maps has a lot of fun with what could’ve been a pretty dry book.  

Galactic Maps is part of a new trend in Star Wars merchandise that gives equal weight to all areas of the saga (not just the movies). Seeing Lothal or the mysterious The Clone Wars world of Mortis (is it a planet…or another dimension??) right alongside Mustafar and Endor is particularly satisfying.

Dathomir has many mysteries

Star Wars Galactic Maps is full of surprises, from its large 11 x 15” size to its cleverly illustrated 2-page spreads to its representation of all eras of Star Wars. 

Jedha, before the events of Rogue One!

It’s simply a wonderful book and unfortunate that it came out so late in the year. It has been added to our “Best of 2016” list now. Highly recommended!

Publisher’s Recommendation: Ages 8 – 12