The expanded universe of Star Wars already told the story of Boba Fett after Return of the Jedibecause no matter what universe you’re in, the bounty hunter always beats the Sarlacc.
comic planet recover the canon of star wars legends little by little, and this time it’s up to one of the least known and that today is very interesting: The Bounty Hunter War Trilogy starring Boba Fett. Written by KW Jeter, a science fiction writer known for his novelized sequel to Ridley Scott’s legendary Blade Runner, it tells us in parallel about Fett’s recovery from his fall in the Sarlacc pit and one of the great milestones of his life, becoming into the best bounty hunter in the galaxy.
After the original trilogy, there were doubts and questions about the world of StarWars. The movies only scratched the surface of a vast universe where there were evil empires, princesses to rescue, sea battles between gigantic ships, duels between high-speed fighters, shameless and brazen heroes, and knights with supernatural powers. The mystique and the spiritual of fantasy joined science fiction to provide a great setting for great stories. But there were only three movies. And it fell to print and cartoons to develop this immense and varied approach.
Thus, Marvel at the beginning and darkhorse subsequently they took the world of Star Wars and created comics full of adventure and action at the beginning, and that reached the mystique and social drama in their development. The vignettes took all the visual potential and took it as far as the medium allowed. However, the white on black of all life was a little less limited, the imagination of the writer and the reader was the limit, and as we know, the human being is capable of imagining beyond what he sees and knows, and so the Star Wars novels brought even more life to the universe created by George Lucas.
Today, with the new canon established by Disney after the acquisition of Lucasfilm, most of these works have passed into an alternate line called Legends (Legends) and this unofficial canon is named as the expanded universe. Despite not being, according to the official history, part of the world of Star Wars, elements of it continue to be taken to incorporate them into the current canon. Thrawn, the Inquisition or the miraculous resurrection of Boba Fett are some of those cases. for what you are “legends” they are still important and very much alive for the fan of the franchise.
The legends of the expanded Universe more alive than ever
StarWars. Mandalorian armor. The war of the bounty hunters, is one of these cases. Since the bounty hunter survived the Sarlacc and has returned to the saga, discovering how it was done in the past is of interest, more out of curiosity than utility. But curiosity is what introduced almost all fans of the franchise to Star Wars.
As seen in Dark Empire, Boba survived his fall into the Sarlac pit, and returned to his work, and along the way with quite a new grudge against the heroes of the Rebellion. But how it came out of the creature’s stomach would be a secret until the novel at hand. KW Jeter would be in charge of revealing the secret and would not miss the opportunity to give more information about why Boba is feared and respected by other hunters. This is chronicled in the trilogy that begins here, in which Fett’s past and present meld to form more than just Mandalorian armor that everyone fears to see appear.
The story begins on Tatooine, among the remains of Jabba’s great barge. His empire has collapsed, his palace has been razed to the ground by his followers, without the Hutt his survival depends on his money, and everything can be sold in the Outer Rim underworld. Dengar, he scours what little the Jawas haven’t stolen or the corroded desert looking for something that will provide some income for his new family, his wife. Another human walks and hides among the rubbish a former dancer with an erased past. But near the Sarlac trench, something awaits both of them, a body, seriously injured, with barely a breath of life Boba Fett has come out of the stomach of the monstrous creature that inhabits the floor of the sea of the dunes.
Dengar meets Boba Fett, he has been a bounty hunter himself and returning to the old trade if need be is also not unexpected, and he doubts whether helping his old competitor is smart. The girl, she remembers that in Jabba’s palace the feared hunter looked at her and a spark of memory reached her, Boba is part of her from her past and if she survives she may be able to help her find what was lost.
Meanwhile, Fett’s mind travels back to earlier times, when he dedicated himself to his work, without feelings, without sorrow or too much joy, the truth. Until something changes everything, a job, full of mystery, but he was very well paid. Ku’Dar Mu’Bat, the alien spider who acts as an intermediary for everyone who requests it, proposes a huge challenge, destroy the bounty hunter guild. But behind the curtains there are hidden interests, those of Prince Xizor, servant to Emperor Palpatine and in constant conflict with Lord Vader, has a plan to strengthen the Empire’s fist in the galaxy without spending its resources, and incidentally leaving the lord Sith in black armor behind him as a favorite of the throne.
Many characters and plots are interconnected in this first part of the trilogy
A powerful start with a clear idea, to tell Fett’s story. From the way he works to his rock-cold, powerful personality versus the handful of devious conniving who want to use him, and the lowlife henchmen he has to deal with on his jobs. The powerful need him, the outcasts fear him, and he takes advantage of all of them in order to survive.
W. Jeter is an old school science fiction writer. He is known for continuing the Blade Runner saga in several novels and for his friendship with the author of the work that gave rise to the film, Philip K. Dick and his “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”. Tireless analyst of the behavior and psyche of his characters, he likes to always propose options and decisions to them so that with their actions they develop and show their identities and personalities. Which makes the action take a backseat. It does not mean that there is not, especially when it comes to writing about characters with violent lives, but it is always detrimental to the more psychological narration.
This first installment reads quickly, it is not extensive and the pace is agile thanks to the two time lines it develops and the multitude of secondary ones that add color to the plots. On some occasions there are plenty of explanations but Jeter’s style comes from the era to which she belongs, more classical and seeking greater interaction with the reader and the characters and less development of worldbuilding.
If you want to visit a very distant galaxy, which has not yet responded to prequels, sequels or series, more pure in terms of ideas and with a clean horizon, this is a good way to start with the expanded universe. With a popular but secondary character and a story that concerns the underworld, and the results of an action of the heroes of the Rebellion, it poses a good extension of what is the most classic Star Wars.