Answering The Question Of Whether The OT Boba Was A Chump Or Champ

Thanks to The Mandalorian, the question of whether or not Boba Fett is an apex combatant has been settled. He beat up an entire show's worth of Stormtroopers with a stick. A STICK! In the entirety of the canon, he's cemented as a legit warrior, but there was always a debate about the OT Boba Fett, mostly because of the cringeworthy way he goes out during the Sarlacc battle. I was reminded of this debate when watching the movie Fan Boys last night, and thought it would make good fodder for some light Saturday content.

Some cynical fans argue that Boba Fett was the equivalent of the guy who has a totally tricked out off-road vehicle with all the bells and whistles, but it never leaves the pavement. All bark and no bite. All sizzle and no steak. All potatoes and no...well, you get the point. I am here to tell you that those fans are objectively wrong. Boba Fett was always legitimate, even before Messieurs Favreau and Filoni cemented his image. How do I know? My man Han Solo told me.

Let's review Han Solo's on-screen career:

• He never even blinked when Greedo had him dead to rights at the end of a blaster, and stealthily fired off the kill shot FIRST.


• He calmly shot his way out of Docking Bay 94, the detention center, and the Death Star.


• When Echo Base is being actively breached, he doesn't lose his cool and escapes with Leia, Chewie and Goldenrod.


• When ambushed by Vader, he immediately draws down and starts firing.


• When facing his presumed death in the Carbon Freezing Chamber, he's still too cool to tell Leia he loves her.


• On the way to his second execution, he cracks a joke. A JOKE!

It's undebatable that Han Solo is one of the coolest characters in the Original Trilogy, and I'm not talking about "Fonzie" cool. His temperament is always managed even in the worst of situations. Sure he groveled a little bit in Jabba's Palace, but he was blind and just woke up from a nap. He displayed a sense of urgency when he realized the entirety of the Death Star was about to descend upon them in the detention center, but it wasn't a panic.

So what did Han Solo do when Chewie informed him that Boba Fett had joined the Battle of the Pit of Carkoon? He had a voice cracking moment of panic. The unflappable man who was never unnerved, even when facing imminent death, broke character at the mere mention of Boba Fett's name. That's all the convincing I need of Fett's "bad man" credentials.

The manner in which he was taken out had nothing to do with his competence. It had more to do with the plot armor that main characters wear in franchises.

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