The Real Reason Boba Fett Is A Changed Man In The Book Of Boba Fett

"Star Wars" fans witnessed the teaser of a lifetime when "The Mandalorian" Season 2 drew to a close. Having escaped from the Great Pit of Carkoon and regained his iconic armor, Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) returns to the galaxy's criminal underworld. He guns down Bib Fortuna (Matthew Wood) and along with Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen), takes control of what was once Jabba the Hutt's palace on Tatooine. Following that scene came the announcement of "The Book of Boba Fett": a series all about the feared bounty hunter in a post-"Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi" world.

Though many fans hoped to see the Boba Fett made famous by the non-canon "Star Wars" Legends continuity — the one that took no prisoners, fueled a rivalry with Han Solo, and worked under the highest bidder –, that's not the version they got. "The Book of Boba Fett" presented the world with an older, more thoughtful Boba who had no interest in bounty hunting anymore. Rather, he wanted to try his hand at becoming a respected crime boss. Of course, he didn't shy away from brandishing his blaster rifle when necessary, but rarely did he go out of his way to initiate armed conflict.

According to Jon Favreau, one of the driving creative forces behind "The Mandalorian" and "The Book of Boba Fett," here's why Boba Fett's character underwent such drastic alterations.

By the time "The Book of Boba Fett" concluded its tenure, reactions toward it had grown mixed. For as fascinating as his time with the Tusken Raiders was, and as cool as it was to see Cad Bane (Corey Burton and Dorian Kingi) in live-action, it was hard to overlook the poorly-developed side characters, strange pacing, and the two entire episodes without the title character, among other points of contention. Of course, few elements of the series were more controversial among "Star Wars" fans than Boba's portrayal, which Jon Favreau believes was not only justified by entirely appropriate for Jango Fett's clone son.

In an interview with Vanity Fair, Favreau likened Boba's approach to being a boss to two characters: Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) from "The Godfather" and Conan the Barbarian. Much like Boba, he explains that Corleone knew the importance of keeping relative peace for his empire to thrive, and Conan went from a reckless warrior to a ponderous ruler. Favreau adds, "I think he's just wise...He's also a much older character because now we're after the original trilogy. He's at a different point of his life, having experienced what we had seen in all the previous films."

Boba Fett has gone through a lot during his time in the "Star Wars" spotlight and somehow survived it all. In the eyes of Jon Favreau and those who contributed to "The Book of Boba Fett," those experiences and the impact they had on him were important to address on the program. Thus, the Boba Fett we know today was born.