The Book of Boba Fett has become something of a Star Wars reunion, with heroes and villains from across film eras and The Mandalorian showing up in the last two episodes, while Boba Fett and Fennec Shand prepare for war with the Pykes. The finale is poised to bring the focus back to our protagonists for a battle in the streets of Mos Espa.
Rumors and speculation abound regarding what might go down in the final chapter of this book. Which characters will cameo in the final battle? What’s next for Grogu? Is Cobb Vanth safe, is he alright?
Here are our theories and predictions for how it will all play out in the end:
Who Will Cameo in the Finale?
Today’s big franchises love finale cameos, from Marvel stingers to Maul showing up as a crime lord in Solo: A Star Wars Story. In fact, both of the most popular Boba Fett cameo predictions have their roots in that same criminal underworld.
Disney and Lucasfilm have really embraced advancements in CGI technology when it comes to bringing back era-appropriate characters that were once played by actors who are now much older or have passed away. Rogue One used CGI to bring back the late Peter Cushing as Grand Moff Tarkin as well as a younger Carrie Fisher as she appeared in A New Hope. Even more shocking was when The Mandalorian season 2 gave us a Return of the Jedi-era Luke Skywalker by digitally embedding Mark Hamill’s likeness on a body double. The Book of Boba Fett employed these tools again for its own Luke Skywalker episode.
It’s for these reasons that fans are speculating that the next character getting the CGI treatment is Han Solo. Unsubstantiated rumors have circulated for months that Harrison Ford himself might have filmed scenes for the show. While that bit seems far-fetched, especially considering Ford has been infamously hesitant to do anymore Star Wars, it would make sense if a body double wearing Ford’s CGI face appeared on the show. After all, Solo and Boba Fett have a long history. In fact, the smuggler is the person who accidentally doomed the bounty hunter to the sarlacc pit in the first place. With Boba back in the world of the living, it would only make sense — rhyme even, to use a George Lucas term — if these two crossed paths once again on Tatooine.
Disney+ shows also often wait until their finales to reveal the true mastermind behind everything that’s happened in the past few weeks. For The Book of Boba Fett, fans have long suspected the mastermind to be Qi’ra, the criminal played by Emilia Clarke in Solo: A Star Wars Story. In fact, Lucasfilm has already sneakily set up her potential return to live action through Marvel comics.
Qi’ra was a major player in last year’s War of the Bounty Hunters event, which takes place just before Return of the Jedi. In that crossover event, Qi’ra even steals Han Solo frozen in carbonite from Boba Fett, setting off a chain of events that ends with the destruction of much of the Hutt Cartel leadership, except for Jabba. Qi’ra’s starring in a second Return of the Jedi-era Marvel series right now, Crimson Reign, at the same time as The Book of Boba Fett is on our screens, the kind of Lucasfilm synergy that speaks volumes for what might be next. Qi’ra and Boba’s lives seem so intertwined now that it would be surprising if the gangster didn’t show up in at least one episode of the series.
And with a bounty face-off booked for the finale, could the show bring in even more bounty hunters from the past era of Star Wars? Original Trilogy bounty hunters Bossk, Dengar, IG-88, Zuckus, and 4-LOM are all yet to appear in live-action again. Or if Lucasfilm wants to re-introduce other comic book characters, we could get Durge, Deathstick, or Beilert Valance. We just doubt Cad Bane is the only gunslinging mercenary the Pyke Syndicate has brought along to take down Boba Fett.
Is Cobb Vanth Dead?
In my review of “From the Desert Comes a Stranger,” I made a point of not declaring Cobb Vanth to be dead. He lost that duel against Cad Bane for sure, but Star Wars history (and today’s franchise fiction in general) teaches us that no one is ever really gone. Cobb’s fate is particularly unclear. He was shot, leaving a wound the camera doesn’t show, but if Fennec Shand could have her guts rebuilt, Cobb Vanth could surely survive this.
Our prediction: Cobb Vanth is alive, even if we don’t see him in the next episode. But let’s face it, he’ll probably be there, shooting the bad guys alongside Mando, Boba, and the rest of the gang.
Will Boba Fett and Cad Bane Finally Have a Rematch?
The ominous blue gunslinger appearing at the end of the episode is a familiar face from The Clone Wars. Bounty hunter Cad Bane mentored Boba Fett when the latter was just a kid. He has a history with the Fett family as a whole as well, since Jango briefly helped Cad learn the ropes. But his working relationship with Boba eventually soured.
In a fan-favorite unfinished episode of The Clone Wars, Cad and Boba found each other on the wrong side of the conflict and decided to settle the matter in a duel that resulted in both of them getting shot in the head. Both bounty hunters still wear scars from that fight: Cad has a metal plate where part of his skull used to be, while Boba has an infamous dent in his helmet. In other words, their duel ended in a tie.
There’s no doubt Cad will be looking for a rematch now that their paths have crossed again, the mentor wanting to show once and for all that he’s still better than his protege.
Will Grogu Choose the Mandalorian or Luke Skywalker?
This one seems obvious: even if it doesn’t happen until The Mandalorian season 3, Grogu will eventually choose Din Djarin. He’s only lived with Luke for a short time, during which he’s been offered none of the care and support he had with Din. Grogu doesn’t seem particularly drawn to the life of a Jedi, inasmuch as a baby could be. What’s more, his last memories of the Jedi Temple he once called home are of its destruction. There isn’t really any reason for Grogu to believe this Jedi temple will be any different.
Having Grogu choose Din would also open up the opportunities for fewer constraints around whatever stories Lucasfilm might want to tell about Luke’s academy leading up to Ben Solo/Kylo Ren’s time there later. And besides, Din and Grogu as a dynamic duo is the core of what makes The Mandalorian so great. Lucasfilm was never going to separate these two for long. Plus, the N-1 starfighter Peli fixed up for Din already has the perfect little seat for a Baby Yoda!
Did Barriss Offee Save Grogu from Order 66?
Some fans have pointed out a symbol that may indicate a connection to The Clone Wars. Per Reddit, the symbol in the hallway seen in Grogu’s flashback at the Jedi Temple match ones seen in the quarters of disgraced Jedi padawan Barriss Offee, Ahsoka’s friend. Some are speculating this means Barriss was responsible for getting Grogu to safety during Order 66.
The theory seems pretty far-fetched, to be honest. The symbol is likely just a nod to the character, but not a sign that Barriss is going to show up in live action. After committing her crimes against the Jedi Order in The Clone Wars, Barriss would have likely still been imprisoned during the Purge. Moreso, showrunner Dave Filoni is fond of adding easter eggs to characters that don’t necessarily translate to plot points.
Yet, there’s always the possibility the seed planted by the symbol will grow into something more one day. Consider Morai, the owl-like creature associated with Ahsoka in The Clone Wars. She appeared well before Ahsoka herself did in Rebels. If Barriss does show up in live action, it’s likely to be with a similar gap.
Will Boba Fett Die in the Finale?
No, although that’s as much hope as an educated opinion. Why bring Boba Fett back from death in the sarlacc pit just to kill him again? Why go through all that healing in the bacta tank? It would be a real tragedy to have Temuera Morrison come back just to put yet another end to the character. Boba Fett has always defied the odds, and in this case, it should stay that way.
The Book of Boba Fett concludes Wednesday on Disney+.