WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for The Book of Boba Fett Episode 1, "Stranger In a Strange Land," now available on Disney+.

The first episode of The Book of Boba Fett is chock full of references to the wider world of Star Wars. From flashbacks to Attack of the Clones to a direct follow-up to the events of Return of the Jedi, it's clear that the Disney+ series is welcoming the lore of a galaxy far, far away with open arms. In fact, one of the premiere's most clever references serves a dual purpose, functioning as a callback to Boba Fett's big-screen debut while also acknowledging the bounty hunter's history with Darth Vader.

While Boba Fett technically debuted in the much-maligned Star Wars Holiday Special, his first feature film appearance takes place in The Empire Strikes Back, where he and a number of his fellow bounty hunters are recruited by Darth Vader to hunt down the Millennium Falcon. While the Sith Lord is delivering his instructions, he specifically points at Boba as he orders them not to disintegrate anyone, seemingly suggesting that Boba and Vader have history together that involves the bounty hunter having disintegrated someone he shouldn't have.

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Boba Fett Darth Vader No Disintegrations Star Wars

For years, fans speculated about what the implications of this line could mean in terms of Star Wars lore. Fan theories abounded, with some believing that Boba Fett had been the one to kill Owen and Beru Lars in A New Hope. However, this line was finally explained in 2020, when an anthology book entitled From a Certain Point of View was published. The book features a short story written by Paul Dini that follows the perspective of Boba Fett.

The story, entitled "Added Muscle," reveals that Boba had previously been hired by Darth Vader to hunt down some rebels on Coruscant, only to end up disintegrating them. The furious Sith Lord refused to pay Boba due to the lack of bodies, leading the bounty hunter to end up spending a bit more time on Tatooine. This provides a perfect explanation for why Vader singles Boba out about the disintegrations when they next cross paths in Episode V, as he surely doesn't want a repeat of Boba's last rebel encounter with his son onboard the Millennium Falcon.

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Boba Fett Blows Up Assassin Star Wars

By the time of The Book of Boba Fett's premiere episode, Boba isn't taking orders from anyone anymore thanks to his takeover of Jabba the Hutt's criminal empire. He and his right-hand woman Fennec Shand are nearly killed by a group of assassins, but they are saved by their Gamorrean guards. As the assassins attempt to escape, the wounded and furious Boba shoots a missile at one of them, reducing him to ashes and heavily damaging a nearby building.

Boba Fett breaking Darth Vader's specific instruction to him in the very first episode of his series demonstrates that Boba really is the one calling the shots now. He's able to do whatever he wants, fighting however he wants to, and the episode is far better for it in terms of both action and character development for the former bounty hunter. Without someone like Darth Vader around to rein him in, there's no telling just how far Boba Fett will go to ensure his control of Tatooine.

See Boba break Darth Vader's rule in The Book of Boba Fett's premiere, now streaming on Disney+.

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