'The Book Of Boba Fett' Fixed A Big 'Return Of The Jedi' Problem

One of the most talked about moments of this week’s premiere episode of The Book of Boba Fett was, not surprisingly, the flashback showing us exactly how Boba survived his apparent demise after being swallowed up by the grotesque Sarlacc, AKA some Arizona sandpit with fangs glued on top. But, really, what we saw wasn’t all that surprising; after all, Boba Fett is a professional badass with a flamethrower for a wristwatch; how could he not make it out alive?

Much more shocking was the reveal that another original trilogy character somehow survived Luke Skywalker’s (shockingly convoluted) attack on Jabba the Hutt’s sail barge at the beginning of Return of the Jedi; Max Rebo, the keyboard-playing alien who looks not unlike a soiled Babar stuffed animal rescued from the gutter of a rain-soaked street.

We’ve previously bemoaned how Luke seemingly didn’t give two craps about blowing up a bar band, even though there has to be some kind of Jedi code against murdering innocent space beatniks. Thankfully, now The Book of Boba Fett has mostly rectified that complaint by featuring a cameo from Max, who’s now alive and playing with a new band in a new, less blood and feces-stained venue.

How exactly did this Dumbo-on-quaaludes-like creature avoid certain death? Well, it’s unclear. Hopefully, one day we’ll get a full-length tie-in novel chronicling Max Rebo’s dramatic escape, but his survival isn’t entirely without precedent. In the previous “Expanded Universe” continuity, Max Rebo not only lived past the events of Return of the Jedi, but he also went on to perform in the Star Wars equivalent of a USO Tour for Rebel soldiers and eventually started his own popular restaurant chain. Whether or not The Book of Boba Fett makes room for this minor character’s Kenny Rogers-esque celebrity restaurant remains to be seen.

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Top Image: Lucasfilm