Summary
- Jon Hamm is returning to voice Boba Fett in the Star Wars: Return of the Jedi anthology, celebrating the film’s 40th anniversary.
- The anthology consists of 40 short stories that provide new perspectives on the events of Return of the Jedi, focusing on supporting and background characters.
- The excerpt from a short story in the anthology reveals Fett’s frustration with his current position and hints at his future as a crime lord in Disney+’s The Book of Boba Fett series.
A Star Wars: Return of the Jedi anthology will feature the return of Mad Men‘s Jon Hamm as the voice of Boba Fett. Return of the Jedi: From a Certain Point of View is a collection of 40 short stories that celebrate the film’s 40th anniversary. Each story shows the events of Return of the Jedi from a new perspective, focusing on supporting and background characters instead of the viewpoints from leading trio Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, and Han Solo. A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back also had From a Certain Point of View anthologies to celebrate their 40th anniversaries.
USA Today has confirmed that Hamm is returning to voice Fett for the audiobook version of the upcoming anthology, just as he voiced the bounty hunter in the previous iterations of From a Certain Point of View. An excerpt from the story, “Reputation” by Tara Sims, was released as well, which shows Fett delivering Han Solo, frozen in carbonite, to Jabba the Hutt.
Boba Fett’s Crime Lord Plans Take Shape
The excerpt not only shows Return of the Jedi from a different perspective, but also plants the seeds for Fett’s ascension to crime lord in Disney+’s The Book of Boba Fett series. Upon delivering Solo to the powerful Jabba the Hutt, Fett reflects on how Jabba is using him, and that despite all the years he’s spent building his reputation, he’s little more than a glorified status symbol. Fett even begins to imagine what it would be like to be the one sitting on Jabba’s throne. He also expresses discomfort at the way Jabba treats his Twi’lek dancer.
Fett is frustrated with his current position and is already thinking about becoming a crime lord, one who will be more honorable than Jabba, which is exactly what happens in The Book of Boba Fett. This makes Fett’s progression from Return of the Jedi to The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett feel more natural. The excerpt also has references to Fett losing Solo to Crimson Dawn, and double-crossing the bounty hunter Valance in order to get Solo back from the Empire and the rebels, which occurs in the War of the Bounty Hunters comic by Charles Soule.
The From a Certain Point of View anthologies are fun celebrations of the original films that give more weight to the perspectives of supporting and background characters. At the same time, the stories create meaningful connectivity between various Star Wars media. With The Book of Boba Fett largely built off the events, characters, and settings in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, it makes sense to use a Boba Fett story to lay the groundwork for his crime lord journey, with Hamm’s distinct voice helping to bring the story to life in the audiobook version.
