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Boba Fett is a pure, unmodified clone of Jango Fett, the best bounty hunter in the galaxy of his time. This is a reputation that Boba Fett appears to have eventually attained as well. He also has a reputation as a Mandalorian warrior.

That said, we constantly observe in the Clone Wars TV series that although Boba Fett, growing up, is skilled enough to meet job requirements at the level bare essentials, he's always being played out at the end and pushed around.

During the Empire era, we can see him in Jabba's employ. The only time we see him in action, he 1) employed some ingenuity (we can't say if it's a moment of genius or a quality he always had) in tracking down the Millenium Falcon 2) took over the frozen Han Solo from Darth Vader, then successfully got it onto his ship, albeit with Imperial help to slow down his pursuers, and finally 3) when he finally got into a fight, he got thrown into a Sarlacc pit.

From what I know of him alone, I'm not sure it's that impressive a resume. He demonstrated some skills, but always fails at the end no matter how close he gets. Is there anything in Disney canon only I don't know/haven't mentioned that is proof of him deserving his reputation as the best bounty hunter in the galaxy?

thegreatjedi
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  • This seems opinion-based. Subjectively, one could consider Boba Fett the best bounty hunter of his time solely because he is an unaltered clone of the guy who was the best bounty hunter of his time, even if Boba had never done any bounty hunting. – Null Mar 02 '16 at 18:21
  • @Xantec It's definitely related, but that asks for Legends whereas this asks for canon. – Null Mar 02 '16 at 18:24
  • Fett probably did a lot of other skilled bounty hunting. In his fight when he died he was fighting the best Jedi. Also Jango was not only a genetically great fighter but also probably trained a lot. Bobba might not have trained as much. – Bellerophon Mar 02 '16 at 18:41
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    Well, Boba is, maybe, into his early teens during the events of the Clone Wars series. Why is the fact that he gets pushed around, despite his skills, by far more experienced bounty hunters, Jedi, and others all that surprising? – Ellesedil Mar 02 '16 at 18:54
  • I would argue that Jedi shouldn't matter to a bounty hunter. Jango Fett was known to have had his share of encounters with Jedi, and he is better than Cad Bane, who had successfully pulled off missions against an entire order. Maybe it's just me, but I have the impression that enemy Jedi is a normal part of a bounty hunter's life. He didn't really have an excuse. – thegreatjedi Mar 02 '16 at 19:01
  • Really? Boba is probably about 13 years old. He's trying to go up against other bounty hunters, Jedi, and soldiers who have been doing their thing almost as long as Boba has even been alive. In the Clone Wars, Boba lacks the necessary experience to better manage some of the situations he finds himself in. – Ellesedil Mar 02 '16 at 21:39
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    Why would anyone think bounty hunting would be genetically inheritable? – Oldcat Mar 02 '16 at 22:11
  • @Null Actually, I asked for both. – Rogue Jedi Mar 02 '16 at 23:27
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    Maybe all the other bounty hunters suck even worse. As they say "In the land of the blind the one eye'd man is king." – Erik Mar 02 '16 at 23:29
  • @Oldcat Generally it wouldn't be, but we know from the film that Jango expressly wanted the unaltered clone Boba so that he could train this one himself and pass on his skills. Being trained by one of the top experts in a field is a pretty damn decent headstart. – Cronax Mar 03 '16 at 09:15
  • @Oldcat Jango was chosen to be cloned because he is the best bounty hunter around. And the clones believe that cadets and graduated troopers are one and the same: their training is in their blood. Evidently the core qualities that made Jango the best there is is believed to be in his genes. – thegreatjedi Mar 03 '16 at 10:21
  • related: http://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/4056/are-all-stormtroopers-as-poor-soldiers-as-the-ones-in-the-movies (ironically, some STs were, duh, his clones...) –  Mar 03 '16 at 15:32
  • @Cronax - didn't Jango get his head lopped off in the prequels? How much training could he get in? – Oldcat Mar 03 '16 at 19:21
  • @vaxquis maybe the first 3-5 years of the canon Empire, when the Separatist pacification was still ongoing. After that, the Clone Wars was well and truly over, and Palpatine definitely retired the clones for birth born Stormtroopers by then. In canon there are no clone Stormtroopers. – thegreatjedi Mar 04 '16 at 01:36
  • @Oldcat In Ep 2, 10 year old Boba could fly the Slave I and shoot with it. I say he had more training then we expected. Don't forget, they aren't homo sapiens. I suspect Star Wars humans mature mentally faster than their bodies. How else do you explain the existence of children flying and captaining starships being accepted as normal occurrences in a Republic that bans slavery? – thegreatjedi Mar 04 '16 at 01:39
  • @thegreatjedi yeah, I know that, still - ain't it, well, ironic, they both share common ancestry & the same movie trope? –  Mar 04 '16 at 11:47
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    @vaxquis iirc the fleshing out of Boba Fett's worth as a top bounty hunter came from Legends. Disney shredded his resume, so... – thegreatjedi Mar 04 '16 at 11:58
  • @thegreatjedi hell, to think about it, this by itself is a trope! –  Mar 04 '16 at 12:01

1 Answers1

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Darth Vader clearly respects Boba Fett's skills, and doesn't react with his typical rage when Fett questions his actions:

Fett: He's no good to me dead.

Vader: He will not be permanently damaged.

[...]

Fett: What if he doesn't survive? He's worth a lot to me.

Vader: The Empire will compensate you, if he dies. Put him in.

Contrast this to Vader's threatening response to Lando when Lando questions his actions:

Vader: I am altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it any further.

Considering that Vader was willing to hire Fett, is willing to put up with Fett questioning his decisions, and is willing to compensate Fett if he kills Fett's bounty, not to mention that Fett clearly isn't afraid of Vader, we can assume that Vader respects him and his skills. Respect doesn't come easily from Vader, so the obvious conclusion is that Fett is everything that Legends made him out to be.

Community
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user45623
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    Vader might have some additional insight into Boba's skills considering that Anakin has been present and victim of his handywork when Boba was still a child. There's definitely some interaction between the two, which was mostly one-sided in Boba's favor, during the Clone Wars TV series. – Ellesedil Mar 02 '16 at 18:56
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    @SJuan76 If Boba Fett is often employed by the Empire, it stands to reason that he's good at his job – user45623 Mar 03 '16 at 02:18
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    There's also the "No disintegrations" exchange, as discussed http://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/13951/why-does-vader-say-no-disintegration-to-boba-fett-in-particular – Erics Mar 03 '16 at 13:34
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    Also keep in mind it seems Leia/Han/Luke/Chewie seem to know who he was, they refer to him by name here - while its possible they picked up his name somewhere, keep in mind Han basically had never interacted with him after Cloud City prior to this and still seems to quickly recognize his name when Chewie points it out. This suggests the name was well known. – enderland Mar 03 '16 at 13:52
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    @SJuan76 Darth Vader casually slays his own high-ranking officials; if he isn’t concerned about losing their services, it’s quite impressive indeed that is concerned about losing Boba Fett’s services. – KRyan Mar 03 '16 at 14:44
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    @KRyan There is a difference between killing high ranking officers in your navy who disregard your orders and as a result your target evades capture, and interacting with people only interested in the possibility of making money. One of the bridge officers indicates that they did not need the bounty hunter scum, probably referring to the fact that Vador was looking to outside sources since the navy was so incompetent, but the officer still thinks they will be able to do the job. – Trisped Mar 03 '16 at 20:03