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Boba Fett brought another Star Wars fan favorite to live action for the first time

And here’s why he looks so blue

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Photo of a man staring off into the distance with the word “Spoilers” superimposed across the image Image: James Bareham/Polygon | Source image: Lucasfilm Ltd
Austen Goslin (he/him) is an entertainment editor. He writes about the latest TV shows and movies, and particularly loves all things horror.

The Book of Boba Fett is quickly becoming a gathering of the bounty hunters, and Chapter 6 had one of the most surprising and exciting additions so far. The new gunslinger who crosses paths with Timothy Olyphant’s Cobb Vanth in The Mandalorian spinoff might be blue in the face, but he’s no stranger to danger. He’s had plenty of other adventures in the Star Wars universe.

In case you haven’t caught up Star Wars’ various animated series, here’s a brief history of The Book of Boba Fett’s new bad guy.

[Ed. note: This post contains spoilers for The Book of Boba Fett and all previous Star Wars series.]

The newest bounty hunter in The Book of Boba Fett goes by the name of Cad Bane, and he’s been a fan favorite villain since the Star Wars: The Clone Wars series. Cad comes from the planet of Duro and has worked with just about all the bad guys and villains in Star Wars history. Despite his numerous animated and comic-based appearances, this is the first time Cad has been in a live-action Star Wars project — though the live-action character is still voiced by Corey Burton, just like his animated counterpart.

Cad Bane in The Clone Wars

Star Wars’ Cad Bane in The Book of Boba Fett Image: Lucasfilm Ltd.

In the pre-Clone War days, Cad got his start as a bounty hunter working under Darth Maul. After a kidnapping goes somewhat awry, Cad parts ways with Maul and goes off on his own just as the Republic prepares to enter the Clone Wars.

Bane thrived during the war, frequently doing business with the Confederacy of Independent Systems, the Hutts, and perhaps most importantly Darth Sidious himself.

Throughout the Clone Wars, Cad took on many missions including kidnapping, heists, and good old fashioned bounty hunting — he even competed in a bounty hunter-themed Hunger Games.

Perhaps the thing that Cad is most known for, is his frequent encounters with Jedi and his uncanny ability to survive them in a fight. While most bounty hunters struggle when they come up against Force-wielders, Cad actually excels, taking on the likes of Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka throughout the Clone Wars.

Most critical to his latest appearance is the fact that near the end of the Clone Wars, Cad Bane became a mentor figure to Boba Fett. Boba’s father Jango had mentored Cad, so it seemed only right to return the favor. While we don’t know much about the time the two spent together, we do get a glimpse of this backstory in Book of Boba Fett Chapter 6 when Cad tells Cobb Vanth that Boba is a killer. Perhaps that’s part of what the series will explore should the two legendary bounty hunters meet in the season’s final episode.

Imperial days

Cad Bane holding a holocron in Clone Wars Image: Lucasfilm Ltd.

During the rule of the Galactic Republic, Cad took on a variety of jobs, including a brief run in with Fennec Shand and the clone troopers of the Bad Batch squad. Aside from a few missions though, we don’t know much about how Cad spend his time during the Empire’s reign. One thing we do know is that he eventually joins the Pyke Syndicate, which is where we find him in Book of Boba Fett Chapter 6.

The Pyke Syndicate

The Pyke Syndicate is one of the biggest and most important crime rings in the galaxy and have played a few important roles in the Star Wars universe. Perhaps their most interesting and prolific period was when Darth Maul was their ruler — shortly after he was cut in half by Obi-Wan.

Maul pushed the Syndicate far beyond the bounds of simple Spice trading and into the the business of conquest, taking over and ruling the Mandalorian home planet of Mandalore for a brief time. Since then, the Pykes have mostly been content running the largest Spice smuggling ring in the galaxy, and it seems they’re unhappy with anyone threatening that rule.

This brings in Cad Bane, who we see at the end of Book of Boba Fett Chapter 6, as he wins a duel against Cobb Vanth to remind everyone that the Syndicate controls the sands of Tatooine and not anyone else. But while he might be working for the Syndicate to keep the Spice flowing, it seems possible that Cad might have more personal issues on his mind.

After all, he’s now on a collision course with Fennec Shand, who he has a score to settle with, and his former protégé Boba Fett. Whatever happens, it seems likely that Cad will have an important part to play in the final episode of The Book of Boba Fett.


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