The Book of Boba Fett episode 1: All the Star Wars references you missed

The Book of Boba Fett episode 1
(Image credit: Disney/Lucasfilm)

Warning: Major spoilers ahead for The Book of Boba Fett episode 1! Turn back now if you haven't watched the premiere on Disney Plus!

The Book of Boba Fett is here, and it's brought with it some key pieces of Star Wars lore. For one thing, we know how Boba Fett survived the Sarlacc pit – and that's far from the only connection to the wider saga you will find in the premiere.

We've rounded up the biggest Easter eggs and references, from the return of Max Rebo to those flashbacks to the Star Wars prequels. Scroll on to get up to speed on every detail about the galaxy far, far away you might have missed in The Book of Boba Fett episode 1.

The Book of Boba Fett episode 1 Easter eggs and Star Wars references

Max Rebo

The Book of Boba Fett

(Image credit: Lucasfilm)

This blue elephant-looking creature was last seen on Jabba the Hutt's barge in Return of the Jedi. It seemed he was dead – or at least missing in action – after Luke Skywalker attacked the barge to free Han Solo and Princess Leia, but as it turns out, Max Rebo is alive and well... and still playing his tunes. 

Figrin D'an

The Book of Boba Fett episode 1

(Image credit: Disney/Lucasfilm)

One of the most famous scenes in the Star Wars franchise is the Cantina Band jamming out in Mos Eisley. One of those musicians, Figrin D'an, reappears in The Book of Boba Fett. This time, he's without the rest of his band (Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes) and is playing with Max Rebo instead in the Mos Espa casino. The duo are even playing a remix of the Cantina Theme. Classic.

Trandoshan vs. Wookie

The Book of Boba Fett episode 1

(Image credit: Disney/Lucasfilm)

When Boba Fett is accepting tributes, a Trandoshan arrives with a Wookie pelt. This is a surprisingly dark reference to the species' bad blood with the Wookiees – the Trandoshans are hunters who hunt the big furry creatures for fun. It appears this Trandoshan is offering the remnants of a kill to Boba... At least we know it's not Chewie, as he's in the sequel trilogy. 

The most well-known Trandoshan is probably Bossk, who was one of the bounty hunters hired by Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back.

A Rodian

The Book of Boba Fett episode 1

(Image credit: Disney/Lucasfilm)

When Boba Fett is being held captive by the Tusken Raiders, his fellow prisoner is a Rodian. The most famous Rodian of all is Greedo, who was blasted away by Han Solo in A New Hope. Who shot first? Actually, let's not get into that...

Familiar looking droid dogs

The Book of Boba Fett episode 1

(Image credit: Disney/Lucasfilm)

The first episode of The Book of Boba Fett featured some droid dogs roaming Mos Espa, but it seems these good boys are actually retooled Boston Dynamic robots… or just look a lot like those particular yellow pieces of machinery that are very much real and not from outer space. You can even buy your own.

Protocol droid

C3-PO

(Image credit: LucasFilm)

While Fennec Shand and Boba Fett are accepting tributes, they find they struggle to understand one creature's speech. "We really need a protocol droid," Fett comments. That means the duo are in the market for a droid similar to C–3PO who can translate for them.

Kamino

The Book of Boba Fett episode 1

(Image credit: Disney/Lucasfilm)

A very brief flashback at the start of the episode reveals the planet Kamino, seen in Attack of the Clones. This is where we first met a young Boba Fett in the movies, and where he was cloned from Jango Fett, his father, played by Temuera Morrison who returns as Boba in the new series. Jango also served as the man who the inhabitants of Kamino cloned millions of times to create an army for the Jedi.

Geonosis

The Book of Boba Fett episode 1

(Image credit: Disney/Lucasfilm)

Another reference to Attack of the Clones, this flashback shows the moment Boba discovered his father's helmet after Jango was decapitated by Mace Windu. That grisly event took place on Geonosis, the desert planet where Obi-Wan Kenobi was held captive by Count Dooku, and was eventually rescued by Anakin Skywalker, Padme Amidala, and a lot of Jedi.

Mos Espa

The Book of Boba Fett episode 1

(Image credit: Disney/Lucasfilm)

The present day action of The Book of Boba Fett takes place in Mos Espa, Tatooine. That sandy planet is the homeworld of both Luke and Anakin Skywalker – and Mos Espa is where the future Darth Vader lived with his mother Shmi before he was taken for Jedi training by Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Don't be surprised if there's a podracing segment.

Tusken Raiders

The Book of Boba Fett episode 1

(Image credit: Disney/Lucasfilm)

These Tatooine inhabitants showed up briefly in the Star Wars movies, but have been a bigger presence in both The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. Din Djarin spent time with the creatures while trying to take down the krayt dragon in The Mandalorian season 2 episode 1, and Boba Fett was held captive by them – until he proved his worth. Of course, it's these creatures that Anakin Skywalker slaughtered in Attack of the Clones after they killed his mother. Even the younglings weren't spared.

Bacta tank

The Book of Boba Fett episode 1

(Image credit: Disney/Lucasfilm)

To heal from his time in the Sarlacc's digestive system, Boba Fett lies in one of these tanks, a pod filled with a healing liquid called bacta. Luke Skywalker spent some time in a bacta tank after he was attacked by a wampa in The Empire Strikes Back.

Twi'leks

The Book of Boba Fett episode 1

(Image credit: Disney/Lucasfilm)

This species has been seen a few times throughout the Star Wars saga, and shows up again in The Book of Boba Fett at the Mos Espa casino. Bib Fortuna was also a Twi'lek… before his untimely death at the hands of Boba Fett and Fennec Shand.

R-3X

The Book of Boba Fett episode 1

(Image credit: Disney/Lucasfilm)

As frequent Star Tours fliers will know, R-3X is a plucky pilot droid who flew the shuttle ride in Disney theme parks. In the flight seen in the ride, R-3X got mixed up in a battle between the Rebel Alliance and the Empire, and can now be found in the Galaxy's Edge park, where he's switched careers to DJ. He also makes an appearance in Star Wars Rebels. It seems sometime between his pilot and DJ gigs, though, he worked in the Mos Espa casino, as he can be glimpsed in The Book of Boba Fett.  

Jabba the Hutt

Jabba the Hutt

(Image credit: Disney/Lucasfilm)

A very familiar name indeed, Jabba is a big presence in The Book of Boba Fett episode 1, even if he has been dead since Return of the Jedi. The crime lord used to run Tatooine's underworld, which Fett has now seized control of – and the two have met before, when Fett delivered a frozen Han Solo to the creature (which set in motion the chain of events that led to Fett's trip into the Sarlacc pit).

Gamorreans

The Book of Boba Fett episode 1

(Image credit: Disney/Lucasfilm)

Another species spotted in the Star Wars franchise before, the Gamorreans appear in The Book of Boba Fett. The green, pig-like warriors served under Jabba the Hutt and then Bib Fortuna, but now work for Fett.

Hidden actors

The Book of Boba Fett episode 1

(Image credit: Disney/Lucasfilm)

These two hidden actors are a little harder to spot. The voice of the droid introducing those offering tribute, 8D8, is none other than What We Do in the Shadows' Matt Berry, and the Twi'lek who greets Boba Fett and Fennec Shand at the Mos Espa casino is Flashdance's Jennifer Beals. Also of note: 8D8 previously worked for Jabba in Return of the Jedi. Another cameo from the original trilogy!


The Book of Boba Fett episode 1 is streaming now on Disney Plus. If you're all caught up, check out our complete guide to the Star Wars timeline to get up to date on all the galaxy's goings-on.

Molly Edwards
Entertainment Writer

I'm an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.