Darth Maul and Boba Fett are BFFs IRL (And Here’s What it Means for STAR WARS)

The galaxy far, far away is chock full of dynamic duos: Han Solo and Chewbacca, C-3PO and R2-D2, Anakin Skywalker and not having the high ground. Now there’s a brand new terrific twosome in town and they’re blowing up Instagram like so many Death Stars with videos of them hanging out, surprising fans, and practicing sweet stunts together IRL: Darth Maul and Boba Fett. Or, more accurately, actors Ray Park and Daniel Logan, who portrayed Darth Maul (physically) and young Boba Fett in the prequel trilogy, respectively.

But we have a theory that these two aren’t just flipping out on Instagram for Siths and giggles. What if they’re training for an adventure in the galaxy far, far away? And not one about Han Solo, but rather a movie all about the Crimson Dawn crime syndicate. Join host Hector Navarro for a spoiler-filled, speculatory journey into the future of Star Wars as we break down what this friendship could portend for the galaxy far, far away on a brand new episode of Nerdist News Edition.

[brightcove video_id=”5792598576001″ brightcove_account_id=”3653334524001″ brightcove_player_id=“rJs2ZD8x”]
Thanks to the new expanded universe canon, we have seen more of Boba Fett’s adventures outside the original trilogy. Now with a rumored Boba Fett movie from Logan director James Mangold on the way, it looks as thought we’re about to get a whole lot more of the Mandalorian-armored mercenary in the future. We have a few theories as to what this movie could be about, and they’re tied to the real-life friendship we’ve seen blossoming between Park and Logan.

Option #1: Boba Fett Begins

Set around the same time period as  Solo: A Star Wars Story, this movie could show us how Boba Fett earned the deadly reputation he has when we meet him in The Empire Strikes Back. Imagine a gritty crime drama set in the seedy underbelly of the Star Wars universe as Boba Fett makes a name for himself working for crime lords like Jabba the Hutt, the Pyke Syndicate, and eventually Darth Maul himself, who could serve as a unifying thread and the overarching villain for each film. This could serve as an indirect sequel to Solo–in which Maul had that shocking cameo at the end–and enable Lucasfilm to still use characters with ties to the underworld like Han Solo, Chewie, Lando, and Qi’ra, all of whom likely signed contracts locking them in to multiple movies. A story like this would also set the stage for a third film where Han and/or Boba work together or against each other in order to take down Maul, Qi’ra, and the Crimson Dawn for good, blowing up a whole bunch of stuff in the process. For example, it might finally explain why Vader singles Boba out for his tendency to disintegrate people in Empire.

Option #2: Post-Sarlacc Pit

If you’ve steeped yourself in classic Star Wars Expanded Universe lore, then you know that Boba Fett’s story didn’t end after he was swallowed whole by the sarlacc dwelling within the Great Pit of Carkoon in Return of the Jedi. While it’s unlikely Fett will be fighting in the Yuuzhan Vong War anytime soon, we could see him potentially making his way to the Outer Rim and doing some dirty work for an up-and-coming power broker and literal Scarface: Supreme Leader Snoke. Boba’s latter-day adventures would help explain how Snoke rose to power, and also how Boba helped deliver not one, but two Solos fall into the hands of the bad guys.

Option #3: Teen Boba

Maybe they’ll recast Boba Fett completely and go with a film set just after The Clone Wars showcasing the young bounty hunter as a moody, disrespectful teenager brought to heel by Aurra Sing before she’s later killed by Tobias Beckett.

And, of course, this is to say nothing of option #4, which is that none of these things come to pass and all of our wonderful ideas get cut off at the knees like…

Too soon?

But what do you think? Are Darth Maul and Boba Fett training to do a movie together? Which of these movie would you most want to see? Let us know in the comments below!

Images: Disney/Lucasfilm

Additional reporting by Jesse B. Gill.

More Star Wars!