In the big Book of Boba Fett finale, Boba Fett calls his former mentor, the notorious bounty hunter, Cad Bane, an “old man.” But how old is Cad Bane exactly? And what is his history with Boba Fett? The not-always-obvious Star Wars canon has the answers.
Here’s how old Cad Bane (probably) is during The Book of Boba Fett, and why Fett murdering him is such a big deal. Spoilers ahead for The Book of Boba Fett, Chapter 7, “In the Name of Honor.”
How old is Cad Bane?
Because The Book of Boba Fett happens right after the events of The Mandalorian Season 2, we’re roughly in the year 9 ABY on the Star Wars calendar. Cad Bane was born in 62 BBY, which means during the events of A New Hope, he’s 62 years old. So, all we do is add 9 to that (ABY is after the Battle of Yavin, BBY is before), and that means Cad Bane is roughly 71 years old in The Book of Boba Fett.
Bane is a member of the alien species called the Duros. In Star Wars canon, these blue-skinned, red-eyed aliens were among the first to use hyperdrive to travel the galaxy. (Also, Duros should not be confused with Grand Admiral Thrawn’s species, the Chiss, who are also blue-skinned and red-eyed.) So, is 71 old for a Duros? For now, the answer isn’t clear. But, Boba Fett calling Cad Bane “old man,” means that Fett thinks Bane is old.
How does Cad Bane know Boba Fett?
Back when Boba Fett was still basically a child, The Clone Wars revealed that he’d been imprisoned by the Republic along with other bounty hunters and general scum and villainy. Circa 20 BBY, one of Fett’s prison inmates was Cad Bane at a time when Bane was about 42 years old and Fett was about 12.
In The Clone Wars episode “Deception,” Cad Bane gets Boba Fett to start a prison riot, which allows Bane to escape. At the time, Obi-Wan Kenobi was undercover as a criminal named Rako Hardeen, so, in a weird twist of fate, was present for the beginnings of Cad Bane’s relationship with Boba Fett.
Through all of this, Cad Bane becomes Boba Fett’s default bounty hunter mentor. So, the moment when Fett murders Cad Bane at the end of “In the Name of Honor,” is very similar to Han Solo murdering his smuggler mentor, Beckett (Woody Harrelson) in Solo: A Star Wars Story.
The difference, of course, is striking. When Han shot Beckett, he was becoming more cold-blooded. Oddly, when Fett murders Cad Bane, he’s becoming a better person. Generally speaking, when someone spares a life in Star Wars, it’s their moment of redemption. But for Fett, taking out Cad Bane represented something else: A life of murder and selfishness, which now, apparently, is a thing of the past. Cad Bane says Fett has “gotten soft” in his old age. And Fett replies, “we all do.”
Of all the twists we got in The Book of Boba Fett, this is probably the biggest one: The idea that over time, Boba Fett could become, a very nice guy.
The Book of Boba Fett is streaming now on Disney+.
