How Long Was Boba Fett In The Sarlacc Pit?

One of the things that we were able to learn during The Mandalorian was that Boba Fett is, in fact, alive and was able to survive the Sarlacc pit when he fell into it way back in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. While we do know that Boba Fett is alive and is doing alright for himself, especially with the events of The Book of Boba Fett, there is still one question that fans are thinking about. How long was Boba Fett in the Sarlacc pit?

There is no clear indication of just how long Boba Fett was in the Sarlacc pit before he escaped. However, it can be estimated that he was in there for just a few days because he needed oxygen from a dead stormtrooper, and the remains of Jabba’s ship do not look like they have been there for a long time. 

While Boba did indeed spend a good while in the Sarlacc pit, what you should know is that it wasn’t really a very long time. That said, much of the time that had passed between Boba’s defeat in Return of the Jedi and his reappearance in The Mandalorian took place after he escaped the Sarlacc pit and not while he was inside the belly of the beast.

How Long Was Boba In The Sarlacc Pit?

Boba Fett is one of the most popular Star Wars characters since his introduction back in the first trilogy because of how cool he is. Still, as popular as he may be, fans saw what seemed to be the last of Boba Fett when he fell in the Sarlacc pit in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. And before Disney acquired Star Wars, we never saw Boba, except in Episode II: Attack of the Clones when he was still a child.

However, in season 2 of The Mandalorian, it was finally revealed that Boba Fett is, in fact, alive in the new Star Wars canon following the acquisition of the franchise by Disney. In The Mandalorian, we see him as a shell of his former self as he sets to re-acquire his armor from Din Djarin, the titular character of the series. He did acquire his armor, as it was announced soon after that he was getting his own spin-off series.

In The Book of Boba Fett, we see Boba Fett seemingly better than he was back in The Mandalorian and was now one of the rulers in Tatooine, having taken the former palace of Jabba the Hutt as his own.

Despite the fact that Boba is alive and is doing well enough, we still cannot forget about the scene wherein he was seemingly swallowed whole by the Sarlacc in Return of the Jedi. While it is obvious that Boba escaped, how long exactly was he in the Sarlacc pit? 

This question is pretty interesting to fans because it took a while in the entire Star Wars timeline for Boba to reappear. And that is why some people believe that he was in the Sarlacc for years.

However, the truth is that Boba Fett was only in the Sarlacc, maybe for just a few days and not years. That is clear in how the remains of Jabba’s ship look like they haven’t been there for a long time. On top of that, Boba needed oxygen the moment he woke up in the Sarlacc. While there is no clear answer as to how many days he was in the Sarlac, had Boba Fett been there for a long time, he would have run out of oxygen already.

It might be true that the Sarlacc is capable of slowing its digestion down or even halting it so that it can keep anything it eats undigested for up to a thousand years, you need to understand that the Sarlacc was killed when Jabba’s ship crashed and exploded within its vicinity. As such, at that point, it could no longer keep Boba Fett alive for a very long time in its stomach, as the stomach juices would have continued to digest him.

How Did Boba Fett Survive So Long In The Sarlacc Pit?

So, the reason why Boba Fett survived so long in the Sarlacc pit is that, as mentioned, the Sarlac was already dead. That means that its digestive system was no longer working and that only the digestive juices or the stomach acids were working. 

Then again, we could also say that Boba’s Mandalorian armor and his natural toughness were more than enough to keep him alive for a few days in the Sarlacc. The Sarlacc’s stomach juices would have needed to melt the beskar armor first. On top of that, Boba Fett’s armor also had its own life support system that kept him alive for a good while by providing him the oxygen he needed to survive.

But if you want to go with the non-canon explanation in the Star Wars Legends story, Boba Fett was simply too tough for the Sarlacc to digest, and that allowed him to escape the pit by fighting his way out of it.

Boba Fett Sarlacc Pit Scene

For those who are wondering how Boba Fett was able to escape the Sarlacc pit, here is a video of the opening scenes of The Book of Boba Fett, which shows how he was able to find a way out of the belly of the beast:

In this video, you can clearly see Boba waking up in the belly and in dire need of oxygen. On top of that, he looks visibly weak, probably due to the fight against Luke Skywalker and the rest of the gang and because he was already in the Sarlacc without food or water for a long time.

Using his gear, Boba was able to spot a dead Stormtrooper. The bounty hunter swam his way to the Stormtrooper and used its oxygen supply to get the oxygen he needed to survive and to fuel himself for his escape. After that, Boba Fett used the flamethrower in his Mandalorian armor to create an opening for his escape.