Why Does Boba Fett Need A Bacta Tank & Is Burned?

When The Book of Boba Fett premiered with its pilot episode, there were some questions that were answered, especially in relation to how Boba Fett survived the Sarlacc. However, there were more questions left unanswered with the events that happened in that pilot episode. We first saw Boba Fett with a burnt face and in a bacta tank recuperating. So, why does Boba Fett need a bacta tank and is burned?

It was never fully revealed why Boba Fett needs a bacta tank. However, the events surrounding the Sarlacc might be the reason why he needs a bacta tank, as being in the Sarlacc might have left him wounds and ailments that have become permanent. As such, he needs the bacta tank for pain relief.

The thing that you need to know is that the bacta tank isn’t something that’s entirely new to the Star Wars universe, especially if you have seen some of the previous films. Bacta tanks are often used for pain relief and for healing various injuries, and that is why Boba Fett is in one. And considering that Fett has lived the dangerous life of a bounty hunter for decades, being in a bacta tank allows him to stay in top shape.

How Did Boba Fett Get Burned?

The release of The Book of Boba Fett was something to celebrate for fans of the Star Wars franchise, especially for those who have been fans of Boba Fett ever since his first appearance during the original trilogy. That said, while we did see Boba Fett in The Mandalorian, the events in The Book of Boba Fett opened more questions to be asked, even though there were some previous questions that were answered.

For starters, the opening minutes of the first episode of The Book of Boba Fett showed us how the bounty hunter was able to escape the Sarlacc and how he lost his armor shortly after surviving what could have been his doom inside the belly of the beast. While that may have answered a question that has been around for nearly four decades ever since Fett was eaten by the Sarlacc, we actually see him without his helmet after he made his escape.

When we saw Boba Fett unmasked, one of the first things anyone could notice was that he had visible injuries or burns on his face. We saw the same when he made his appearance in The Mandalorian as he was trying to recover his armor from Din Djarin. And, throughout the first few minutes of The Book of Boba Fett, the bounty hunter was in a bacta tank in the former palace of Jabba the Hutt, as we were peeking into the memories of his past.

So, with that said, how did Boba Fett get burned?

As mentioned, we saw how Boba Fett had to fight his way out of the Sarlacc’s belly in the opening scenes of the first episode of The Book of Boba Fett. We are unsure of whether or not the Sarlacc was already dead (Jabba’s ship crashed into it in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi), but what we are sure of is that the digestive juices or the stomach acids in the monster’s belly were still working while Fett was inside.

While it was mentioned in Return of the Jedi that Sarlaccs take decades to fully digest their food, that doesn’t mean that the stomach acids don’t do any damage to whatever or whoever is inside the monster’s belly. Considering that Boba Fett could have been in the Sarlacc’s stomach for days, there is a good reason to believe that he has taken considerable damage from the digestive juices.

In case you don’t know, when stomach acid or any kind of dangerous or corrosive acid makes contact with flesh or any organic material, the acid burns its way through the material while dissolving it in the process. So, if acid makes contact with human flesh, it would make it look like the flesh was burned.

So, because Boba Fett was in the Sarlacc’s belly for a while, the monster’s stomach acids might have made their way to the bounty hunter’s flesh and caused burns. Even if Fett was wearing his armor, the acids might have made their way through the small cracks and openings in the armor and slowly dissolved his skin in the process. That is why Boba Fett looks like he was burned when his face was revealed after the Jawas took his armor upon his escape from the Sarlacc.

Of course, because Boba Fett was in the stomach without oxygen and nutrients for a good while, he was visibly tired and exhausted after escaping the Sarlacc. On top of that, the digestive juices might have also caused considerable damage to him, such that he was already too weak to even move upon making his escape. This was what allowed the Jawas to steal his armor and the Tusken Raiders to take him as a slave.

Why Is Boba Fett’s Face Scarred?

When we saw Boba Fett in The Mandalorian, he looked like a shell of his former self because of how scarred and old he looked. In the same way, when we saw him in the flashbacks of when he was taken as a slave by the Tusken Raiders, he also looked scarred. So, why is it that Boba Fett’s face is scarred?

Again, the reason why Boba Fett’s face is scarred or burned can be attributed to the effects of the Sarlacc’s digestive acids, which can leave burns on flesh when they make contact. Because Fett was exposed to the acids for a while, they could have caused damage to the bounty hunter’s skin to the point that his face was left scarred.

Of course, Boba Fett also had to endure more things other than the Sarlacc’s stomach. After making his escape from the belly of the beast, he had to endure getting kicked and injured by the Tusken Raiders. The things that the Tusken Raiders did to him might have caused scars on his face as well.

And even if he might have befriended the Tusken Raiders after saving one of their young from a mysterious monster, we are yet to find out what happened to him before his appearance in The Mandalorian and before he became a crime lord in The Book of Boba Fett. That might be something that we will probably find out as the series moves forward.

Why Does Boba Feet Need A Bacta Tank?

When we first saw Boba Fett in the first episode of The Book of Boba Fett, he was inside a bacta tank in what looked like the former palace of the late Jabba the Hutt. Throughout the time he was in the bacta tank, we were made to look at his memories and what happened to him following the events that transpired in Return of the Jedi. That said, why does Boba Fett need a bacta tank?

First of all, it is important for you to find out what a bacta tank is before we proceed. Basically speaking, a bacta tank is a tank full of liquids that are meant to soothe painful injuries and heal some wounds in the process. If you have seen Dragon Ball Z, it is basically the same tank that Vegeta was in when he was healing during the Planet Namek arc of the anime.

That said, this isn’t the first time we see a bacta tank in the Star Wars universe. In Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Luke also spent time in a bacta tank after surviving what would have normally been a fatal encounter. And in Star Wars: Rogue One, which tells the story of the team that was able to get the Death Star’s blueprints right before the events of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, we also see Darth Vader in a bacta tank.

Basically speaking, the bacta tank is a therapeutic machine that allows those with painful injuries to feel temporary relief. We know for a fact that Luke suffered plenty of injuries in his bout with the yeti-like beast in the frigid planet of Hoth. Of course, we know that Darth Vader’s body is fully burnt following the events of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. So, while we do know that the tank was never able to heal Vader’s burnt body, we do know that he spends his time in a bacta tank without the need to be in his life-support armor, as he meditates in it.

Going back, the reason why Boba Fett needs to be in a bacta tank is that he might have suffered numerous injuries in the past and needs time in the tank to make sure that he is temporarily relieved from the effects of his injuries. We do know that he didn’t look like his old self in The Mandalorian. And, in The Book of Boba Fett, he was in the bacta tank during the beginning and the end of the first episode, following the bout against a group of assassins that nearly killed him.

While it might be true that the effects of the Sarlacc’s digestive acids and his time as a slave for the Tusken Raiders might have left permanent injuries, Boba Fett might have suffered more injuries in the time after he befriended the Tusken Raiders and before he recovered his armor in The Mandalorian. That is something we are going to see as The Book of Boba Fett unfolds.