View source for The Last One Standing: The Tale of Boba Fett

{{Top|imp|reb|new|real}}
{{Short story
|image=[[File:TLOSTToBF-TotBH.png]]
|story name=The Last One Standing: <br />The Tale of Boba Fett
|author=[[Daniel Keys Moran]]
|editor=[[Kevin J. Anderson]]
|illustrator=
|publisher=[[Bantam Spectra]]
|release date=[[December]] [[1996]]
|published in=''[[Tales of the Bounty Hunters]]''
|reprinted in=
|pages=
|timeline=*[[12 BBY/Legends|12 BBY]]<ref name="TERC">''[[The Essential Reader's Companion]]''</ref> {{Flash}}
*[[3 ABY/Legends|3 ABY]]<ref name="TERC" /> {{Flash}}
*[[4 ABY/Legends|4 ABY]]<ref name="TERC" /> {{Flash}}
*[[19 ABY/Legends|19 ABY]]<ref name="TERC" />
|series=
|preceded by=
|followed by=}}
{{Quote|The Last One Standing is not merely my favorite Star Wars piece; that's a limited universe. It's one of my favorite pieces of writing, overall. I went back to Harrison Ford's comment about Solo: 'no mama, no papa, and no story.' And I gave Han Solo a last moment in the sun, got the wife and kids away from him, got Chewie away from him, and sent him off to have an adventure by himself, to put him on the field with another old horse, Boba Fett, for one last confrontation.|Daniel Keys Moran|url=http://danielkeysmoran.blogspot.com/2007/06/protect-innocent-star-wars-lawrence.html}}
"'''The Last One Standing: The Tale of Boba Fett'''" is a short story written by [[Daniel Keys Moran]] and published by [[Bantam Spectra]] in the ''[[Tales of the Bounty Hunters]]'' anthology. It focuses on [[Bounty hunter/Legends|bounty hunter]] [[Boba Fett/Legends|Boba Fett]], though also features passages written from the point of view of war criminal [[Kardue'sai'Malloc/Legends|Kardue'sai'Malloc]] and [[Han Solo/Legends|Han Solo]], former [[Smuggler/Legends|smuggler]] and hero of the [[Alliance to Restore the Republic/Legends|Rebellion]]. The early portions of the book deal with a number of incidents in Boba Fett's early life, documenting his fixation on and rivalry with Han Solo, and establishing much of his background. After jumping time frames a number of time the story reaches [[19 ABY/Legends|19 ABY]] and stays there for its duration. After an older Fett successfully captures Kardue'sai'Malloc, the Butcher of Montellian Serat, to pay for his retirement, he and his old nemesis Solo end up facing off on [[Jubilar/Legends|Jubilar]], where they first met. The story ends in a cliffhanger, with each man pointing a gun at the other from a close range.

==Plot summary==
{{Plot}}

==Development==
{{Quote|I wrote three Star Wars stories for Kevin J. Anderson, back in the mid-late 90s. I'm proud of them: I did my best with them. They were stupid in places&hellip;But I did what, to my understanding at least, Lucas had done with Star Wars: hid the stupidity beneath sheer force of conviction, and charged ahead. And I think it worked.|Daniel Keys Moran, author of "The Last One Standing"|url=http://danielkeysmoran.blogspot.com/2007/06/protect-innocent-star-wars-lawrence.html}}
In the mid 1990s, ''[[Star Wars]]'' author [[Kevin J. Anderson]] conceived the idea of compiling anthologies of short stories centered on various background characters appearing in the ''Star Wars'' saga,<ref name="Jabba's Palace acknowledgments">"Acknowledgments," ''[[Tales from Jabba's Palace]]'', page ii</ref> whose backstories had by and large only been touched upon by [[West End Games]] sourcebooks.<ref name="gg1">''[[Galaxy Guide 1: A New Hope]]''</ref><ref name="gg3">''[[Galaxy Guide 3: The Empire Strikes Back]]''</ref><ref name="gg5">''[[Galaxy Guide 5: Return of the Jedi]]''</ref> Publisher [[Bantam Spectra]] and [[Lucasfilm Ltd.|Lucasfilm's]] Director of Publishing [[Lucy Autrey Wilson|Lucy Wilson]] were enthusiastic about the idea,<ref name="Jabba's Palace acknowledgments" /> and Anderson set about inviting various authors, some of whom had prior experience working in the ''Star Wars'' universe, to pen stories for the first anthology, ''[[Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina]]''. It covered many characters seen fleetingly in [[Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope|''Star Wars'': Episode IV ''A New Hope'']] in sixteen short stories.<ref name="Anderson-Greyman interview">[[Wookieepedia:Interview/Kevin J. Anderson|Wookieepedia's interview with Kevin J. Anderson]]</ref><ref name="bffc interview">[http://bobafett.com/news/spotlight/daniel-keys-moran_jaster-mereel/?from=rss Daniel Keys Moran interview] at The Boba Fett Fan Club</ref> Among the invitees was [[Daniel Keys Moran]], author of the Bantam-published ''Continuing Time'' series, who had been recommended to Anderson by Heather McConnell, Moran's partner and an editor at Bantam.<ref name="bffc interview" /> Moran penned ''[[Empire Blues: The Devaronian's Tale]]'', basing the story on [[Kathy Tyers]]' contribution to the project, ''[[We Don't Do Weddings: The Band's Tale]]''.<ref name="blog">[http://danielkeysmoran.blogspot.com/2007/06/protect-innocent-star-wars-lawrence.html Protect the Innocent -- Star Wars -- Lawrence -- Lonesome Dove -- Knightriders] &mdash; [[Daniel Keys Moran]]'s blog</ref> Anderson was impressed by Moran's submission,<ref name="bffc interview" /> and it was approved by Lucasfilm, with minor changes such as the removal of the word "whores."<ref name="tfnpost3">{{JCFcite|postnum=27879799|board=Literature|thread=What Might Have Been (Or: The Thread In Which We Conspire To Get DKM Back)|user=[[Daniel Keys Moran|DanielKeysMoran]]|PTtime=[[December 18]], [[2007]] at 11:49 PM|accessdate=2013-10-25|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801203511/https://boards.theforce.net/threads/what-might-have-been-or-the-thread-in-which-we-conspire-to-get-dkm-back.27821163/page-2}}</ref> The anthology was eventually published in [[August]], [[1995]],<ref name="tftmec">''[[Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina]]''</ref> over ten months after the idea was approved by Lucasfilm.<ref name="Jabba's Palace acknowledgments" />

''[[Tales from Jabba's Palace]]'', a second anthology, was approved soon after the first, and Anderson again invited Moran to contribute to it by authoring a story about [[Boba Fett/Legends|Boba Fett]], who appeared in both [[Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back|''Star Wars'': Episode V ''The Empire Strikes Back'']] and [[Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi|Episode VI ''Return of the Jedi'']]. Attracted by the "strong, silent, brutal" character of Fett, Moran agreed, and turned in an outline for a story depicting what happened to Fett after he fell into the [[Sarlacc/Legends|sarlacc]] in ''Return of the Jedi''. Moran's outline established that the sarlacc was self-aware, and that Fett spent many years in its bowels before his escape; it was initially approved. However, Lucasfilm later requested that Moran change the story to make Fett stay in the sarlacc just a few days, and that it could not be [[Sentience/Legends|sentient]] as he wished,<ref name="bffc interview" /> which led to the creation of [[Susejo]].<ref name="Moran interview">{{Cite_web|url=https://starwarsinterviews.com/various/authors/daniel-keys-moran-author|title=Daniel Keys Moran interview|publisher=StarWarsInterviews.com|archivedate=20181007223111}}</ref> Moran revised it until Lucasfilm was satisfied but he was unhappy with the final product and opted to use a pseudonym&mdash;J. D. Montgomery&mdash;despite the wishes of Lucasfilm. No ''Star Wars'' author had previously used a pseudonym with Bantam, but Moran insisted that they either publish the revised piece with the pseudonym or publish the original submission without it. In the anthology's "About the Authors" appendix, the issue of the pseudonym was jestingly glossed over, with the piece stating that J.D. Montgomery "does not exist&hellip;not really." The story, ''[[A Barve Like That: The Tale of Boba Fett]]'', was published in [[January]], [[1996]]. Relations between Lucasfilm and Moran were strained, and he doubted he would get an opportunity to write for Anderson's final collection, ''[[Tales of the Bounty Hunters]]''.<ref name="blog" />

[[File:DKM.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Daniel Keys Moran]]
Anderson, however, was keen to use Moran as one of the four authors aside from himself to work on the third anthology. He contacted Moran and asked him to pen the Boba Fett story. Daniel Keys Moran was surprised by Anderson's offer, knowing that it could generate friction between Anderson and Lucasfilm and that it was something of a gamble on his part. Moran suspected that Anderson himself knew it wasn't in his best interests to offer him the job, which he admired.<ref name="blog" /> After clarifying with Anderson that he would get to write without undue interference from Lucasfilm, Moran accepted and began to work on an outline.<ref name="bffc interview" /> His short story would take place over various periods in Fett's life: when he was exiled from his [[Homeworld/Legends|homeworld]]; his first meeting with [[Han Solo/Legends|Han Solo]] during one of his early missions as a [[Bounty hunter/Legends|bounty hunter]]; a brief recounting of the events in ''The Empire Strikes Back'' and ''Return of the Jedi''; a mission, [[19 ABY/Legends|fifteen years]] after ''Return of the Jedi'', which is to provide Fett with a hefty retirement fund; and a showdown with his old nemesis, Han Solo, shortly after. He also settled on the title "The Last One Standing," which was never changed.<ref name="blog" /> Strangely, Moran wasn't restricted by Lucasfilm to explore Boba Fett's youth, as it's widely said that the pre&ndash;''A New Hope'' era had to remain untouched in the 1990s by any authors due potential contradictions with the then-unreleased ''Star Wars'' [[prequel trilogy]].<ref name="Moran interview" />

After finishing his outline, Moran decided that if Lucasfilm was unhappy with any substantial part of it, he would not write the story and would request that someone else be found to take his place&mdash;this was made easier by the fact that there was little money involved in the anthologies to such an extent that, according to Moran, he was essentially writing the stories out of love for the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He turned in his outline to Anderson and told him his thoughts on the matter; Anderson liked the outline and told Moran to write the story. He promised to protect it from any major changes by Lucasfilm, and Moran set about working on his first draft.<ref name="blog" />

Moran enjoyed writing the story, and it became one of his favorite self-authored works. He kept in contact with Kevin J. Anderson while writing it&mdash;after writing the scene in which [[Kardue'sai'Malloc/Legends|Kardue'sai'Malloc]] is put to death in a pit of starving, vicious [[quarra]], he sent Anderson a letter telling him, "When I'm old and have sons, I will tell them, 'Daddy was bad once.{{' "}} After finishing his first draft, Moran sent it to Anderson, who in turn sent it to Lucasfilm.<ref name="blog" /> Some minor changes were made, particularly to some of the harsh language, with "hell" and "damn" specifically being removed despite appearing in the films and many [[Star Wars Legends|Expanded Universe]] works since. The town on [[Jubilar/Legends|Jubilar]] mentioned in the story was originally called "Halfway to Hell" and later "Hell," but were changed to "Dying Slowly" and "[[Death (town)|Death]]." Moran would have preferred the changes weren't made, but had no real qualms about them and didn't object. At another point, a segment of one line in the story was removed: "If this is Han, buddy, you owe me five hundreds credits if I get back, you've been betting on the slow ones lately" was changed to simply, "If this is Han, buddy, you owe me five hundreds credits if I get back," with no explanation of why. The change annoyed Moran but he again made no issue about it.<ref name="tfnpost">{{JCFcite|threadnum=27821163|board=Literature|thread=What Might Have Been (Or: The Thread In Which We Conspire To Get DKM Back)|user=[[Daniel Keys Moran|DanielKeysMoran]]|PTtime=12/18/07 11:49pm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801203604/https://boards.theforce.net/threads/what-might-have-been-or-the-thread-in-which-we-conspire-to-get-dkm-back.27821163}}</ref>

However, Lucasfilm did have a major issue with Kardue'sai'Malloc's death scene. An individual at LFL hated the scene and did not want it included in the final product under any circumstances. Moran and Lucasfilm corresponded over the issue, during which the scene was referred to by LFL as "the torture scene." However, Anderson honored his promise to Moran and the scene stayed in, with no changes.<ref name="blog" /> The story was finally approved and published along with four others in ''Tales of the Bounty Hunters''.

==Continuity==
{{Quote|I prefer mine, of course. But it didn't particularly annoy me. I don't care much about canon, and my stories are still out there for anyone who wants to read them. And frankly, even within the universe of commercial fiction, [George] Lucas was utterly contemptuous of his own early writing, when it came time to make the prequels. The idea that I should get annoyed about him ignoring mine? No.|[[Daniel Keys Moran]] on his feelings about "Last One Standing" being contradicted by the films|<ref name="Moran interview" />}}
Originally this story was considered the official background story for Boba Fett, but when [[Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones|''Star Wars'': Episode II ''Attack of the Clones'']] was released, its depiction of Fett's childhood contradicted the [[Jaster Mereel]] backstory.<ref>{{Film|II}}</ref> When asked about his feelings of "The Last One Standing: The Tale of Boba Fett" being contradicted, [[Daniel Keys Moran]] stated that it didn't particularly annoy him as he did not care much about [[canon]], yet admitted that he prefers his story to the one in the film.<ref name="Moran interview" />

''[[Jango Fett: Open Seasons]]'' [[retcon]]ned the Jaster Mereel character to be a different individual: the mentor of Fett's father, [[Jango Fett/Legends|Jango Fett]]. Boba Fett took Jaster's name as an alias during his time as a [[Journeyman Protector/Legends|Journeyman Protector]], thus saving the story from being apocryphal.<ref>''[[Jango Fett: Open Seasons]]''</ref>

In [[2018]], Keys Moran revealed in an interview that before the release of the [[Star Wars Anthology Series|''Star Wars'' Anthology]] film ''[[Solo: A Star Wars Story]]'', he had been receiving emails from a [[The Walt Disney Company|Walt Disney Company]] employee regarding the possibility of Lucasfilm adapting "The Last One Standing: The Tale of Boba Fett" into a potential [[Boba Fett]] [[Untitled Star Wars film (2020)|feature film]].<ref name="Moran interview" />

==Appearances==
{{App
|characters=
*[[Ovido Aishara]] {{Mo}}
*[[Mari'ha Andona]] {{1st}}
*[[Miagi Baker]] {{1stm}}
*[[C-3PO/Legends|C-3PO]] "Threepio" {{Mo}}
*[[Lando Calrissian/Legends|Lando Calrissian]]
*[[Chewbacca/Legends|Chewbacca]] "Chewie"
*[[Iving Creel]] {{1st}}
*[[Bilman Dowd]] {{1st}}
*[[Brullian Dyll]] {{Mo}}
*[[Boba Fett/Legends|Boba Fett]]
*[[Gareth (king)|Gareth]] {{1stm}}
*[[IG-88B/Legends|IG-88]] {{Mo}}
*[[Jabba's rancor]]
*[[Maxa Jandovar]] {{Mo}}
*[[Jocko]] {{1stm}}
*[[Kang]] {{Mo}}
*[[Kardue'sai'Malloc/Legends|Kardue'sai'Malloc]] / Labria / "Butcher of Montellian Serat"
*[[Jodo Kast]] {{Mo}}
*[[Obi-Wan Kenobi/Legends|Obi-Wan Kenobi]] "Ben" {{Mo}}
*[[Janet Lalasha]] {{Mo}}
*[[Incavi Larado]] / [[Incavi Baker]] {{1st}}
*[[Lubrichs]] {{Mo}}
*[[M'lar'Nkai'kambric]] {{Mo}}
*[[Maris (male)|Maris]] {{1stm}}
*[[Jaster Mereel]] {{Mo}} {{Ret}}
*[[Miracle Meriko]] {{Mo}}
*[[Orin Mersai]] {{Mo}}
*[[Palpatine/Legends|Palpatine]] {{Imo}}
*[[Luke Skywalker/Legends|Luke Skywalker]]
*[[Leia Organa Solo]]
*[[Anakin Solo]] {{Imo}}
*[[Han Solo/Legends|Han Solo]] / [[Luke Morgavi]]
*[[Darth Caedus|Jacen Solo]] {{Imo}}
*[[Jaina Solo Fel|Jaina Solo]] {{Imo}}
*[[Jaina (Elder)|Jaina Solo Sr.]] {{Imo}}
*[[Jonash Solo]] {{Imo}}
*[[Jabba Desilijic Tiure/Legends|Jabba Desilijic Tiure]]
*[[Anakin Skywalker/Legends|Darth Vader]]
*[[Hallolar Voors]] {{1st}}
|creatures=
*[[Gundark/Legends|Gundark]] {{Mo}}
*[[Nerf/Legends|Nerf]] {{Mo}}
*[[Quarra]]
*[[Rancor/Legends|Rancor]]
*[[Sarlacc/Legends|Sarlacc]]
*[[Slorth]] {{C|As insult}}
|droids=
*[[Flight droid/Legends|Flight droid]] {{Mo}}
|events=
*[[Battle of Endor/Legends|Battle of Endor]] {{Imo}}
*[[Battle of Hoth/Legends|Battle of Hoth]]
*[[Destruction of Alderaan]] {{Mo}}
*''[[Regional Sector Number Four's All-Human Free-For-All]]''
*[[Battle of the Great Pit of Carkoon]]
*[[Wedding of Han Solo and Leia Organa (8 ABY)|Wedding of Han Solo and Leia Organa]] {{Mo}}
|locations=
*[[Alderaan/Legends|Alderaan]] {{Mo}}
*[[Bespin/Legends|Bespin]]
**[[Cloud City/Legends|Cloud City]]
*[[Boranda/Legends|Boranda]] {{Mo}}
*[[Concord Dawn/Legends|Concord Dawn]]
*[[Coruscant/Legends|Coruscant]]
**[[Imperial Palace/Legends|Imperial Palace]]
*[[Devaron/Legends|Devaron]]
**[[Blue Mountains]]
**[[Judgment Field]]
**[[Montellian Serat/Legends|Montellian Serat]] {{Mo}}
*[[Hoth system/Legends|Hoth system]]
**[[Hoth asteroid field]]
**[[Hoth/Legends|Hoth]]
*[[Jubilar/Legends|Jubilar]]
**[[Death (town)|Dying Slowly]] / [[Death (town)|Death]]
***[[Executioner's Row]]
***[[Victory Forum]]
*[[Peppel]]
*[[Shalam]] {{Mo}}
*[[Tatooine/Legends|Tatooine]]
**[[Great Pit of Carkoon/Legends|Great Pit of Carkoon]]
**[[Jabba's Palace]]
**[[Mos Eisley/Legends|Mos Eisley]] {{Mo}}
|organizations=
*[[Bounty hunter/Legends|Bounty hunter]]
*[[Bounty Hunters' Guild/Legends|Bounty Hunters Guild]]
**[[Guild Bank]] {{Mo}}
*[[Galactic Empire/Legends|Galactic Empire]]
**[[Galactic Emperor/Legends|Galactic Emperor]] {{Mo}}
***[[Imperial Navy/Legends|Imperial Navy]]
****[[Stormtrooper/Legends|Stormtrooper]] {{Mo}}
*[[Galactic Republic/Legends|Galactic Republic]] "Old Republic" {{Mo}}
*[[Jedi/Legends|Jedi]]
*[[King/Legends|King]] {{Mo}}
*[[Mandalorian/Legends|Mandalorian]]
**[[Journeyman Protector/Legends|Journeyman Protector]]
*[[Mayor/Legends|Mayor]]
*[[Mercenary/Legends|Mercenary]] {{Mo}}
*[[New Republic/Legends|New Republic]]
**[[Senator/Legends|Senator]] {{Mo}}
***[[General/Legends|General]]
*[[Pleader]]
*[[Prince/Legends|Princess]]
*[[Prisoner/Legends|Prisoner]]
*[[Alliance to Restore the Republic/Legends|Rebel Alliance]]
*[[Shalamite Navy]] {{Mo}}
|species=
*[[Bith/Legends|Bith]]
*[[Devaronian/Legends|Devaronian]]
*[[Gamorrean/Legends|Gamorrean]]
*[[Human/Legends|Human]]
*[[Hutt/Legends|Hutt]]
*[[Shalamite]] {{Mo}}
*[[Wookiee/Legends|Wookiee]]
|vehicles=
*[[Amphibious Interstellar Assault Transport/infantry]]
**''[[Slave IV]]''
*[[DS-1 Orbital Battle Station/Legends|Death Star I]] {{Mo}}
*[[Firespray-31-class patrol and attack craft/Legends|''Firespray-31''-class patrol and attack craft]]
**[[Slave I/Legends|''Slave I'']]
*[[GR-75 medium transport/Legends|GR-75 medium transport]]
*[[Luxury-class sail barge|Luxury sail barge]]
**[[Khetanna/Legends|''Khetanna'']]
*[[Shuttle/Legends|Shuttle]]
*[[Speeder/Legends|Speeder]]
*[[Star Destroyer/Legends|Star Destroyer]]
**[[Imperial II-class Star Destroyer/Legends|''Imperial II''-class Star Destroyer]]
**[[Super Star Destroyer/Legends|Super Star Destroyer]]
***[[Executor-class Star Dreadnought/Legends|''Executor''-class Star Dreadnought]]
****[[Executor/Legends|''Executor'']]
*[[TIE/LN starfighter]]
*[[YT-1300 light freighter/Legends|YT-1300 light freighter]]
**[[Millennium Falcon/Legends|''Millennium Falcon'']]
|technology=
'''Weapons'''
*[[Arrow/Legends|Arrow]]
*[[Assault rifle/Legends|Assault rifle]]
*[[Blaster/Legends|Blaster]]
*[[Bow/Legends|Bow]]
*[[EE-3 carbine rifle/Legends|EE-3 carbine rifle]]
*[[Flamethrower/Legends|Flamethrower]]
*[[Hold-out blaster/Legends|Holdout blaster]]
*[[Ion cannon/Legends|Ion cannon]]
*[[Tripwire]]

'''Technology'''
*[[Carbonite/Legends|Carbonite]]
*[[Comm unit/Legends|Comm unit]]
*[[Computer/Legends|Computer]]
*[[Deflector shield/Legends|Deflector shield]]
*[[Hologram/Legends|Hologram]]
*[[Hyperdrive/Legends|Hyperdrive]] {{Mo}}
*[[Light trap]]
*[[Motion sensor]]
*[[Macrobinoculars/Legends|Macrobinoculars]]
*[[Mandalorian armor/Legends|Mandalorian armor]]
*[[Cybernetics/Legends|Prosthetic replacement]]
*[[Tractor beam/Legends|Tractor beam]] {{Mo}}
|miscellanea=
*[[Airlock/Legends|Airlock]]
*[[Ammonia/Legends|Ammonia]]
*[[Galactic Basic Standard/Legends|Basic]]
*[[Bounty/Legends|Bounty]] {{Mo}}
*[[Galactic Credit Standard|Credit]] {{Mo}}
*[[Devaronese/Legends|Devaronese]] {{1st}}
*[[The Force/Legends|The Force]] {{Mo}}
**[[Dark side of the Force/Legends|Dark side of the Force]] {{Mo}}
*[[Hydroponics tank]]
*[[Hydroponics warehouse]]
*[[Hyperspace/Legends|Hyperspace]]
*[[Imperial Academy/Legends|Imperial Academy]] {{Mo}}
*[[Jandarra]]
*[[Laro]]
*[[Merenzane Gold/Legends|Merenzane Gold]]
*[[Nerf herder/Legends|Nerf herder]] {{Mo}}
*[[Neural toxin]]
*[[Slime-devil]] {{Mo}}
*[[Spice/Legends|Spice]]
}}

==Notes and references==
{{Reflist}}

{{Interlang
|de=Der letzte, der auf den Beinen bleibt – Die Geschichte von Boba Fett
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Last One Standing: The Tale of Boba Fett}}
[[Category:Tales of the Bounty Hunters]]