When Boba Fett storms Jabba’s Palace and kills Bib Fortuna, he calls him “that bloated pig who double-crossed me.” The show never explains what that betrayal was — but there’s a story behind it. It goes back to the days before Return of the Jedi, when deals, power, and loyalty inside Jabba’s court started to crack. What exactly did Bib do to make one of the galaxy’s most feared bounty hunters pull the trigger?
The Betrayal That Started Before Return of the Jedi
When most people think of Bib Fortuna’s betrayal, they picture the end of The Mandalorian Season 2, where Boba walks into Jabba’s Palace and blasts Bib off the throne. But the truth started way earlier — back when Han Solo was still frozen in carbonite.
In Marvel’s War of the Bounty Hunters comic series, Boba Fett lost Han for a bit when Crimson Dawn stole the carbonite block from him. Before he could get it back, Jabba heard about it. Bib Fortuna, who was always right next to Jabba, let the idea grow that Boba had sold Han to someone else. Jabba didn’t wait to ask questions — he immediately put a bounty on Boba Fett’s head and started the War of the Bounty Hunters.
That moment flipped everything. Bib didn’t defend Boba or tell Jabba to hold off. He quietly let his boss believe Boba was a traitor, knowing what that meant in the Hutt underworld. From then on, Boba was hunted — and that trace goes straight back to Bib.
Bib’s Takeover After Jabba’s Death
When Jabba’s sail barge blew up at the Great Pit of Carkoon, most of the palace leadership was gone, and Boba was lying half-digested in the Sarlacc. Bib saw an opening. According to the official Star Wars databanks and The Book of Boba Fett, he took over the palace and called himself daimyo. He gathered the leftover guards, ran Jabba’s old rackets, and enjoyed the power that came with the Hutt’s throne.
Part of that control included everything inside the palace — including Slave I, which had been parked in Jabba’s hangar when Boba fell into the pit. The ship stayed there for years. When Boba finally escaped and teamed up with Fennec Shand, we see in The Book of Boba Fett episode “The Gathering Storm” that he has to sneak back in to get it. Bib hadn’t sold it or trashed it, but he also hadn’t protected it for its rightful owner. He treated it like palace property.
By the time Boba showed up again, Bib was fat, smug, and surrounded by guards. The palace, the power, the ship — everything once connected to Jabba’s empire — was his now. That’s why when Boba said “that bloated pig who double-crossed me,” it carried all that weight.
The Silence That Made It Worse
Boba Fett wasn’t just mad about the throne or the ship, he was angry that Bib never tried to help him. Boba had worked for Jabba for years and earned plenty of respect. After the Sarlacc fight, Bib could’ve sent someone to check the wreckage or at least confirm if anyone survived. But he didn’t. He took advantage of the chaos instead.
When Boba finally came back, that lack of loyalty was clear. From his point of view, Bib was someone who watched him vanish, stayed quiet, and grabbed everything he could while he was gone.
Everything led to that quick but powerful scene at the end of The Mandalorian Season 2. When Boba walked into the palace, Bib tried to greet him like an old friend — “Boba! I thought you were dead!” — but it was over in seconds. One shot, and the old major-domo was gone.
That moment tied all the threads together:
- Bib had turned Jabba against Boba in War of the Bounty Hunters.
- He had claimed Jabba’s empire after the explosion.
- He had kept Slave I locked away.
- And he had done nothing when Boba was trapped in the Sarlacc.
