Darth Vader’s famous bounty hunter lineup in the Star Wars original trilogy was notably lacking Cad Bane – one of the most legendary bounty hunters alive at the time – and raised questions as to why he wasn’t included in the roster. Vader’s team consisted of fearsome bounty hunters such as IG-88, Dengar, 4-Lom, Zuckuss, Bossk and of course Boba Fett. If Cad Bane had been hired to join them in the hunt for Han Solo and Millennium Falcon, this could have been the most powerful team of bounty hunters ever assembled. Nevertheless, he is noticeably absent from Vader’s ensemble, despite living at the time and probably active as a bounty hunter.
With Cad Bane’s cybernetic breathing tubes, wide-brimmed cowboy hat and eerily auto-tuned voice (provided by Corey Burton), he comes across as a uniquely menacing character in the Star Wars universe. Bane was first introduced in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars episode “Hostage Crisis” where he infiltrated the Galactic Senate and took several senators hostage. His most recent appearance in canon was in Boba Fett’s bookwhere he worked for the Pyke Syndicate to further their illegal spice empire. Boba Fett’s book takes place almost five years after Return of the Jedimeaning much of Cad Bane’s lore during the original trilogy has yet to be explored.
Many people in the galaxy liked Cad Bane better than Boba Fett at bounty hunting. Nevertheless, there are several reasons why Bane would not have been hired or named in Vader’s bounty hunters group in Empire strikes back. He was either asked to join but declined – or he was preoccupied with another job. Bane is known for preferring to work alone and only hire accomplices when absolutely necessary. While Vader’s bounty hunters are inside star wars original trilogy were all technically solo, the idea of ​​having to fight among the others for a salary may not have been enticing enough for him. It’s also possible that he saw Boba Fett being hired and wanted nothing to do with him given their history.
What happened to Cad Bane after the prequels (in Legends & Canon)
In Star Wars Legend has it that Bane continued his bounty hunt after the Clone Wars ended. During the reign of the empire, he was one of the emperor’s personal bounty hunters. similar to canon Star WarsLegends continued the history of Boba Fett and Cad Bane with each other, with them both becoming rival bounty hunters. However, most of Cad Bane’s trades during the original trilogy were unexplored in Legends before Disney took over. Star Wars.
One of Bane’s last on-screen canon appearances after the prequels come in The Bad Party, where he is tasked with tracking down and capturing an unaltered clone of Jango Fett’s named Omega. From here on, not much is known about his canon acts during the original trilogy. At a given moment Boba Fett’s book, he is hired by the Pyke Syndicate before dying prematurely at the hands of Boba Fett. It is possible that The Bad batch season 2 could explore Bane’s story. Since most lore plot holes are eventually filled in the Star Wars timeline, it’s likely a future show or movie will explore what Cad Bane was up to during the original trilogy, and why he didn’t join Vader’s team.
