In the aftermath of the Clone Wars and the Jedi Rebellion, some places continued on just the same. Or almost. The galaxy did not shudder and change instantly because of these events. But it was on the move. Outwardly, many things continued. Beings all over the galaxy quarreled and fought. In cantinas, rumors spread and illicit dealings proliferated. But whispers of a terror in black armor, or of the furtive presence of a surviving Jedi still came and went as the black hand of the Empire reached out, and the concealed Jedi did what they could to counter the new menace. As more and more systems attempted to stage revolts, the rumors grew more distinct. The shadow had a name: Darth Vader. He had been seen on many worlds now, executing traitors, brandishing his fearsome weapons in the name of the Empire and its cruel ruler. But it seemed that the shadow was countered by an ever present light that revealed itself only ever briefly. They spoke of a Jedi who moved from world to world, always a step ahead of the Empire and Vader. Though they did not know it, they spoke of Obi-Wan Kenobi. True, he was not the Jedi he had been. He was not the warrior who had cut down Grievous, nor the master and tutor of a reckless young Jedi named Anakin, nor the betrayed that had reluctantly defeated the betrayer, who had been his friend. He was none of this. He simply was the counterpoint to Vader. Each light casts a shadow, each shadow springs from a light, so were Obi-Wan and Vader. They never clashed directly, but always they were the combatants in contention. In contention for what? Nothing less then the fate of the Universe.
Amidst this backdrop of turmoil, and ominous portents for the future, we find the main character of this story. Boba Fett. He rarely took a definite side, and so walked what you could call the middle path. Neither Vader nor Kenobi commanded him, and yet he served each of their causes, sometimes willingly and sometimes without meaning to. Before what you know from the Trilogy, Boba took a contract for Jabba the Hutt. He was to be rewarded 500,000 credits for the live capture of a member of Jabba's court who had stolen some information Jabba had brokered from Black Sun, the underworld's largest criminal syndicate.
The thief went by the name of Galnar Vinree, and was known to originate from Naboo.Jabba feared that Galnar's sympathies with his home planet would cause him to get the data to the Rebels. Jabba had bargained for the information to try to keep his business flowing smoothly by keeping his smugglers ahead of the Imperial Blockades imposed on renegade systems. If this info fell into the Rebels' hands, he knew he would have many troubles, especially with their raids. But if they were recaptured by the Empire, an execution was in order. With these thoughts, he dispatched Boba to bring Galnar Vinree, alive, to Jabba.