Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett™ Episode 2 Review
“Stranger in a Strange Land,” Chapter 1 of Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett™, established Boba Fett™ and Fennec Shand’s™ goals on Tatooine™. The two former bounty hunters accepted tribute, met the denizens of their empire, and dealt with a few pesky threats to their rule. You can read the recap on our Episode 1 Review blog.
Chapter 2, “The Tribes of Tatooine,” aired on Wednesday, January 5. This episode raised the political tensions in Mos Espa™ while also showing us more of Boba Fett’s past with the Tusken Raiders™. Let’s break down what we saw, plus make some predictions about next week’s installment of Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett.
Assassin of the Night Wind
“The Tribes of Tatooine” begins with Fennec and Boba interrogating their prisoner, a masked assassin sent to kill Tatooine’s new criminal overlords. A mercenary from an organization known as the Order of the Night Wind, the prisoner won’t answer questions because of his strict training. He won’t be swayed by Boba Fett’s threats.
Their prisoner is uselessly and frustratingly silent until Fennec Shand suggests they send him into the Rancor™ pit. Tumbling down into what he believes will be a gruesome demise, the assassin reveals he was sent by Mayor Mok Shaiz™.
Meeting Mayor Mok Shaiz
As shown in Chapter 1, Boba Fett is already struggling to gain respect and recognition from the Mos Espa Mayor. As the Daimyo of Mos Espa, Boba Fett deserves the Mayor’s cooperation; sending an assassin conveys a bad message for the state of their business relationship. Thus Boba Fett and his entourage go to investigate.
Mok Shaiz has a curious reaction to Boba Fett’s antagonistic approach. Ever so calmly, the Mayor has the Night Wind assassin executed for working outside of Hutt space. He thanks as well as rewards Boba Fett for turning the rulebreaker in. Mok Shaiz also explains that he has no motive for sending someone to murder Boba Fett — begging two important questions. Is Mok Shaiz lying? Or is there really another contender for the throne?
The Hutt Twins
Boba Fett and Fennec Shand are sent to Garsa Fwip’s™ Sanctuary for answers. There, two major antagonists enter the arena. The late Jabba the Hutt’s™ cousins, known by the Mos Espa people as “the twins,” are here to reap their family’s bounty.
Ostentatious and intimidating, the Hutts insist they are the rightful owners of Jabba’s territory. When Boba Fett won’t back down, they retreat, citing that violence is bad for business. But their parting words warn Boba Fett to sleep lightly, illustrating that their bid to take charge of the Tatooine underworld is far from over.
Finally, the Hutt twins are carried on a litter with a huge procession. This is important because Boba Fett has so far insisted he walk his territory, while others have told him he needs to display his power more. Most notably the Hutts also have a Wookiee™ — the same species as Chewbacca™ — gladiator on their side. His design is extremely similar to that of Black Krrsantan from Marvel’s Star Wars comics. This Wookiee does not speak and is not yet named, but we’re all expecting a showdown in the future between this warrior and one of our protagonists, especially since Boba and the Wookiee seem to share some history.
Attack on the Tuskens
Back in the Bacta Tank, Boba Fett has more flashbacks to his time spent with the Tusken tribe. He trains with a skilled Tusken warrior. He learns more of their customs, and seems protective and emotionally attached to all of them. So when he witnesses a train blast through the sand, firing lasers into the group, he goes on the offensive.
Boba Fett and the Tusken people build a funeral pyre for their fallen friends. Then, Boba Fett starts his counterattack.
Boba Fett Steals Speeders
In Chapter 1, Boba Fett witnessed a gang robbing and tagging a poor farmer’s house. In Chapter 2, Boba Fett goes to the bar where these miscreants are drinking and bullying other patrons. It’s unclear whether Boba would have stopped their roughhousing had he not needed their speeders. Because he did, though, he took them all out in a fun cantina brawl and stole all their rides to bring back to the Tusken tribe.
Stopping the Train
One of the most fun parts of this episode is the training montage. Boba Fett teaches Tusken fighters to drive speeders. He also practices a few stunts with them such as jumping between speeders. In the extended action sequence that follows, Boba Fett and his Tusken companions take the train.
They fight masked antagonists, losing quite a few of their number in the process. But Boba Fett prevails, making it into the engine room to shut down the train even after its droid conductor has set it to a breakneck, unstoppable speed. This conductor also flees the train before it is captured — was this the last we’ve seen of it, or will it alert its master and bring another enemy to Tatooine?
In any case, the Tusken tribe is victorious. They loot the train for supplies, water, and parts. Then Boba acts as their voice. He asks the group on the train what they were transporting, and it turns out to be spice, which is a rare and valuable item in a galaxy far, far away. Knowing these are wealthy merchants from the Pyke Syndicate™ (first seen in Star Wars: The Clone Wars™), Boba Fett gives them an ultimatum. The Tusken Raiders have an ancestral claim to the Dune Sea. Therefore, the Pyke Syndicate needs to pay a toll to pass. They begrudgingly agree to these conditions.
Induction into the Tribe
For his generosity toward the tribe, the Tuskens induct Boba Fett as one of their own. This involves a trip into the desert. Around the campfire, the Tusken chief gifts Boba Fett a spiritual quest via a small lizard nestling into the man’s brain. Boba Fett sees blue-tinged visions of his childhood, of his father Jango Fett™, of his time in the Sarlaac Pit™, and finally of a large tree and crashing waves. He brings back a branch from his dream/journey to the Tusken encampment.
After he survives and arrives back at camp, Boba Fett is clothed in the fabric of the Tusken people. This shows us how he got his new look in The Mandalorian™. To some degree, Boba Fett also resembles our favorite Jedi™ hero Luke Skywalker™ with his black hood and robes.
The branch Boba Fett retrieved becomes his weapon/staff. This specific weapon, a gaffi stick™ that’s wielded only by the Tusken people, is handmade by Boba Fett, the Tusken Warrior, and the Tusken Chieftain in a collaborative and historical process. It feels very similar to a Padawan™ forging their lightsaber™ from a Kyber crystal.
Finally, the tribe holds a ceremonial bonfire. Boba Fett begins a series of fight steps that quickly become a dance. More and more of the Tusken tribe members join in until it’s one beautiful, circular celebration of life and power. “The Tribes of Tatooine” ends with exuberant Tusken howls rising into the desert night.
What was your favorite moment of The Book of Boba Fett Chapter 2? Do you think Boba Fett will succeed in keeping his territory from the Hutts? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!