“The Tribes of Tatooine,” the second episode of “The Book of Boba Fett,” was a carefully written letter to the Star Wars fans.
Possible spoilers ahead
In addition to seeing another Arrow-style flashback scene that took up most of the episode, we were introduced to a bounty hunter from the comics and two characters that did not make it to the screen for “Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope.” The episode also showed an old haunt from Luke Skywalker’s days as an idealistic farm boy in the deserts of Tatooine.
As the “Book of Boba Fett,” continues, I have been asking myself if Boba really wants to be a crime lord. Sure, being a crime lord does have its benefits such as being rich and keeping tabs on businesses that give you money. However, as seen in the previous episode, Boba has to put up with uncooperative political stooges. Furthermore, he also has to deal with assignation attempts on his life now that he is the new Daiymo of Tatooine.
After Fennec Shand catches one of the assassins, Boba learns that his prisoner is an assassin from the Order of the Night Wind and that he was apparently hired by the Mayor of Mos Espa. In hilarious fashion, Boba finds out about this when Fennec feeds the prisoner to the Rancor who isn’t even there since Luke Skywalker killed it in “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.”
The crime lord and his assassin take the Order of the Night Wind assassin to the office of the Mayor of Mos Espa who is an Ithorian. The Mayor has the assassin executed and tells Boba that the assassin was operating out of Hutt space which he was not supposed to do. Also, the mayor advises Fett that raising a family was tougher than maintaining a syndicate and that he would understand that when he went to Garsa Fwip’s cantina.
Boba and Fennec head to Garsa’s cantina demanding answers. The twilek patron is nervous and explains that the Twins have been wanting to lay claim to Tatooine. Boba notes that the Hutts are too busy dealing with the affairs on Nal Hutta. Suddenly, Fett hears drums which causes the entire cantina to go quiet.
When Boba and his ensemble walk out of the canttina, he sees a litter carrying two Hutts who are revealed to be cousins of Jabba the Hutt. The Hutts inform Boba that they are at Tatooine to claim Jabba’s territory which Boba refutes otherwise since he got rid of Bib Fortuna. The female Hutt wants Boba killed but her brother says that no further bloodshed is needed. Accompanying the Hutt siblings is the wookie bounty hunter and gladiator Black Krrsantan.
Black Krrsantan debuted in Marvel’s “Star Wars: Darth Vader no. 1” which came out in the year 2015. A huge wookie with black fur and metal knuckles, Krrsantan has been in the employ of the likes of Jabba and Darth Vader and had run-ins with Obi-Wan Kenobi, Han Solo, Chewbacca and many others. He also briefly worked with Doctor Aphra and Boba Fett. Now Fett may have his hands full with Krrsantan that he is in the employ of Jabba’s cousins who want to claim Jabba’s Empire for themselves.
I say this because Krrsantan is a brawler and he has even bested the mighty Chewbacca and several Trandoshans. I wouldn’t be surprised if a fight between Fett and Krrsantan is to take place in a future episode.
Two other characters that join Krrsantan in making their Disney + debut are Carmie Mastrap and Laze Loneozner. Carmie and Laze were Tatooine locals and friends to farmboy and Jedi hopeful Luke Skywalker. There were scenes of the two in the original 1977 film “Star Wars: A New Hope” when they were hanging out at Tosche Station with Luke’s best friend Biggs Darklighter.
In “A New Hope,” burdened with a forklift of a chores, Luke complains to his Uncle Owen that he “was going to Tosche Station to pick up some power converters.” In deleted scenes of the 1977 film, Luke is shown with Laze, Carmie and Biggs hanging out at Tosche station. Tosche Station along with Laze and Carmie also makes its debut in the “Book of Boba Fett” during the flashback scene of Boba’s time with the Tusken Raiders.
The old hang out, once frequented by Luke and Biggs, is crawling with the same Nikto thugs seen by Boba and the Tusken youngling in the last episode. However, when the thugs harass Laze and Carmie, Boba comes in Tosche Station and beats up the thugs with his gaderffii stick.
Another thing I wanted to touch base on is Boba’s time with the Tusken Raiders. After saving the Tusken youngling from becoming food, the former bounty hunter slowly starts acclimating to the Tusken way. I found this arc of the “Book of Boba Fett” very interesting since in the current Star Wars canon, Boba is not a Mandalorian. While his father, Jango Fett, is a Mandalorian foundling and he has claim to his armor, he considers himself his own man and he swears allegiance to no one. Yet, the Tuskens welcome him as one of their own.
This is shown when Boba is being trained on how to fight with a gaderffii stick by a Tusekn warrior and his regular interactions with the Tuskens. The strength of Fett’s newfound friendship with the sand people is prominently shown when he helps his benefactors against the hovertrain threatening them.. The former bounty hunter volunteers to help them destroy the train by stealing speeder bikes from the Nikto thugs.
A far different side of Boba Fett is shown as he trains the Tuskens on how to use the speeder bikes. The Boba Fett that is usually shown is ruthless, cold-blooded, and calculated. But, the flashback scenes show a somewhat lighthearted version of Fett. I would imagine that it is because he feels somewhat indebted to the Tuskens who, in a way, rescued him from dying on the scorching deserts of the Dune Sea.
When Boba and the Tuskens finally go after the train, they are able to hijack it and they see that it is run by the Pyke Syndicate. The Pykes are another dangerous criminal syndicate in Star Wars lore. First introduced in the animated television series “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” the Pykes were not just any criminal syndicate.
When it came to spice, they held power and influence over galactic affairs. If anyone did the Pykes wrong, they had better do everything in their power to rectify the issue or face the consequences. Darth Maul also had dealings with the Pyke Syndicate when he founded Crimson Dawn.
When Boba and his band of Tuskens derail the hovertrain, he advises the Pykeleader that the syndicate is no longer allowed to carry their spice over the Dune Sea since the Tuskens lay ancestral claim over the sands. Unusual for a man who is ruthless, Boba spares the Pykes (probably knowing their reputation) and orders them to walk to Anchorhead under protection of the Tuskens and to notify the Syndicate of the terms he made. One can also argue that event is one of the reasons why Boba became a crime lord on Tatooine. Maybe it was to protect the people who helped him stay alive.
The scenes from after the hovertrain attack are two of my favorites in the series next to Boba escaping the sarlacc pit. The first scene takes place when Boba and the Tuskens gather underneath a hut during the evening and talk about the lives of the Tusken tribes of Tatooine. The Tusken Chief educates Boba on how Tatooine was once a water world and that after it became a desert planet, the Tuskens had to go into hiding due to offworlders having machines. This scene made me realize that Tatooine, in some ways, is like Fett’s homeworld which is a water world. Kamino and Tatooine are parallels. Two sides of the same coin. Boba was born on Kamino but he was reborn on the planet Tatooine, a former water world.
Boba tells the chief that they do not have to hide since they are warriors.The chief gives Boba a gift which is in the form of a lizard. As Boba ponders the meaning of the lizard, the creature climbs up through his nose and the chief throws dust into his face. This has a hallucinogenic effect on Fett to the point he is seen wandering the Dune Sea which leads to my next favorite scene.
Glimpses of Boba pre-sarlacc are shown with him clad in his full Mandalorian armor. Other flashbacks of his past are shown, including of a young Boba see his father flying Slave I back on Kamino. Boba is then seen climbing up a tree and grabbing a branch and breaking it off. After he breaks off the branch, Boba returns to the tribe and presents the chief the branch which will become his gaderffii stick. Boba becomes fully acclimate in the Tusken life and also is given the robes of a Tusken that we see him wear in Season 2 of the Mandalorian. The episode ends with Boba taking part in a ceremonial dance with the Tuskens.
Overall, this was a good episode that was a little slow but I think that it is needed. I understand how there are some mixed views of the “Book of Boba Fett” but I think the flashbacks are needed in order to show how Boba Fett survived the sarlacc and the hot Tatooine desert. It is not like Boba could just crawl out of the sarlacc and jump into Slave I, like it was any other day. There needs to be a story about how he survived leading to the events of Mandalorian Season two. Hence, which I think is why the creators decided to title the show “The Book of Boba Fett.” I am looking forward to how Boba encounters Fennec and restores her to full health, reclaims Slave I, and discovers that power vacuum caused by Jabba’s death and the blow to the Galactic Empire. I am also hoping to see a possible encounter with Cobb Vanth (portrayed by Timothy Olyphant). But then again, this is all a point-of-view from a fan.
