Did you click on this video to finally learn how Boba Fett escaped from the belly of the
Sarlacc? Well, you're in luck! Here's what went down in the first episode of "The Book
of Boba Fett."
"Star Wars" fans have been eager to learn more about Boba Fett ever since he first appeared
in 1978's "Star Wars Holiday Special" and 1980's "Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire
Strikes Back."
Although he was originally played by Jeremy Bulloch in live action, Temuera Morrison stepped
into the role for "The Mandalorian" Season 2 after playing Boba's father, Jango Fett,
in "Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones." Boba is an exact clone of Jango,
so Morrison's return fits perfectly.
But many fans have wondered whether "The Book of Boba Fett" will reveal some jaw-dropping
secrets about the "Star Wars" universe. This is mainly because the first live-action series,
"The Mandalorian," changed the face of the franchise forever by introducing Baby Yoda,
aka Grogu. Although the new series widens the universe, it doesn't pull the rug out
from under the audience.
"Star Wars" fans will be glad to know that the series wastes no time in answering one
of the biggest questions surrounding the legendary bounty hunter. It starts with Boba waking
up inside the Sarlacc after the action-packed opening to "Star Wars: Episode VI – Return
of the Jedi."
His escape from the (literal) belly of the beast has previously been explained in books
and comics, but it's exciting to see it in live action. It's only a brief sequence, as
he uses a dead Stormtrooper's oxygen to stay alive before punching a hole in the Sarlacc's
stomach and setting the monster aflame. This is a man who just refuses to die. But from
there, his escape isn't so easy.
The episode uses Boba's time in the Bacta Tank to flashback into his past, filling in
the gaps between "Return of the Jedi" and his reappearance in "The Mandalorian." Once
Boba makes it out of his trial by Sarlacc, he passes out from the entire ordeal — unfortunately
he's set upon by a band of Jawas who quickly steal his armor from him while he's on the
ground.
This immediately ties into "The Mandalorian" Chapter 9, wherein Din Djarin comes across
Cobb Vanth. He's the marshal of Mos Pelgo who buys Boba's armor and rocket pack from
the Jawas to protect the small town from gangsters, as well as the behemoth Krayt Dragon.
If being mugged by Jawas isn't enough, Boba is also set upon by Tusken Raiders, who tie
him up and take him back to their camp. Luckily he isn't tortured the way Anakin's mom is
during "Attack of the Clones," but they do tie him up with a captured Rodian, as a Massiff
keeps watch.
Obviously, Boba isn't the type to stay put when he's captured, and quickly makes his
escape into the desert — although he's pursued by the Tuskens. They're extremely vicious
— as Boba finds out when he's forced to fight one of them.
Interestingly, his opponent uses a Gaffi Stick similar to the one that Boba wields in "The
Mandalorian" — he's definitely going to become an honorary Sand Person. Although they're
not on friendly terms just yet, and he loses the fight.
The flashback sequence is over once Fennec Shand wakes Boba up out of his Bacta-nap,
and it's time to get to the bulk of the story. There's a power vacuum left on Tatooine following
Jabba the Hutt's death in "Return of the Jedi," and clearly Boba feels he's the one to fill
it.
But it's going to take more than the bounty hunter saying he's the new crime lord for
him to establish rule. Even when the respective crime factions start bringing tributes to
Fett, the Mayor of Mos Espa doesn't even show up — instead sending his Twi'lek Majordomo
to ask for a tribute from Boba. That's not a good sign.
But still, the bounty hunter-turned-crime lord is determined to turn over a new leaf,
intending to "rule with respect," instead of embracing Jabba's iron-fisted approach.
So this sneering Majordomo manages to leave with his life.
It's a bizarre change for the bounty hunter who has long been fueled by revenge and rage
— although clearly there's more to this plot point. At least some of the planet's
authority figures bow to Boba.
"Would you like your Gamorreans hosed down and fed while we're sequestered?"
Notably, a Twi'lek known as Madam Garsa fills his helmet with credits. She runs a bar called
"Sanctuary," and it looks a lot cleaner than the Mos Eisley Cantina.
This juxtaposition between Boba and Jabba's rule critically sets the stakes for the rest
of the series. While some denizens of the desert underworld — like Garsa — will
likely embrace Boba's new regime, others will summarily reject it. Years of toiling under
the murderous Hutts has likely led many factions on Tatooine to view Boba's more reasonable
style as a sign of weakness — a weakness they are likely to exploit.
Sure, Boba might be one of the most feared bounty hunters in the entire galaxy, but Tusken
Raiders simply don't care — they'll turn anyone into a slave. Fett and the unnamed
Rodian are forced to wander through the desert with a Tusken youngling, and they come across
a band of looters raiding a random moisture farm. They don't intervene, simply watching
from afar. Expect Boba to encounter the gang later in the series.
From there, the Tusken youngling forces Boba and the Rodian to dig up black melons from
under the sand. Unfortunately, the Rodian uncovers a giant six-limbed behemoth — which
can only be described as a "lizard centaur" thanks to the way it runs with its torso facing
upwards.
Luckily, Boba uses his chains to strangle the giant beast to death in the same way Princess
Leia kills Jabba the Hutt in "Return of the Jedi." Since he saves the Tusken youngling,
the episode ends with the Sand People accepting Fett, as the leader hands him a melon to drink
from on their return.
His alliance with the Tuskens is probably how the bounty hunter survives on Tatooine
for so long without his armor and his signature spaceship — but we'll probably learn more
whenever Boba takes a Bacta-Nap in future episodes.
By the end of Chapter 1, we may not have seen the rumored return of Emilia Clarke's Qi'ra
or live-action Darth Maul, but both seem even more plausible in future chapters thanks to
the inclusion of a very telling musical cue in "The Book of Boba Fett." Discerning fans
will note the deliberate deployment of a tune associated with the criminal organization
Crimson Dawn, aka Daenerys Targaryen's side hustle.
After "Solo" underperformed at the box office, fans feared we might never get a satisfying
resolution to Qi'ra's storyline nor any real payoff from the big reveal that a revenant
Dark Maul was still kicking around managing organized crime.
Thanks to these key musical phrases, it seems incredibly likely we'll get satisfaction as
it pertains to one or both of these questions. "The Book of Boba Fett" may essentially be
"Solo 2," which is actually great, because it means we don't have to watch "Solo 2."
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