The Book of Boba Fett – Chapter Two – The Tribes of Tatooine Review
** SPOILER WARNING**
Continuing on my review catch up on The Book of Boba Fett I’m onto the second chapter of the most recent Disney+ Star Wars series from the folks over at Lucasfilm.
Episode two directed by Steph Green (had to do a double take that it wasn’t Seth) begins with the interrogation of the assassin captured by Fennec Shand in the first episode. The pilot episode saw Boba Fett and Shand ambushed by assassins outside of The Sanctuary run by Garsa Fwip played by Jennifer Beals (Flashdance). After fending off the ambush several assassins attempted to flee, and following a rooftop pursuit, one was caught by Shand for questioning. The assassin is revealed to be a member of the Order of the Night Wind, assassins for hire, whom will never speak or give up their employers.
Refusing to talk the assassin is dropped into the rancor pit where, fearing his demise to the rancor, he divulges the mayor, Mok Shaiz, sent him to eliminate Fett. It is then he realizes there is, in fact, no rancor in the pit as the last beast met its end in Return of the Jedi.
Fett is sent on a wild goose chase to the mayor, who denies involvement, back to Garza Fwip at The Sanctuary. Fwip also denies involvement but makes Fett aware that a new threat has come to Mos Espa. At this point no one seems to respect Fett nor does he seem to pose any real threat. The character being so non-lethal in the series seems off almost as if Disney needs the name on the marquee to be a good guy but still plenty more show to be seen so I will hold off judgement.
“Like a bantha…”
Boba Fett – The Book of Boba Fett – Episode Two
Enter The Twins. Hutts. Brother and sister. Cousins to the late Jabba seeking claim on the territory that was his. Seeing two Hutts arrive hoisted on the shoulders of Twi’lek, human, and Weequay slaves was definitely a “Sh*t is getting real!” moment for me and caused me to sit up in my chair a little bit more eager to hear what they had to say. The Hutts, having existed since the original trilogy, feel like they have a bit of ownership to the franchise. OGs if you will. They have, also, notoriously run Tatooine for years so I welcomed their arrival to series and the potential conflicts they bring.
As if two Hutts arriving in town wasn’t enough, The Twins have a powerful Wookie gladiator Black Krrsantan, making his live action debut from the pages of Star Wars comic books, by their side making for a very intimidating adversary. Black Krrsantan, like his name suggests, is black with some serious gear on him and I hope he plays a bigger role in the story to come. The Hutts briefly threaten Fett who welcomes the fight should it be necessary but they deem it bad for business and leave… for now. This scene was great. Bounty hunters, Gamorreans, Hutts, and Wookies. Pure Star Wars. It, also, felt like the first time a real threat had come into the show. The music built great tension and the Krrsantan reveal landed perfectly. Having two new live action Hutts arrive is a nice move forward past the known details in the Star Wars timeline.
We then find Fett submerged in his bacta tank again (does this guy ever use a bed) we cue the flashback and are back to Fett’s time with the group of Tusken Raiders from the previous episode. The flashback encompasses the bulk of the episode with a focus on Fett’s acceptance and acclamation by the Tusken Raiders. Fett is being trained by an unnamed Tusken Raider who is clearly the best warrior of the group and a true badass. Since it is unnamed I will go forth with ‘Bad Ass Tusken’ or BAT for short. During Fett’s training with BAT the group is ambushed by a passing train occupied by the Pyke Syndicate and several Tuskens are killed. A few years back, as a viewer, Tusken Raiders being killed would’ve been looked at as a good thing whereas now, after the culture being introduced on The Mandalorian and fleshed out with Fett’s personal relationship to them here, there is sadness in their deaths.
Fett does not take the death of his new companions lightly and embarks on a quest to acquire the tools necessary to stop those responsible. Following the aftermath, a gang of Nikto bikers pass by the Tuskens and Fett as they head towards town. The Nikto have generally been depicted as criminals and are shown here no differently as they are harassing and stealing from other patrons in a bar when Fett arrives. In a classic bar fight the Nikto are dismantled and Fett rides back to the Tuskens with the speeder bikes of the gang in tow behind him.
In a training montage Fett teaches the Tuskens to ride and jump from the newly acquired speeder bikes in preparation to stop the speeding train. The great action sequence that follows is essentially the Star Wars version of an old western train robbery as Fett and the Tuskens, using their newly acquired speeders, attempt to board and commandeer the high speed vehicle while fending off it’s heavily armed passengers. With the help of BAT and the other Tuskens, Fett successfully stops the train run by the Pyke Syndicate and makes demands to their leader that they will no longer attack the Tusken people but pay them a toll to cross the Dune Sea. Fett sends them on their way by foot to the nearest town while keeping all of their supplies for himself and the Tuskens. I’m a big Clone Wars fan so I enjoyed seeing the Pykes again after their live action debut in Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Upon returning to the Tusken camp with supplies, speeder bikes, and new found respect Fett is honored by the Tuskens Raiders by being dressed in their garbs. Fett emerges dressed as a Tusken and is presented with a gift from one of the elders. A lizard guide. The lizard jumps onto Fett’s face and goes up his nose causing him to begin, what appears to be, a hallucination. During this sequence Fett embarks on a rather trippy journey for the base of what will ultimately become his own gaffi stick. This portion of the scene had some cool editing with Fett’s appearance alternating from armored and back. It reminded me a bit of T’Challa’s spiritual journey in Black Panther. Fett is lead to BAT standing alongside the Tusken’s weapon crafter and with guidance begins crafting his own gaffi stick.
With the completion of his gaffi stick, Fett and BAT return to the Tusken tribe to present the completed weapon. Fett and BAT begin a routine with their gaffi sticks and are slowly joined by additional Tuskens until all of the them have joined in what turns into a really cool tribal dance around the campfire making for a strong, powerful ending to the episode. Credits.
I enjoyed this episode a lot more than the pilot. Solid performances all around by the cast. The introduction of The Twins and Black Krrsantan are great additions to the live action Star Wars world. Bringing in characters from the animated series and comic books are great rewards for the diehard fans following the stories on all platforms. The Tusken culture continues to be a real treat here and I can only hope BAT somehow gets a name as it is deserved. Oh I forgot to mention they’ve done a great job on the show making the Trandoshans characters really creepy. Something in the eyes. The Pyke Syndicate being featured makes me wonder if there is a connection to Crimson Dawn from Solo: A Star Wars Story which also makes me wonder if Qi’ra (Emilia Clarke) is waiting in the wings for her return. Music in a galaxy far, far away has always played a big role and it continues on this series as the score is solid. It does seem like the events of this series are potentially leading towards Fett’s perspective of his appearance in The Mandalorian. As I mentioned earlier the episode had so many great elements for great Star Wars stories. Bounty hunters, Wookies, Gamorreans, Twi’leks, Trandoshans, Hutts, Weequay, Pykes, and Tuskens this episode is loaded with Star Wars goodness. Ready for more.
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