This article contains spoilers for the first episode of The Book of Boba Fett
It’s been a long wait for new live-action Star Wars content, but The Book of Boba Fett‘s debut episode – ‘Stranger In A Strange Land’ – is now on Disney Plus and takes us back to the arid sands of Tatooine. In this debut, we see Fett establishing himself as Jabba and Bib Fortuna’s successor, as well as filling in the blanks of what happened between him being swallowed by the Sarlacc and appearing in The Mandalorian.
We open to find Fett sleeping in a bacta tank, with his dreams revealing why he needs the medical attention. After an interesting flashback to his birth planet of Kamino and the death of Jango Fett in Attack of the Clones we finally get to a scene Star Wars fans have been waiting to see for decades.
Yup, this is the new canonical depiction of how Fett escaped the Sarlacc after being unceremoniously booted into it by a blind Han Solo. Its gooey, fleshy interior lives up to C-3P0’s billing as “a new definition of pain and suffering”, with Fett screaming as it begins to digest him. But don’t count out a bounty hunter in a suit bristling with high-powered weaponry.
Fett refills his oxygen tanks from an unfortunate Stormtrooper and flamethrowers his way out of the beast, eventually crawling from the sand and collapsing in exhaustion. Things don’t improve from there.
He’s quickly robbed of his armor by Jawas and then captured by Tusken Raiders, who drag him through the burning desert (while still in excruciating pain from his burns) and imprison him in their camp. However, we later revisit the flashback and see that he’s gradually earning the tribe’s respect – primarily by defeating a monstrous four-armed creature and saving a young member of the tribe.
In the show’s present, things are a little less eventful. We learn that – as teased in the trailers – Fett plans to rule with respect rather than fear. This looks like an uphill climb, as he’s already being subtly mocked by the mayor of Mos Espa and is attacked while walking the streets.
Whoever’s behind this attack will likely prove to be the show’s antagonist – though Fett isn’t short of enemies. One fun wrinkle is that he’s had such a long bounty hunting career that he’s worked for many of the people now paying tribute to him, and you sense that many aren’t happy about the role reversal.
All this sets up some juicy drama amidst the dunes. Here’s hoping The Book of Boba Fett can deliver on its promises.
