Star Wars Explained is our ongoing series where we delve into the latest Star Wars shows, movies, trailers, and news stories to divine the franchise’s future. This entry explores episode 2 of Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett (Chapter 2: “The Tribes of Tatooine”) and examines its three shocking deep cuts. Yes, prepare for SPOILERS.
We’re two weeks into Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett, and it’s clear that the Lord Fett (Temuera Morrison) we see before us today is not the bounty hunter we first met in The Empire Strikes Back. The old Fett had no qualms about standing by while Rebels were tortured. His goal was the coin and the comfort that came with it. The Boba Fett we see in the new Disney+ series seems to have a bit more of a conscience. He won’t unnecessarily kill. He wants to rule from Jabba the Hutt’s throne, not through fear but respect.
Using flashbacks, the series seeks to explain this change of heart, and hopefully, someday soon, we’ll learn why he parked his butt on Jabba’s seat in the first place. Episode 2 of The Book of Boba Fett gets us a little closer to understanding the gunslinger’s new attitude, but it doesn’t take us all the way. Inside the Sarlacc, Boba Fett met his end, and the person who pulled himself out found rebirth. That would alter anyone’s brain.
While we wait for the series to unravel Fett’s purpose, we can at least kick back and appreciate the numerous deep-cuts Lucasfilm has unleashed for fans to drool over. Chapter 2 dishes three canon delights worth celebrating. One appearance is somewhat unexpected, another is as flabbergasting as it is non-consequential (probably), and the third suggests the re-emergence of the criminal empire we were contemplating last week.
Enter: Black Krrsantan
Early in episode 2 of The Book of Boba Fett, Fett and Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) drag their Night Wind Assassin prisoner to Mayor Mok Shaiz’s office. Under threat of Rancor, the killer fingered the political figure as his master. But Shaiz claims no ownership over the sneak attack. Fett has greater enemies to worry about: the Twins.
Right on cue, distant drums rumble through the streets of Mos Espa, pronouncing the arrival of Jabba the Hutt’s cousins. They demand that Fett back off. Jabba’s territory is rightfully theirs, and they don’t want to go to war over it, but they will if necessary. A sizeable bounty hunter walks from behind their procession to prove their might. Oh, damn, it’s the Wookiee badass Black Krrsantan.
Immediately, the furry brute strikes a mean figure. Whether you recognize him or not, you’re intrigued. He and Fett share a grimace and growl. You can sense there’s a history hidden in their grumble, and you can explore that backstory through the comics.
Black Krrsantan first appeared in Marvel’s Darth Vader #1, written by Kieron Gillen and illustrated by Salvador Larroca. In that issue, set shortly after the events of A New Hope and before The Empire Strikes Back, Darth Vader hires Fett to hunt down Luke Skywalker, while Krrsantan is tasked with tracking a scientist working in secret for the Emperor. During their dogfight above the Death Star, Vader sensed a connection with the X-Wing pilot who fired the lucky shot, but he was unaware that the kid was indeed his kid. It’s Fett and Krrsantan who put Vader on a course toward terrifying revelation.
Like Fett, the Wookiee thug is closely associated with Jabba the Hutt. Whenever a problem arose on Tatooine, if Fett wasn’t available, Jabba sicced Black Krrsantan after it. He’s battled against a young Obi-Wan Kenobi and even briefly kidnapped Owen Lars. However, when Krrsantan took Vader’s job, that led the Wookiee into the hands of Doctor Aphra. The Imperial agent eventually betrayed Vader and was blown out an airlock, but Krrsantan rescued her at the last minute. Aphra now owed her life to Krrsantan, a most dangerous debt.
Black Krrsantan’s arrival in The Book of Boba Fett reveals that the Wookiee eventually returned to his Hutt masters. Will that loyalty remain with the Twins, or will he jump over to Fett’s side? The two are not exactly pals in the comics, but they carry mutual respect.
Camie and Fixer, No Longer Deleted
Within the Book of Boba Fett Chapter 2 flashback, Fett furthers his relationship with the Tusken Raiders by helping them take down a deadly cargo train that passes through their Dune Sea territory. To destroy such a technical marvel, they need some speeders. Fett finds them outside a bar, which is the famous Tosche Station.
Okay, okay, so technically, the bar is never named as Tosche Station. But if you examine its entryway and the bar’s general production design, it does very much look like the location Luke Skywalker occupied during a deleted scene from A New Hope. In that cut sequence, Luke observes the Star Destroyer Devastator capture Leia’s blockade runner through his binoculars. It’s the most exciting thing he’s ever seen, and he runs to Tosche Station to tell his pals Camie and Fixer, who refuse to believe him. Only later does his buddy Biggs Darklighter acknowledge its validity.
In The Book of Boba Fett, we see Camie and Fixer, this time played by Mandy Kowalski and Skyler Bible. They’re desperately trying to enjoy their drinks, but the speeder gang keeps stealing their snacks. Fixer stands up to say something, and he’s thrown against the wall. His life could have ended there, but Boba Fett enters the establishment and utterly decimates the gang. Camie and Fixer go on to live the farm life Luke Skywalker walked away from. It’s a quick, bittersweet reminder of who Luke was and who he could have been if he’d never answered that call to adventure.
The Spice Must Flow for The Pyke Syndicate
The train at the center of The Book of Boba Fett Chapter 2 belongs to the Pyke Syndicate. These tyrannical spice traders occupy a large portion of the Star Wars criminal underground. They were frequent antagonists during Star Wars: The Clone Wars and oversaw the mining operation that Qi’ra and Han infiltrated during Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Last week, we contemplated whether or not Qi’ra and her Crimson Dawn organization hired the Night Wind Assassins to attack Boba Fett. While the Hutts are clearly implicated as the assailants in this episode, we cannot outright dismiss Qi’ra as a threat yet. The Pyke spice operation on Tatooine could signal a continuation of their alliance revealed during Solo: A Star Wars Story.
When Crimson Dawn was under Maul’s control, the Pykes reluctantly aligned with his power. So did the Hutts. With Maul gone (see Star Wars: Rebels), their cooperation would certainly be more enthusiastic under Qi’ra’s command. And together, Crimson Dawn, the Pykes, and the Hutts would pose a nearly unbeatable empire against Boba Fett, Fennec Shand, and their two Gamorrean Guards.
If Fett wants to maintain his Daiymo status, he will need a much larger army. Time to meet with every wannabe mob boss on Tattooine. They need an alliance to combat an alliance.
Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett Chapter 2 is now streaming on Disney+.
Related Topics: Book of Boba Fett, Star Wars, Star Wars Explained
