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Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett sees the bounty hunter in a leadership role. But one scene proves that even in death, Jabba’s influence remains.
Warning: The following contains spoilers from Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett “Chapter 2: Tribes of Tatooine,” streaming now on Disney+.
Since the franchise began, all roads in Star Wars have led back to the planet Tatooine and its resident crime lord, Jabba the Hutt. However, when he was brutally killed in Return of the Jedi, fans’ time on the desert planet also ended. As a result, it wasn’t until The Mandalorian and Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett that audiences have gotten to see how the planet has fared since Jabba’s forceful removal from his throne. With the former bounty hunter now sitting in his place, it has quickly become evident that although Jabba is gone, his towering presence remains.
From the first episode of The Book of Boba Fett, Boba (Temuera Morrison) has been trying to establish a foothold as an underworld leader of the planet. While some have quickly fallen in line, others appear to disagree with a non-Hutt ruler. One example is the mayor, who had no interest in offering a tribute to the new daimyo. Instead, Boba and his second-in-command Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) encounter a group of assassins from the Order of the Night Wind. After defeating most of them, they capture one for questioning, leading to an embarrassing end for the hired killer.
In the past, when Jabba the Hutt was displeased or wanted a bit of entertainment, he often sent victims down to his Rancor Pit. Rancors are massive beasts with long arms and huge mouths that can swallow almost anything whole. One such creature was gifted to Jabba as a birthday present by Bib Fortuna and Bidlo Kwerve, who were servants at the time. As a thank you, Jabba promoted Fortuna to majordomo, but Kwerve was fed to the massive beast. In that time, the creature gained a brutal reputation until Luke Skywalker killed it in Return of the Jedi.
Although its death was a major surprise to Tatooine, the rancor’s fate became overshadowed by Jabba’s. That said, its reputation, along with Jabba’s, proved beneficial still when Fett interrogated the otherwise tight-lipped assassin. Since the man didn’t fear death, even after Boba had spared his life, Fennec grew impatient and promised the assassin an audience with the rancor. The fear in his eyes was brief but genuine as he quickly fell into the pit. Once there, his nerves got the best of him, and he spilled who had hired him moments before Fennec told him the rancor wasn’t there.
The opening scene of The Book of Boba Fett Episode 2 offers many laughs with the revelation and the comedic interrogation tactics Fett and Shand employ, but it also shows how intelligent the two are in gaining influence. They know that it will be hard to overcome Jabba’s massive impact on the planet. But by playing off of his reputation during the transition, they can use the fear tactics Jabba instilled to gain the upper hand. The scene also reveals that Jabba was a dangerous threat, and even after his death, his many hobbies served as extensions of his malice and still garner the same fear.
Boba Fett has established that he wants to rule with respect over fear. However, these changes don’t come overnight, and being a leader offers learning curves he isn’t completely used to yet. As leadership shifts, Boba will likely continue to use his old employer’s methods to his advantage until his own name carries an equal amount of weight. After decades under Jabba’s rule, Boba’s tenure as a leader will be an uphill battle, but one that can be overcome using particular techniques seen in the past.
To see the classic Return of the Jedi callback, The Book of Boba Fett releases new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+.
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