REVIEW: The Book of Boba Fett – Season 1, Episode 2, “The Tribes of Tatooine”

Television Reviews

*SPOILERS*

In “The Tribes of Tatooine,” Fennec brings the captured assassin back to Boba for questioning. They learn that he belongs to the Order of the Night Wind. He’s silent until they throw him into the Rancor pit, finally claiming to have been sent by the mayor. Naturally, Boba and his entourage take the would-be killer back to the mayor, who kills him, revealing that the Order of the Night Wind isn’t allowed to operate outside Hutt-space. He pays Boba for the man as a bounty, but Boba accepts it as his tribute. Under the mayor’s suggestion, Boba goes back to Garza’s and finds that relatives of Jabba the Hutt have come to claim his throne. When they leave, Fennec remarks that Boba would need permission to kill them. Back in the bacta tank, Boba reminisces on his time with the Sand People. When the Tuskens are attacked by a train snaking through the desert, Boba jumps into action. He beats up some degenerates in a local bar, saving an outnumbered couple and stealing bikes. He teaches the Tuskens to ride and defend themselves. Boba and his friends are ready for the train when it returns, hitting it from all sides with firepower and the speeder bikes. Once the locomotive is brought down, the passengers are revealed as spice traders. Boba lets them live, telling them to inform their leaders of a new tax owed to the Tuskens for traveling over the Dune Sea. Back at the Tusken camp, the chief gives Boba a lizard, and it goes inside his head. It leads him to a great tree from which he takes a branch. When Boba returns, the chief takes the lizard back, and the tribe helps Boba make the branch into a staff.

I think “The Tribes of Tatooine” is a considerable step up from “Stranger in a Strange Land,” which is what I was expecting, but I’m pleased nonetheless. Visually, this episode is simply breathtaking, and the musical score is even better than in the previous episode. The music when Boba is in the tree, and especially when he receives his Tusken garb, is just gorgeous. I’m also loving the use of practical effects and costumes. So far, The Book of Boba Fett has its own unique feel while still fitting into Star Wars well, and that’s one of the highest compliments I can offer. 

One gripe I forgot to mention with “Stranger in a Strange Land” is that some of the supporting performances are strange. I can’t decide if I like them or not, but I’m leaning towards no. The mayor’s majordomo and Garza are great examples, and the guy working the desk at the mayor’s office isn’t any better. Unfortunately, this issue isn’t any better here than in the premiere. The acting isn’t horrible; it just feels distractingly out of place. Temeura Morrison and Ming-Na Wen are still very good as Boba Fett and Fennec Shand, of course. Between Star Wars and Moana, I quite like Morrison and would like to see/hear more of him. Wen is always great in everything she does; she was one of the tolerable aspects of Agents of SHIELD. The supporting cast’s lack of… something – maybe enthusiasm? – isn’t enough to ruin the show for me by any means. I hope it improves over time, but for now, these actors are merely distracting from their superior co-stars.

Between The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, the Sand People have essentially been redeemed. At the very least, they aren’t solely the murderous animals shown in the movies. I actually like the added complexity granted to them here, and the line the chief speaks about tribes surviving through violence says a lot. Here, the Tuskens are seen through the lens of the innocent native that we’ve seen so much in modern Westerns and movies like James Cameron’s Avatar. By the way, the unrelated Nickelodeon Avatar cartoon is the superior Avatar. Anyway, I really like the imagery here and how Boba grows to care for his caretakers. This goes a long way to explain his views in the current timeline. The scene where the Tuskens bury their dead following the first train attack is beautiful and haunting. I don’t remember ever feeling sorry for the Sand People before. Even in Attack of the Clones, when Anakin attacks them, I always focused solely on how far gone he was. I never really thought of the Sand People as people, as silly as that sounds.

I love that the Tuskens and Boba share ideas equally. He teaches them to ride the bikes and fight back against the trains, and they eventually teach him their ways and history. The scene in which Boba makes his own staff and receives his clothing is just beautiful on every level. It feels built up and genuine, and the music and cinematography reflect this pivotal moment for his character. The fact that the Tuskens allow Boba to leave with their weapons shows a great deal of trust as well. In two episodes, they’ve done a lot of heavy lifting to explain his change of heart and interest in ruling Tatooine.

I also have to talk about the entities aboard the train. They look a bit like the Pyke syndicate, one of the crime families from The Clone Wars. They also appeared in Solo, but I won’t hold that against them. This doesn’t necessarily mean anything large-scale, but it at least makes me wonder if Crimson Dawn will be involved in this show down the line. That would be truly epic. However, their leader, Maul, is dead by this point, having died for real in Rebels. I don’t think they’d double back on the same character twice; his return in Clone Wars is too much for some people. That’s a real shame because it’s by far his best on-screen iteration, and he gets some incredible dialogue. But I digress. Bringing in Crimson Dawn and, I assume, Q’ira as its leader would still be cool. The Clone Wars already tied in some with Solo, so I could see them doing it again, even if I don’t like that movie.

Overall, I liked “The Tribes of Tatooine” a lot and more than “Stranger in a Strange Land.” This episode sets up intrigue as to who Boba’s real enemy is, where I previously assumed it was a foregone conclusion that the mayor would be this season’s villain. I still have issues with some of the acting, and while I like the flashbacks a lot, I think they need to balance it better with more of what’s going on with Boba now.