In this week’s episode of The Book of Boba Fett, “The Streets of Mos Espa,” we learn of the tragedy that fell upon the Tusken Raider tribe that Boba Fett trained with. In the current day, Fett hires a gang of new employees and acquires a pet rancor. And although it seems that his problems with the Twins are over, he has an even more concerning issue to worry about now — the Mayor is working with the Pyke Syndicate.
Boba Fett hires some help
8D8 gathers Boba Fett and Fennec Shand for a briefing. As they look at a map of Mos Espa, the droid explains that there was a power vacuum after the sail barge disaster. Under the watchful eye of Jabba’s first successor, Bib Fortuna, the city was divided amongst three families — the Trandoshans claimed the city center, the Aqualish took the Worker’s district, and the Klatooinians have the starport and the upper sprawl. Due to a lack of power, Bib had to rely on uneasy alliances, and now everyone is waiting to see what kind of leader Boba Fett will prove himself to be.
A water-monger from the Worker’s District, Lortha Peel, arrives at the Palace with a petition. He informs Fett that nobody respects his leadership, and the streets have turned to chaos. He then pleads for his help, because a street gang has been stealing his inventory. If he helps him, he will double his tribute to him.
Later that evening, Fett finds the group. Young, confident, and equipped with deadly droid parts, they’re unimpressed by his arrival. They explain that Peel was trying to overcharge them for water, and even if they wanted to pay for it, there isn’t any work in town for them. Fett solves this problem easily by hiring them to work for him, which enrages Peel. No longer feeling pity for the man, Fett offers Peel 500 out of the 1,300 credits he claims the gang owes him, and he tells him that he can go do business in Mos Eisley if he doesn’t like it.
The tragedy of the Tusken Raiders
As Boba Fett sleeps, we see another flashback to his time spent living with the Tusken Raiders. He heads to Mos Eisley to collect payment from the Pyke Syndicate (and if you look closely, you’ll see a quick cameo of Peli Motto and her droids — from The Mandalorian — in the background). The Pyke representative informs Fett that after speaking with his superiors on Oba Diah, they have decided they are unwilling to pay protection for more than one party. Apparently, the Kintan Striders are already collecting protection money for the same territory. Fett reminds him that the sands belong to the Tuskens, and he assures him he will resolve this issue with the Nikto sand riders.
Fett returns to find that the Tusken village was destroyed while he was gone, and the tribe has been killed. He sees the mark of the Nikto sand riders.
Another assassination attempt
Fett is violently woken up by another assassination attempt, this time from the menacing looking Wookiee Black Krrsantan. Without his armor and weapons, he doesn’t stand a chance against the creature’s size and strength. However, his newly hired muscle arrives just in the nick of time, and Fennec ends up dropping Krrsantan through the trap door.
As Fett mulls over what to do in the aftermath, because he needs to send a message, the Twins arrive. They apologize for sending Krrsantan to kill him and give him a rancor as a gift. The Twins then inform him that they are going back to Nal Hutta, because the territory has been promised to another syndicate by Mok Shaiz, and they don’t want war. It’s bad for business. They warn Fett that he should leave as well. He tries to return Krrsantan, but they don’t want him back, so he sets him free. “Take it from an ex-bounty hunter, don’t work for scugholes. It’s not worth it.”
Fett gets a pet
The rancor’s keeper (who’s portrayed by Danny Trejo) brings the rancor inside of the palace. Fett inquires why it’s just lying there on the floor, and the keeper explains that it’s depressed. Fett is surprised to learn that apparently, they’re emotionally complex creatures, and they’re peaceful unless threatened. Once he realizes that the rancor isn’t dangerous, he immediately takes to the creature like a man with a new puppy, and he tells the keeper that he wants to learn how to ride it. The keeper takes off the rancor’s blinders so that it can get a look at its new owner, because the creature will imprint on the first human that it sees.
The Pykes return
Fett is annoyed when 8D8 interrupts his time fawning over the rancor to tell him that the Mayor’s schedule is supposedly booked for the next 20 days. Unphased, Fett and his crew head over to pay Mok Shaiz a surprise visit. His Majordomo is, as usual, nervous and avoidant upon their arrival, and after a threat from Fennec, heads into the Mayor’s quarters to “rearrange his schedule.” When they see that he locked the door behind him, Fennec breaks in, and they find that the room is empty and the Majordomo is gone. Fett’s gang chases him through the streets of Mos Espa, and when they finally catch him, he admits that the Mayor is working with the Pykes.
As the episode comes to a close, we see at least a dozen Pykes arrive on Tatooine on a starliner. They’re going to war.
The next episode of The Book of Boba Fett will premiere exclusively on Disney+ on Wednesday, January 19. Follow along with all of our weekly recaps here.
