This article contains spoilers for The Book of Boba Fett episode 7.
The Book of Boba Fett leaves the former bounty hunter triumphant, and serves as essential setup for The Mandalorian season 2. The second live-action Star Wars TV series, The Book of Boba Fett has taken an unusual approach when it comes to telling its narrative; the title character didn’t appear at all in episode 5, and was only there for seconds in episode 6. That naturally means The Book of Boba Fett season 1 finale has to draw a lot of disparate plot threads together.
It does so in spectacular style, with the war between Boba Fett and the Pykes causing chaos in Mos Espa. The initial firefight is dramatic enough, but the Pykes up the stakes when they unleash two Scorpenek annihilator droids – developed during the Clone Wars to take on entire platoons of clone troopers. In response, Boba Fett collects the rancor he was given by the Hutts, which he has trained to let him ride it to battle. Meanwhile, Fennec Shand heads to Mos Eisley, where the Pyke Syndicate is based, and demonstrates her skills as an assassin by murdering the Pyke representatives and the local crime bosses who have betrayed Boba.
When the dust settles from the war between the Pykes and Boba, it is Boba Fett who is triumphant – thanks in large part to the allies he has brought in, and the favors he has called. The Pykes were already intending to withdraw when the assassin Fennec Shand began killing them off, simply because they’d rightly concluded Tatooine has become too inhospitable a territory. But what does the future have in store for Boba Fett and his allies, now their enemies are dead?
Click here to watch The Book of Boba Fett Ending & Post-Credit Scene Explained on YouTube
Why Boba Fett Kills Cad Bane
In truth, things on Tatooine probably wouldn’t have escalated quite so far if the Pykes hadn’t hired Cad Bane. He and Boba Fett have a long history – they clashed when Boba Fett was just a boy, and they’ve crossed blasters many times since, with Cad Bane developing a fierce hatred for Boba. This vendetta means Cad Bane doesn’t really have the Pykes’ best interests at heart, telling Boba Fett they were the ones responsible for slaughtering his Tusken tribe in the hope of provoking a response. Naturally, that means the emotional highlight of The Book of Boba Fett‘s ending is the duel between Boba Fett and Cad Bane, one that simply has to be to the death – simply because, if Boba spared his nemesis, Cad Bane would never stop coming back.
Cad Bane knows all Boba Fett’s old tricks, and looks set to win the duel; but Boba falls back on the skills he learned when he lived among the Tuskens, and is then able to defeat his rival with ease. It’s a nice touch, symbolically reminding viewers that Boba Fett has changed and grown over the course of The Book of Boba Fett, and he is no longer the same man. There’s also a sense in which it’s payback for the Tuskens, because it is a devastating blow against those who killed them.
What Fennec Killing The Pyke & Other Family Leaders Means For Tatooine
Fennec Shand murders the Pyke representatives on Tatooine and the crime bosses who betrayed Boba. There are interesting parallels between this scene and Anakin Skywalker’s slaughter of the Separatist leaders on Mustafar in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, and the comparison demonstrates Fennec Shand’s superior skill in that she operates from the shadows. She’s long been described as a master assassin, and it’s good to see those abilities demonstrated at last; she must have been a formidable asset for the Empire before its collapse after the Battle of Jakku.
Fennec Shand’s actions have massive repercussions for Tatooine, because all the local crime lords have been killed. Indeed, it’s even possible Boba Fett himself is no longer a crime boss in the traditional sense of the word, given he’s shut down the spice trade as well; it’s possible he’s serving now more as a local Marshal who’s paid protection money by local businesses. The end of The Book of Boba Fett reveals Boba still has an enormous amount of muscle, with Black Krrsantan choosing to stick around – presumably replacing the two loyal Gamorrean guards who were killed during the battle with the Pykes. New crime lords will be reluctant to challenge Boba Fett and his team.
Why Grogu Chooses The Mandalorian Over The Jedi
Grogu faced a difficult choice at the end of The Book of Boba Fett episode 6, with Luke Skywalker presenting him with a decision; would he return to Din Djarin and become a Mandalorian, or would he choose the way of the Jedi? Episode 7 of The Book of Boba Fett wastes little time in revealing Grogu has chosen Din Djarin, continuing the “found family” theme that ran through the first two seasons of The Mandalorian. In narrative terms it makes sense to bring Grogu back, given The Mandalorian season 3 would feel very different without the Child, and Disney is wise to draw him away from the doomed Jedi Temple. At least this means Grogu won’t be killed in a second Jedi purge.
In character terms, Grogu was simply too attached to Din Djarin to become a Jedi. Jedi can love, but are forbidden attachments; as prominent Star Wars writer Charles Soule explained it, “It’s very easy for a Jedi to love, it’s just you have to love without being controlling and love without being afraid of losing somebody.” Luke’s test was designed to determine whether Grogu could let go of those he loved, and the Child was unable to do so. Ahsoka was right to believe Grogu could not become a Jedi, not now he has found a family he wants to belong to.
Where Din Djarin & Grogu Are Going & What It Means For Mandalorian Season 3
The previous episode saw Din Djarin gain a brand-new ship. He and Peli Motto customized an N-1 Naboo Starfighter, and although Mando was initially unimpressed, he was soon won over by its turn of speed. Peli Motto even converted the astromech slot into a pod for Grogu, which he is shown settled in as the two leave Tatooine at last. They’re presumably going back to Din Djarin’s old life as a bounty hunter, although it’s difficult to see how they’ll actually transport any bounties; the N-1 doesn’t exactly have space for prisoners. All this is clearly setup for The Mandalorian season 3, which won’t be quite so different in tone and style to previous seasons as had initially been believed.
Why The Rancor Destroying Tatooine Was Fine, But The Droids Weren’t
There’s a certain degree of irony in Boba Fett’s now being accepted as boss of Tatooine, and even celebrated for standing up to the Pykes; after all, during his confrontation with the Pykes’ forces he actually unleashed a rancor on Mos Espa, which caused just as much damage as the Scorpenek annihilator droids. In-universe, this does make some sense, though; one recently published book noted that the Clone Wars left a lasting impression on the public’s view of droids. “Many blame droids for the destruction and suffering of the Clone Wars,” The Star Wars Book observes, explaining the rise in anti-droid sentiments by the time of the first Star Wars movie. Even worse, the Pykes weren’t just using droids for open war – they had brought in two reprogrammed Separatist droids, symbols of that old conflict. Thus the prejudices of the Tatooine people probably mean they’re less afraid of rancors than they are of Scorpenek droids – even if, in truth, the rancor is the less predictable of the two threats, especially when its master loses control.
Will The Book of Boba Fett Season 2 Happen? What The Ending Sets Up
The Book of Boba Fett‘s ending seems to resolve the story of its ostensible star, leaving Boba Fett in a position of power on Tatooine. There’s no real setup for The Book of Boba Fett season 2, with Boba now in a stable position and with no remaining challenges to his authority. It feels as though he’s become the Lando Calrissian figure for Din Djarin; the old ally who’s now in a position of power, the port Mando can run to when he’s caught in a storm.
And there is indeed a storm coming. The Book of Boba Fett may not have focused on the actions of the Imperial Remnants, but they are already confirmed to be gathering on the Outer Rim – in the region around Tatooine, which is situated near important black market trade routes. The Mandalorian season 2 suggested Ahsoka Tano believes the Imperial Remnants are being secretly coordinated by Grand Admiral Thrawn, in which case this whole region of space could soon find itself in open war. The battle between rancors and droids could simply be a taste of things to come.
Book Of Boba Fett’s Post-Credits Scene Explained: Who Is In The Bacta Tank
The Book of Boba Fett ends with a post-credits scene – a move that’s now becoming as traditional for Lucasfilm as it is for Marvel. It confirms Marshal Cobb Vanth wasn’t killed by Cad Bane after all, but instead has been brought to Boba Fett’s palace and placed in a bacta tank. Cobb Vanth’s injuries are clearly severe, because Boba has also hired a mod-artist to help him recover by replacing parts of his body with cybernetics. Still, it seems the Marshal of Freetown will continue to be a force to be reckoned with on Tatooine after The Book of Boba Fett.
