Caution: spoilers ahead for The Book of Boba Fett episode 2
The Book of Boba Fett turns up some unexpected Star Wars Easter eggs in episode 2 – here’s everything we found. Bridging the gap between The Mandalorian seasons 2 and 3, Disney+’s The Book of Boba Fett stars Temuera Morrison as the titular (former) bounty hunter, now looking to replace Jabba the Hutt as Tatooine’s criminal overlord. The Book of Boba Fett episode 1 recounted events after Boba’s escape from the Sarlacc, while also chronicling his efforts to tame Tatooine’s underworld in the present timeline.
Slow-burning to start, The Book of Boba Fett‘s premiere was a treat for Star Wars fans, but episode 2 ratchets up the intensity further. Following the previous episode’s ambush, Boba takes Ming-Na Wen’s Fennec Shand and their silent Gamorrean friends to visit the local mayor. Though hardly the friendliest fellow, the mayor apparently wasn’t trying to whack Boba Fett after all. Jabba’s cousins then arrive to stake their claim as Hutts – and they’re not taking Boba’s insolence lying down (figuratively, at least). In flashbacks, an ailing Fett continues to ingratiate with the Tusken Raiders who captured him, becoming their resident driving instructor and getting high on spice.
Both timelines contain some of Disney+’s best Star Wars Easter eggs and references. Who’s that cool-looking dark Wookiee? Are the bar brawl twins significant? And why does Boba Fett’s drug trip bring back so many memories? These are the Easter eggs in The Book of Boba Fett episode 2.
Fennec Shand’s Entry Mirrors Return Of The Jedi
The Book of Boba Fett episode 2’s first visual Easter egg comes in the opening scene, as Fennec Shand brings a captured assassin back to Jabba’s palace. The slow raising of the palace’s main gate shot from an interior perspective is deliberately designed to mimic Return of the Jedi, when C-3PO and R2-D2, then later Luke Skywalker, enter via this very same door.
“E Chu Ta” Is A Star Wars Curse Word
Questioning his prisoner, Boba Fett is insulted when the assassin responds with “e chu ta,” which Boba describes as a rather unpleasant curse. Indeed, the offensive Huttese phrase has been wheeled out before in Star Wars, most notably The Empire Strikes Back when C-3PO replied with, “How rude!“
Boba Fett’s New Rancor Switch Doesn’t Make Sense
Among Return of the Jedi‘s most famous scenes is the moment Jabba the Hutt sends Luke Skywalker through a trapdoor to face the mighty Rancor. To open the pit, Jabba simply slammed his fist onto a nearby switch, but Bib Fortuna evidently installed a different system. When Fennec Shand triggers the same booby trap in The Book of Boba Fett, she uses a hidden switch inside a Rancor’s mouth carved onto the throne. Since Jabba’s palace is now Rancor-free, the addition seems rather unnecessary. Maybe Jabba owned more than one Rancor (as implied in The Bad Batch), but Boba and Fennec decided to let them all free after taking over.
The Rancor Scene Is Another ROTJ Homage
Even more than the gate entrance, The Book of Boba Fett‘s captured assassin falling into Jabba’s Rancor pit is designed to evoke Return of the Jedi memories. His tumble very closely mimics Luke Skywalker’s, and is followed by the throne advancing across the floor to give its occupant a clearer view of the gore – as it did with Jabba.
The Book Of Boba Fett’s Tatoo-rats
Though the Rancor cage is now empty thanks to a certain sister-kissing Jedi, the cell does contain a rat in The Book of Boba Fett. This gag is a callback to the rats crawling through Jabba’s dungeon in Return of the Jedi, which were subsequently identified as Tatoo-rats. Later in The Book of Boba Fett episode 2, the male Hutt twin is using a Tatoo-rat to mop his sweaty, slimy brow.
Mos Espa Aliens & Droids In Book Of Boba Fett Episode 2
Plenty of familiar Star Wars creatures and droids are lingering in the background throughout The Book of Boba Fett episode 2. As Boba and Fennec Shand stride purposefully toward the Mayor’s building, two groups of Trandoshans are sitting in the street minding their own business (but still somehow looking suspicious). During Boba Fett’s later encounter with the Hutt twins, Jawas, a Hassk, a Melbu, and an EGL power droid litter the surrounding area.
Robert Rodriguez Voices Mayor Mok Shaiz
Mok Shaiz is an Ithorian, and the Mayor of Mos Espa. Behind the processed, effects-laden vocals, The Book of Boba Fett viewers may recognize Mok Shaiz’s voice as belonging to Robert Rodriguez, who directed the series premiere.
Species In Book Of Boba Fett’s Sanctuary (& A Mustafar Reference)
The Book of Boba Fett‘s second visit to Garsa Fwip’s Sanctuary adds even more familiar aliens among the revelers. The bat-faced gambler with RX is a Chadra-Fan, while a table to Boba’s right seats a Rodian. Max Rebo (an Ortolan) and his Bith axe-shredder once again provide the music, and when the Twins’ drums begin, a Snivvian and Britarro are shown looking anxious. Boba drops the colorful simile, “Sweating like a gumpt on Mustafar,” and while a gumpt is new to Star Wars‘ lore, Mustafar certainly isn’t, serving as the scene of Obi-Wan Kenobi’s fateful duel with Anakin Skywalker from Revenge of the Sith.
Boba Fett Mentions The Debauchery Of Hutta
Speaking with Garsa Fwip, Boba Fett believes the Hutt twins will be too preoccupied with the “debauchery of Hutta” to bother him on Tatooine. A rare reference to the Hutts’ home planet in live-action Star Wars, the stair-less locale first appeared in Star Wars: The Clone Wars as the hub of Hutt activities. It stands to reason that there’d be ways to enjoy oneself on such a planet.
The Differing Fates Of Niktos In The Book Of Boba Fett
Niktos are afforded strong representation in The Book of Boba Fett episode 2 – first among the poor slaves straining under the weight of the Twins’ litter, then as a troublesome gang who incur the wrath of Boba Fett. Recognizable by their spiky faces, Niktos were created for Return of the Jedi.
The Twins’ Tank Matches Jabba The Hutt’s
Also in Return of the Jedi, a small aquarium containing Klatooine paddy frogs sat beside Jabba’s throne, allowing the crime lord to grab snacks at his leisure. When the Twins appear in The Book of Boba Fett, their litter incorporates a very similar tank containing a very similar-looking Hutt delicacy.
Black Krrsantan’s Live-Action Star Wars Debut
Reluctant to get their non-existent hands dirty, the Hutt Twins have brought a Wookiee bounty hunter along to intimidate Boba Fett – and he’s no newcomer to the Star Wars franchise. The Wookiee in question is Black Krrsantan, who appeared frequently throughout the Darth Vader and Doctor Aphra comic books, and whose reputation more than matches his fearsome aura.
Book Of Boba Fett Explains Boba’s Mandalorian Debut
When Temuera Morrison’s Boba Fett debuted in The Mandalorian season 2 wielding a gaffi stick, most viewers assumed that with his trademark armor stolen, the bounty hunter must’ve swiped this replacement weapon from an unsuspecting Tusken Raider. The Book of Boba Fett proves otherwise. After gaining their trust in episode 1, Boba spends The Book of Boba Fett episode 2’s flashbacks learning how to fight in the Tusken style. He then helps organize the Sand People into defeating a criminal gang passing through the Dune Sea, and is rewarded with a gaffi stick of his own alongside a set of proper black robes, creating Boba Fett’s character design from The Mandalorian.
Tusken Raiders Shoot A Worrt
While Boba trains in Tusken combat, a creature spurts from beneath the sand and starts running away. This slippery critter is a Worrt, introduced as part of the Tatooine ecosystem in Return of the Jedi. The manner in which the Tuskens shoot the Worrt and then cheer in unison is reminiscent of when they were taking podracer potshots during The Phantom Menace.
Star Wars Visits Tosche Station
In 1977, Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker famously whined, “But I was going into Tosche Station to pick up some power converters!” The poor guy never did go, but The Book of Boba Fett makes a long-awaited live-action trip to Tosche station, as Boba dispatches a group of Nikto biker thugs and steals their speeders for the Sand People. Incidentally, the badge on the Niktos’ jackets simply reads “Tatooine.”
The Book Of Boba Fett Introduces Two Deleted Original Trilogy Characters
The Book of Boba Fett viewers may wonder why the male and female characters at Tosche Station are afforded such prominence. Though their names aren’t spoken aloud, episode 2’s credits confirm them to be Camie Marstrap and Laze “Fixer” Loneozner – two characters created by George Lucas for 1977’s original Star Wars movie but edited from the final cut. One of A New Hope‘s deleted scenes shows Camie and Fixer alongside Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker and Biggs Darklighter, and though their live-action debut was nixed, The Book of Boba Fett inducts the duo into Star Wars mythology once again – only 40 years late.
Boba Fett Steals The Mandalorian’s Entrance… Again
Din Djarin first appeared in The Mandalorian as an intimidating figure standing in the doorway of a saloon, classic western soundtrack ringing in the background. The Book of Boba Fett alluded toward this trick when Boba and Fennec Shand entered Sanctuary for the first time in the series premiere, but episode 2’s Tosche Station sequence does a closer homage, including the silhouette and musical accompaniment.
Star Wars Speeder Jumps Aren’t Easy After All
Star Wars fans will be accustomed to the sight of characters effortlessly hopping from one speeder to another mid-ride – Luke Skywalker during the Endor chase, for instance. Despite Star Wars always making the trick look easy, The Book of Boba Fett proves otherwise, as Tusken Raiders fail spectacularly to make the jump from one speeder onto another, proving Star Wars isn’t entirely immune from the traditional laws of physics.
Book Of Boba Fett Copies Mandalorian’s Season 2 Tusken Plot
In The Mandalorian season 2, Tusken Raiders were forced to make an uneasy alliance with outsiders in order to take down a giant dragon monster threatening to kill them. They succeeded, and got to strip the dragon bare in victory. In The Book of Boba Fett, Tusken Raiders are forced to make an uneasy alliance with outsiders in order to take down a giant metal monster threatening to kill them. They succeed, and get to strip the train bare in victory.
The Pyke Syndicate & Spice Return In The Book Of Boba Fett
The criminals aboard the train are revealed to be members of the Pyke syndicate – a criminal gang that played major roles in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Solo. They’re experts in spice smuggling, and sure enough, Boba Fett references the spice mines of Kessel, which were first mentioned by C-3PO in A New Hope.
Tusken Raiders Travel In Single File
Obi-Wan Kenobi famously told a young Luke Skywalker that Tusken Raiders always travel in single file to hide their numbers. In a nod to this oldest of Star Wars rules, Boba Fett instructs the Pyke syndicate prisoners to travel to Anchorhead single file, proving how he’s become accustomed to the ways of Sand People.
Tusken Raiders Reference Tatooine’s Ancient History
The chief of Boba’s Tusken Raider friends refers to Tatooine’s “oceans,” which seems contradictory to the dry sands Star Wars‘ most famous planet is recognized for. But canon Star Wars reference books have confirmed Tatooine was once a land of oceans and rainforests, and Jawa mythology claims the Dune Sea was once an actual sea, not a sandy one.
Boba Fett’s Original Trilogy Star Wars Armor
Boba Fett’s current armor design is vastly modernized compared to the original gear worn by Jeremy Bulloch, but when the ex-bounty hunter is sent on a drug-fueled trip by his Tusken friend, he envisions being dressed in The Empire Strikes Back‘s costume, complete with gray tabard. A heartwarming callback to the character’s origins.
The Book of Boba Fett airs every Wednesday on Disney+.
