Oh, I forgot to mention the Pykes! Why they were travelling over the middle of the desert through territory they perceived as hostile, I do not know, but they looked really good! It was also interesting to see them without their helmets/masks.
2 Likes
Agree not sure why. Hopefully we will find out. But I liked the old western train robbery theme.
This episode was awesome. Loved the Swoop/Biker Gang at (what I know understand to be) Tosche Station. The jackets were a really nice touch. I enjoyed how they made Boba a kick-butt character again, but it kinda contradicts what happened in Episode 1. The train was awesome, I really liked how they used hand signals for communication between boba and the Tuskens, as it adds another layer of depth. (I’m a sucker for small details)
All in all 4/5
Loved this episode!
Loved the teeming Alien life and amazing portrayals of the Ithorian Mayor (loved his translation voice), the “Twins” who were just awesome, their platform was bending under their combined weight! Those poor slaves. And of course, the immediately recognizable Black Krrsantan, couldnt have been anyone else. He also appears in the Adversary book if anyone is interested. He’s pretty badass! Especially the raised eyebrow he gave Boba, hah! Looking forward to seeing more of him.
Then to the remainder of the episode which was really a love letter to the Tusken Raiders. Really well done to show us parts of their culture and this particular tribes customs.
Boba crafting his Gaderffi I especially appreciated. As a woodworker myself It was nice to see actual woodworking tools and proper techniques being used to shape and carve the weapon.
I personally give this one a 5/5
3 Likes
Also, we learned the “Water Pods” are actually Black Melons. I found out this is not a new creation but from a comic in 2015. Obi Wan says they grow in the Jundland Wastes and while their milk does not taste good, they are safe to drink.
That and the fact that Tatooine has now been canonized to actually be an ancient water world or one that had oceans at least, and the Tuskens date back to that time, really showing that they do in fact have a claim to the land and their heritage goes back farther than any other settlers. Perhaps they were aquatic in some way? I feel like that idea was in the comics also (?) No wonder they attack those coming onto their lands or moving across their territories.
I like the parallel between early colonists in North America and the native tribes, what was seen as just savages in the wilds is actually an ancient people defending what is theirs by right. Its an added layer to Tusken Lore than hasn’t been too present in the past but gives us more context and a better understanding.
3 Likes
I wonder if there is going to be some crossover with Book of Boba Fett and Obi-Wan series. Since Fett is having a lot of contections to Tuskens Raiders. Will we see the same tribe again? Plus with Tatooine being fleshed out more. Will this be seen in the Obi-Wan series. I look forward to the rest of Boba series and cannot wait to see Obi-Wan.
Finally watched the first, two episodes. Maybe bacta requires certain light waves to be activated, otherwise it’s inert?
I really like this for Tusken. It can explain other things in a cool way. The Tusken were originally the native fish people of a partially water-covered and marshy Tatooine. After the calamity which brought the deserts, the few Tusken who survived have changed and adapted slowly over countless generations to the harshly different climate. But, not completely.
They are wrapped up to protect their fish skin which has in no way fully adapted to the dry desert. They must wear special goggles to keep the sun out of their eyelid-less, moist fisheyes. They constantly wear breathers to help them survive in atmospheric air, instead of using the gills of their ancestors.
This makes them even more badass. Over generations, they have learned to change and thrive in an environment that even land creatures have a hard time surviving in.
There is also the added mystery of what caused the climate change to be fleshed out, possibly in an Indiana Jones meets Star Wars sort of campaign. Having a PC unwrap a dead Tusken to discover it looks like a creature from the Black Lagoon would be pretty cool. Is there a secret underground marshy holy cavern surviving someplace where Tusken voyage to once in their lifetime where they may remove their wraps and live in their old ways? Do they have secret huge underground basins of water, hoping to someday begin the terraforming back to Old Tatooine (similar to a certain book series).
3 Likes
Jungle planet, and not fish people, according to the old Legends page. I’d think Kevin and Jon would keep true to this more than anything Disney was planning to do.
2 Likes
I think Star Wars is just inconsistent with Bacta colors
Third episode was a bit lacklustre after the previous week’s episode, shorter, too few Tuskens, and a seemingly dissatisfying end to the Tuskens. I assume they will reappear, at least the warrior, in taking down the Kintan Striders.
The chase scene, while cool, didn’t feel very much like a chase scene, it felt very slow - even if that makes sense given the amount of obstacles, like they could’ve run to keep up. But it was awesome that they did a speeder chase, and show off the new crew.
I liked:
- The new cyborg crew
- Rancor as a gift
- Danny “Machete” Trejo as a beastmaster
- War with the Pykes
- Phone booth
Felt a bit weird that Boba didn’t recognise Krrsantan, or didn’t at least show some kind of familiarity with him, but who knows why they chose that, whether not interested in being too close to the backstories from Marvel comics, or to show that time has passed and Boba is a new person, that Boba tries to hide it for whatever reason, or perhaps he’s forgotten…? Meh. Not a biggie. Just a bit weird.
All in all this was a nice setup episode, very enjoyable. 
1 Like
This episode was mostly good, my only real problems with it come down to the question of world-building and economic sense.
Said problems
Why change the world-building of Tatooine? “Terrestrial planet that was overly exploited by mining conglomerates, thus resulting in it becoming a desert with various bits of mining equipment (sandcrawlers) being left behind” was a perfectly good explanation. Making it a former water world leaves more questions than answers and seems a nonsensical change.
I don’t mind when they change/remove the old Legends stories, but I can’t stand it when they mess with the worldbuilding. If you don’t like a particular thing, omit it, or minorly modify it. That can be on a small scale, like not going into the backstory of a particular planet, or that can be on a larger scale like ignoring a whole planet or culture. But I deeply dislike the contradictions, which have never, as far I can remember, been meaningful or necessary.
And now they seem to want to turn the Tuskens into victims, probably to make some ahistorical simile to the American Indians. The old Star Wars canon took a much more nuanced and interesting approach.
As for economics, you aren’t able to charge a price people aren’t willing/able to pay because they won’t pay it. Either competition comes along (maybe the farmers say “hey, you aren’t selling any of our water!” and take it to someone else) if it isn’t already there, or you manage to drive yourself out of business by not being able to sell any of it. Now if he pays the farmers up-front, I can see how they’re covered and might not want to sell to anyone else. But if he can’t sell it, what happens? Either the water goes to waste if it can “spoil” or it just sits in his inventory until he can’t take on any more, and then he can’t buy more water from the farmers who look to sell it to someone else. Either way, he loses a lot of money by not being able to sell. Add to that, he’ll be unpopular and everyone will be itching to sell to his competition.
Now, if it was a cartel, some sort of criminal outfit that had a forcibly-held monopoly in the water-monger business, then I can see it. That would be an interesting angle, if still economically unfeasible (they’d pursue other sorts of “payment”).
But fiction writers and journalists are not renowned for their economic sense, and we’re dealing with fiction writers here.
Other than that, I enjoyed the episode. The cyborg biker gang was cool. Perhaps more appropriate on Coruscant and their bikes were a bit too shiny, but cool nonetheless. The rancor could be an interesting ongoing development, I like the reference to Nightsisters riding rancor (I can’t remember if that’s been mentioned elsewhere in Canon, if not, good on them for mentioning it), Krrsantan could be interesting if he reappears.
The fight in the palace was cool, but it is a pet peeve of mine when in action sequences a character with a ranged weapon (in this case a blaster pistol) thinks it a good idea to RUN TOWARDS a melee combatant. If anything, you should be backing away!
As for the race, it was fast enough, the speed was correctly limited by the circumstances. Oftentimes speed is more a trick of camera angles than an actual representation of speed, and this was a situation where the speed seemed entirely appropriate to the crowded streets. My only real complaint is that Boba isn’t going to be very popular after his swoop gang’s chase resulted in the destruction of months-worth of many citizens’ wages. I hate excessive collateral damage, and this had that in spades. I winced every time they took out a fruit stand, which seemed to happen just about every time he turned a corner, went straight, turned, or otherwise moved his vehicle in a given direction. >_<
It has been established in Legends/EU for years (KOTOR and the introduction of the Infinite Empire are now officially years ago 
) that Tatooine had oceans, which the Tusken chieftain corroborates, however the water monger claims it was “covered in water”, which is most likely shorthand for saying there were vast oceans (whereas now there are none). I think its a nice nod, like the rancor riding witches of Dathomir, to in-universe legends that may, or may not, be true. It is not incompatible with the Republic/Empire’s history, its just older and/or tied to myths more than history. I don’t see what’s nonsensical about it.
From Wookiepedia (canon): It was homeworld to the native Jawa and Tusken Raider species—and presumably with vast oceans of surface water and lush rainforest. And cites this as the source. So, not contradicting anything really.
Yeah, the economics, always an iffy thing when its about space fantasy drama and action (it’s something too few have any real knowledge about) … but gangsters, essential life-sustaining water… he probably sells water, but urchins, an unemployed speeder gang, that spent all their money on cybernetic upgrades (and shiny new speeders), just can’t afford it, and turns to theft… sounds like some players of mine 
that will spend all their cash on upgrades and weapons, then break in and rob the med centre to get a couple stims; whether the price is 25, 50, or 1000 doesn’t matter at that point.
We know the urchins claim the water-monger took one months wages for one week’s supply, and perhaps 1300 credits is the mean monthly wage on Tatooine, it’s hard to know. We are led to sympathise with these cyborg-urchins, which we sort of do. But there are too many unknowns and unreliable sources, so his price may not mean that he is not selling to people who can afford it (and he may just demand more from these half-machine-half-man urchins because he disapproves of their lifestyle choices). Anyway, I’m not trying to bicker about Star Wars-economics, that’s a pointless and nonsensical rabbit-hole 
because, as you said, fiction writers
1 Like
Perhaps, with previous mentions in this thread of Canon suggesting it to be a “water world” I read too much into it. If they really just mean that it had surface water, then I don’t have any issue with it since that’s what it used to be.
Oh yeah, I’d believe it, my problem comes when Boba Fett seems to accept what they say as the truth, with no implication that he’s being duped. 1,300 seems a reasonable “monthly wage” in that sort of place, especially when you consider my pet theory about the value of a credit.
I must admit, many of my perceptions of what I’m supposed to perceive from the on-screen action is derived from what I expect to be expected to see, unless there is something that clearly subverts the trope. In this case, there was nothing that clearly subverted the trope, even if I could see ways to do so.
Yeah, that’s my issue with it too, but it could be that he recognises them for what they are: dangerous, resourceful, and hence useful? They scare the water monger, they don’t have jobs, they have weapons, speeders, and appear confident, and he needs more bodies, to gain respect, and eyes and ears…
But he then orders the water monger to slash his prices, which, if he isn’t overcharging, would likely drive him out of business as he is now selling the water for less than is feasible.
In the situation as you describe, I think Boba should have said “I’ll pay your debt, you work for me now,” making everyone happy and getting some henchmen. The way he did what he did angers the water monger, making him more likely to support a rival syndicate. Too much of that, and you erode your support base. Too much of your henchmen taking out fruit stands also erodes your support base. Hopefully this isn’t ignored as the story continues.
Now, if the water monger was overcharging (leaving aside the aforementioned difficulties), he instead could gain support from the civilian populace who now have lower prices for water. But if he’s seriously selling a week’s worth of water for a month’s pay (or even if that’s an exaggeration, make it a 1:1 ratio), he just isn’t going to stay in business (if for no other reason than that his customers all die of dehydration). Something doesn’t add up, and I’m inclined to blame short-sighted writers whose economic literacy is… lacking.
Well, we don’t know by how much he (allegedly) overprices. That matters, and also how much it is be cut by. Too few datapoints to really make a reasonable guesstimation of non-outlier consequences. Although, the water monger’s promise to double his tribute, suggests he’s pretty well off (assuming tribute is a significant and substantial amount).
Boba “invites” the urchins to work for him before he pays their debt, and he “invites” the monger to move to Mos Eisley if he doesn’t cut his price after hearing what water costs, and he seems surprised (and the monger doesn’t explain or justify). He shows a kind of benevolence to the urchins and he asserts authority by telling the monger to have more (presumably) reasonable prices, while also showing that he has henchmen to back up this order. The newest of which are, as the monger said, cyborgs with deadly modifications… no more overpricing then…?
What is interesting, is the leader urchin’s initial dismissal of Fett as yet another crime boss, then she and her crew joins this crime boss. So, by demanding a price cut, Boba appears as a daimyo (as opposed to a crime boss) to the street urchins, but he now risks appearing more as a crime boss to the water monger… I think this is how leadership rolls most of the time…
Putting too much thought into this is going to deconstruct it to silliness.
Well, we know that despite the initial statements that the reset cleared the way for a single, cohesive continuity, filmed content (movies/tv) have slid back into a position of taking precedence over published content. (See: Clone Wars season 7 superseding details of the Siege of Mandalore from the Ahsoka novel and The Bad Batch altering Caleb/Kanan’s Order 66 experience). The official response has been that the larger elements remain the same (Depa and Caleb still being on the same planet when Order 66 hit, but the specifics of what happened were different), with the difference in details being chalked up to different interpretations of the “mythology” - that what we’re seeing are stories told through the lens of many years and translations later, like a story “based on true events” dramatizing things.
In this specific case, I think it’s a choice made to streamline storytelling - use an existing character that fits the story’s needs (Black Krsssantan) rather than creating a new one that duplicates a role the existing character could fill. Beyond that, referencing their shared stories from the comics (which will always be seen by fewer people than watch a tv show) opens up the question of, “What? What does Fett mean, saying they know each other? Oh…that must be another flashback that’s coming.” then leaving those viewers still flummoxed when that flashback never comes.
But, that’s what the Story Group has said they’re really there to do…not to rule over continuity with an iron fist, but to suggest (when asked) by, say, a Robert Rodriguez, “Well, there’s already a Wookiee bounty hunter in current canon that would fit in well as the intimidating presence here. And, for anyone who’s read those stories, there’s a connection to Boba and Jabba, too.”
2 Likes
That makes enough sense.
I’ve definitely learned to temper my expectations of a multimedia shared storytelling universe ever since Avengers: Age of Ultron. Because he’d written & directed it and its predecessor, as well as being an Executive Producer for Agents of SHIELD, and with Kevin Feige, Jeph Loeb, and others touting the “it’s all connected” mantra and hashtag, many expected Jss Whdon to have the Agents of SHIELD characters appear in the movie. After all…the lead character, Coulson, was prominent in the first, and his death was what had galvanized the team to become the Avengers. But, Wh*don’s explanation for their absence made too much sense. To paraphrase, “More people see the movies than watch the series. To those people, the last time they saw Coulson, he was dead. To have him show back up means either stopping the Avengers’ story cold long enough to summarize a season’s worth of a tv show that brought him back, or having a large portion of the audience thinking we’re idiots who don’t remember a huge event from the last movie.”
After reading that explanation, I came to accept that such cross-continuity typically only flows one way: in the direction that serves the largest audience.
1 Like