The following review contains spoilers

The second chapter of The Book of Boba Fett is officially here and it picks up right where Chapter One left off. Chapter two entitled “The Tribes of Tatooine’ delivers one of the best and thematically rich episodes of classic star wars to date as the second chapter expands the mythology and is seeped into its own culture. 

“The Tribes of Tatooine” is directed skilfully by Academy Award-nominee Steph Green and written by Jon Favreau and utilises the narrative by telling two different tales at the same time and I found that it works to their advantage. The Book of Boba Fett showcases the present in where Boba and Fennec Shand are now inside the underbelly of the Tatooine crime world and are trying to figure out exactly who sent those assassins as seen in Chapter One “Stranger in a Strange Land”. Then there’s the past which showcases some of my favourite parts and seems to be the bigger plot of the show which continues to show how the former Bounty Hunter came back from near death with the help of the Natives. This allows the series to fill in the gaps of Boba Fett’s story since his last appearance in 1983s Return of the Jedi. 

The episode opens with a high angled shot of the rocky desert landscape outside Jabba’s palace. As Fennec Shand delivers the Order of the Night Wind Assassin to the feet of Boba Fett, which helps set some engaging events in motion from the offset. What follows is a Rancor fakeout, an icy reception at the mayor’s office and neatly waving Hutt Twins who threaten to claim the palace back. Bureaucracy plays a vital part in chapter two as mayor Moz Shaiz offers Boba some advice about ruling after he has the assassin killed and treats Boba off by paying him like he’s hauled in a bounty. After being sent back to the Sanctuary, talks about the assassins are quickly forgotten as thumping drums start to play in the background as it’s shown that Jabba the Hutt’s cousins have come to Tatooine to lay claim to their cousins’ palace as I previously mentioned. 

With a familiar Wookie from the comics Black Krrsantan appearing by their side, this provides one of the episodes best standoffs. During this moment is where I felt The Book of Boba Fett gearing towards the original trilogy as the style and aesthetic is very 70’s and vintage. Its advantage in storytelling is that The book of Boba Fett has shaped new edgier Star Wars stories as, despite only landing on a few locations, Tatooine is teeming with life, scum and villainy that truly can be expected from this hostile planet. This episode also shows Temurea Morrison’s Boba slowly growing into the role of a leader. 

Whilst Fett is resting inside his bacta tank, he experiences a flashback of his time with the Tusken Raiders. Chapter two takes a more meaningful approach in its portrayal of the Tuskens. The characters have been in a Galaxy Far, Far Away for many years in various Star Wars films and tv shows. The book of Boba Fett chooses however to dive into who these people are and what their motivations are. What we’ve been led to believe is that these Indigenous people of Tatooine were aggressive and blood-thirsty bandits, it turns out however that they’re very much misunderstood as in fact they’re just trying to live their lives whilst people intrude on their land. I loved seeing the day to day lives of the tribe as Boba creates a kinship with the Tusken leader as he trains with them. One of the young Tuskens is like his shadow, always following along beside him. Boba cares for them, mourns their dead and partakes in their rituals. During the 51 minute runtime, Boba finds a way to protect them from danger and tries to better their circumstances without changing their ways. 

Chapter two also includes a phenomenal sequence in which the famed Bounty Hunter brings out his brutal side. He steals a set of speeders from a biker gang and then proceeds to launch an assault on the train that killed his newfound friends. What follows is an adorable but hilarious training montage as Boba teaches the Tuskens some new tricks as he goes through his battle plan, tactics and how to ride and jump from a speeder.  The train sequence is a phenomenal set piece and action sequence, it’s truly the franchise’s answer to Mad Max: Fury Road as scenes fuel with kinetic energy. 

This is a classic western story of an outsider getting to know the native species as it effectively turns Tatooine into the Western planet. However one of the things that feel held back at the moment is the series’s present storyline as there is a lack of attention paid. 

Overall in the final act of chapter two, the dead have been burned and the spice has been captured. Boba Fett is welcomed into the Tusken Chief’s tent with a gift for his helpful service with humble gratitude and amazement, especially when a small lizard climbs into his nose and guides him which gets real weird once Boba is taken on a hallucinogenic journey. With The Tribes of Tatooine, The Book of Boba Fett reminds us that Star Wars has so much more to give than the Skywalkers, Jedi and epic space battles it’s ultimately about the individual stories, rich cultures, world-building and shared experiences. 

The Book of Boba Fett Chapter 2, “The Tribes of Tatooine,” is streaming now on Disney+. Future episodes premiere on Wednesdays.