Book of Boba Fett Chapter 3: “The Streets of Mos Espa” Review

SPOILER WARNING! The following contains spoilers for The Book of Boba Fett Episode 3! Do not proceed if you wish to avoid spoilers!

MAJOR POINTS

• The streets of Mos Espa are lawless since Fortuna’s death
• The Kintan Strider biker gang killed Boba’s Tusken family
• The Hutts hired Black Krssantan to kill Boba
• The Pykes are assembling in an attempt to topple Boba’s criminal operation

8D8 briefs Boba on businesses under Jabba’s protection. Bib Fortuna took Jabba’s place and divided Mos Espa into three parts: One run by Trandoshans, another by Aqualish, and a third by Klatoonians.

During the briefing, a worker interrupts to meet with Boba. He explains that the streets of Mos Espa have turned into chaos since Fortuna’s death. A gang of cyborgs has been stealing his inventory of water. He promises to double his tribute to Fett if this gang is stopped.

Fett confronts the gang, one of whom is the woman we saw riding a speeder in the trailers. When they claim they cannot afford water due to there not being any work, Fett decides to hire them. The water supplier objects, stating that they owe him 1300 credits. Fett, realizing that 1300 credits is an outrageous price, tells him to take 500 credits and consider it resolved.

Nine minutes into the episode we finally got our title: Chapter 3: The Streets of Mos Espa. We then have the obligatory flashback to Boba’s days as a Tusken Raider.

Boba rides into Mos Eisley atop a Bantha where he meets with members of the Pykes, the spice smugglers he helped defeat in the last episode. He learns that the Kintan Striders, the gang Boba also beat up in the last episode, are also charging them a protection fee. The Pykes are willing to do business with either, but not both. Boba then returns to the Raider settlement to find it razed and ruined by The Striders, much like Luke Skywalker found his home in A New Hope. The entire camp has been pillaged and everybody, including the tribe leaders, is dead. Boba cremates the bodies along with the personal gaffi sticks.

Black Krssantan rips Boba out of the bacta pod and tosses him around the room. He puts Boba in a bearhug but before he can squeeze the life out of him, the cyborg gang runs in to make the save. Black spears the Gammoreans down the stairs and brawls with them in the throne room. Fennic Shand herself opens the trap door, sending Black to the empty Rancor pit.

Later, over an exquisite dinner, Boba declares that he must respond to the latest assassination attempt. 8D8 interrupts to inform Boba of The Hutts’ arrival. The Hutts confess to sending Black to kill Boba. They offer a new rancor as a token of regret. The rancor is wheeled in by a trainer played by veteran badass character actor Danny Trejo. The Hutts reveal that they were lied to by Mayor Mok Shaiz. Boba brings in a chained Black Krssantan and tells The Hutts he will return him to them if they renounce their claim to Tatooine. The Hutts refuse, stating they are leaving Tattooine and that Boba should do the same. They then leave to return to Nal Hutta. Boba releases Black anyway because he understands Black was only doing his job. Shand tells Boba she will arrange a meeting with the mayor.

Boba and the trainer look over the rancor in its new pit. The trainer tells the history of how rancors are usually bred for fighting, but also how they can be loyal pets if trained properly. Boba asks the trainer to teach him how to ride the rancor. 8D8 then interrupts, telling Fett that Mayor Shaiz will be unavailable for an appointment for at least the next 20 days.

Fett, accompanied by Shand and their cyborg henchmen, goes to meet with the mayor. Before they can do so, the Twi-lek lackey locks the door and attempts to flee in a speeder. This leads to a speeder chase through the streets of Mos Espa, complete with the obligatory crash into a fruit stand. When Boba catches up with the Twi-lek reveals that the mayor is working with The Pykes. Shand realizes this means The Pyke will be going to war with them.

MAJOR QUESTIONS

• So is that rancor Moochie from The Bad Batch series?
• What’s next for Black Krssantan? Will we see him again? And if so will he still be aligned with Boba’s enemies?

FINAL GRADE: A

Another great episode! I thought we wouldn’t see the fate of Boba’s Tusken family until the final episodes. Instead, they got killed off here which will undoubtedly lead to further conflict with The Striders. Not only that, we got DANNY F’N TREJO! His geek cred continues to grow. And, of course, the impending war with The Pykes is one of the links between the ongoing story and the flashbacks to the past.