In “The Book of Boba Fett” recap, a ‘Star Wars’ greatest hits episode features Mando going to see an old friend and the Pyke Syndicate pulling out the big guns…
By Damon Martin — Editor/Lead Writer
The debut of “The Book of Boba Fett” chapter 6 on Wednesday was met with the simultaneous outburst of just about every “Star Wars” fan across the galaxy.
The latest spinoff series has largely pivoted away from its main character after the infamous bounty hunter turned daimyo of Mos Espa nearly missing in action for the past two episodes as the ever-expanding series welcomed back Din Djarin aka The Mandalorian and the latest installment was like a “Star Wars” greatest hits with so many jaw-dropping returns or arrivals.
Timothy Olyphant was back at Marshal Cobb Vanth after he last appeared in “The Mandalorian” season 2 debut but he was just the tip of a very big iceberg for this particular episode.
With Mando unable to give up his connection to Grogu, he traveled to a distant planet to visit the little guy and that’s where we were reunited with Baby Yoda along with his trainer — Master Luke Skywalker. Then out of nowhere Ahsoka Tano reappeared as Rosario Dawson prepares to inhabit her own spinoff series likely coming in 2023.
As if that wasn’t enough, the closing minutes of the episode welcomed a fan favorite character never before seen in live action as ruthless bounty hunter Cad Bane showed up on the dusty plains of Tatooine for a showdown with Cobb Vanth.
Cad Bane is a character best known for multiple appearances in “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” and much like Ahsoka Tano before him, “Star Wars” fans immediately fell in love with him. Now, Cad Bane has made his first appearance in live action universe and that will certainly lead to an even bigger role in the season finale next week.
In terms of his importance to the “Star Wars” universe, Cad Bane is a Duros bounty hunter, who actually mentored in his early career by Jango Fett. Following Jango’s death, Cad Bane took on the role as one of the most feared bounty hunters across the entire galaxy. He worked for an all-star list of villains including Darth Sidious (prior to his transformation as Emperor Palpatine) as well as Jabba The Hutt.
Through various appearance in the animated “Star Wars” universe, Cad Bane faced off with the likes of Anakin Skywalker, Mace Windu, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano and many more. He was never more loyal than the highest bidder willing to pay him and Cad Bane was very good at his job, which put him in very high demand. Prior to his return in “The Book of Boba Fett,” Cad Bane was seen in the recent series “The Bad Batch,” where he actually encountered Fennec Shand and he previously spent time in prison with Boba Fett so those reunions will be interesting in the next episode.
With all that said, let’s get to our full recap for “The Book of Boba Fett”…
Chapter 6: From the Desert Comes a Stranger
The episode begins with a return to Mos Pelgo — the oft forgotten town at the edge of nowhere in Tatooine — where Marshal Cobb Vanth protects the citizens. It seems as part of the ever expanding spice trade on the planet, the Pyke Syndicate has managed to arrive at Mos Pelgo as the latest stop as their criminal empire continues to reach further and further out.
Of course, Cobb Vanth has no desire to see Mos Pelgo fall under the control of more criminals so he warns the Pykes to scatter and leave town or he’ll have to deal with them personally. When the Pykes made the mistake of drawing down on him, Cobb Vanth kills three of them before disarming the fourth, who realizes he’s very much outgunned.
Cobb Vanth then warns the Pykes to stay out of Mos Pelgo or everybody else coming into this territory will be met with the same fate. He also demands the box of spice they were transporting to be left behind, which he ultimately kicks over while watching the valuable substance fly away into the wind.
From there, the story shifts to Din Djarin as he travels to a planet to reunite with Grogu, who has been learning under the watchful eye of Luke Skywalker. Mando wants to present him with the Beskar armor he had fashioned in last week’s episode before he got ex-communicated by his friends in the Children of the Watch after they learned that he removed his helmet in the presence of others.
After landing, Mando is greeted by none other than R2-D2, who leads him back to a clearing where a group of droids are assembling what we have to assume will eventually become Luke Skywalker’s new Jedi training academy. Mando doesn’t get much conversation after R2 ultimately shuts down while the other droids work feverishly to build him a ready-made bench so he can sit and wait.
While Mando lays around waiting for Luke, the Jedi master is off in the woods training young Grogu in the ways of the Force. As Luke meditates, Grogu can’t help but spot a frog nearby and he uses his powers to levitate the animal near his mouth for a snack.
That’s when Luke snaps out of his trance and realizes that Grogu isn’t exactly paying attention to this particular exercise. While Grogu is hungry for one frog, Luke shows him the true power of the Force by lifting up every frog from the nearby marsh just to display what can be done with focus and discipline.
As they walk through the forest together, Luke tells Grogu about Master Yoda and his wise teachings about the Force as well as how he would often speak in riddles. He wonders if Grogu remembers hearing anything like that from his past.
Luke obviously knows that Grogu must have come from some kind of Jedi training but the little guy has no memory so he offers to help him remember. That’s when Luke taps into Grogu’s mind as he remembers the attack from the clone soldiers ordered to wipe out all of the Jedi as commanded by Emperor Palpatine.
Several Jedis attempt to protect Grogu, but each are cut down as the clone troopers overwhelm them in battle. We never see how Grogu is saved or who manages to help him escape the clutches of the Empire but that’s a teaser that will almost certainly play a part in later episodes of “The Mandalorian.”
After seeing such atrocities committed, Luke promises to teach Grogu how to protect himself because he knows even now with the Galactic Empire defeated, the galaxy is still a very dangerous place.
Back at the site where the Jedi academy is being built, Mando wakes up from a nap by pulling his gun after sensing somebody nearby. That’s when he’s reunited with Ahsoka Tano, who has traveled to the planet to meet with Luke as well as Mando after she was alerted by R2 that he came to visit Grogu.
Mando explains that he wants to give Grogu a present with the Beskar armor he had made for him but Ahsoka Tano can’t help but wonder if this visit is more about satisfying his own desire to see the kid again rather than just handing him a gift. Mando attempts to give her insight about how Grogu was a Mandalorian foundling and by extension that makes him part of his tribe, which means he’ll always be responsible for him in some way.
Ahsoka counters by pointing out that perhaps Grogu has graduated from foundling to padawan as he learns the ways of the Force in an attempt to become a Jedi knight. She explains to Mando that Grogu already misses him and being reunited at this point will only make things harder on him.
Because he doesn’t want to disturb Grogu’s training with Master Luke, Mando decides to leave the planet without seeing the little guy but he hands over the armor to Ahsoka Tano to give to him to ensure that he’s protected.
Back out in the forest, Luke continues to teach Grogu — first by putting him in a backpack as he once carried Yoda as they run and leap through the woods until climbing a tall tree. There Luke tells Grogu that the Force will help him find balance before they return to the ground where he shows him some lightsaber skills that he’s adapted over the years.
Luke then helps Grogu to learn balance on his own while using a training ball as he jumps from stones to tree branches. He eventually disables the training ball by using the Force and Luke is proud to see the advances he’s making.
While Luke watches Grogu, he’s joined by Ahsoka Tano, which is almost like a family reunion considering she was once Anakin Skywalker’s padawan. Luke comments to her that it feels more like Grogu is remember something he’s already learned previously rather than being taught anything new and Ahsoka Tano offers him some words of wisdom.
“Sometimes the student guides the master.”
~ Ahsoka Tano
Still, Luke wonders if Grogu’s heart is in the training, which earns him a smirk from Ahsoka Tano as she comments that he’s so much like his father.
Luke knows that Mando just paid a visit to the planet but left before actually seeing Grogu but he realizes what a strong bond they share. Ahsoka Tano then hands him the gift that Mando brought for Grogu, which just strengthens his curiosity if the little guy is still too connected to the bounty hunter who saved his life and by extension that’s preventing him from reaching his full potential.
As for Mando, he returns to Tatooine where he lands at Jabba’s former palace and he walks into a meeting being conducted by Fennec Shand as she explains how the Pyke Syndicate are continuing to expand their territory across the planet. This is the one scene where a stoic Boba Fett actually makes a brief appearance, although he never says a word while Fennec handles all the talking while laying out the battle plans to deal with the Pykes.
Of course, Fennec knows that Boba Fett has added some muscle thanks to the arrival of Din Djarin along with Black Krrsantan but even with his teenage Mod army, they are still massively outgunned by the Pyke Syndicate.
That’s when Mando offers to bolster their forces, which requires him to take a trip to Mos Pelgo to visit his old friend Cobb Vanth.
After arriving, Mando learns that Mos Pelgo is now known only as Freetown thanks to Marshal Cobb Vanth keeping them safe from any further intruders trying to enslave them. He also finds out that Cobb Vanth isn’t all that excited about getting his people involved in another fight, especially after they’ve finally found some peace and quiet.
Mando warns him that the Pyke Syndicate is only going to continue expanding across the planet and it won’t be long before his problems become Freetown’s problems. Obviously, Cobb Vanth knows from personal experience that it’s true after he dispatched the Pykes who already attempted to start moving spice through the territory.
Cobb Vanth makes no promises but he tells Mando that he’ll see what he can do.
After Mando exits, Cobb Vanth tells his deputy to gather every able bodied person in Freetown for a meeting so he can explain to them the trouble that’s coming and let them decide if they want to get involved. Before he can meet with anybody, however, Cobb Vanth spots a lone gunman arriving from the distance with a hat pulled down low like he’s walking straight through from a Clint Eastwood western.
When the outsider finally arrives, Cad Bane is revealed and he’s offering Cobb Vanth a warning that he should turn down the Mandalorian’s request and stay out of affairs that don’t concern him. When Cobb Vanth asks if that is friendly advice or a threat, Cad Bane remarks that he probably should have kept the armor that he previously used as Marshal.
That’s when the two begin staring each other down preparing to draw their weapons but Cobb Vanth’s deputy is getting too close to the action, which distracts him as Cad Bane pulls his gun. Before Cobb Vanth can get off his shot, Cad Bane has killed his deputy and he fires a shot directly at the Marshal, who then falls to the ground unconscious.
Cad Bane then tells the people of Freetown that Tatooine now belongs to the syndicate but no one will be harmed as long as they don’t interfere with the spice trade. He turns and leaves as the people of Freetown tend to their fallen Marshal.
It’s not entirely clear if Cobb Vanth was killed or not, although it appeared that he just took a shot in the shoulder rather than the chest. That would give him the chance to rally his troops to help out Boba Fett and Mando in the season finale next week.
The Pykes also strike at the heart of Mos Espa after bombing The Sanctuary, which seemingly spells the end of Garsa Fwip after several appearances this season.
Before the episode ends we return to the planet where Luke is training Grogu as he offers the little guy an opportunity to make a choice about his future.
He tells Grogu that the Mandalorian came to the planet with a present for him but he knows that these continued attachments will only impede upon his learning so he can one day become a Jedi. That’s when Luke shows Grogu a lightsaber that once belonged to his Master Yoda — it’s the weapon of a Jedi and the next stage in his training.
But Luke tells Grogu that he must now make a choice — he can take the armor given to him by the Mandalorian or he can choose to accept the lightsaber and become the first student in his new Jedi academy — but he can only take one or the other. Luke explains to Grogu that it will take him many years to become a Jedi and there’s a chance he’ll never encounter the Mandalorian again because a few years to him is a lifetime for everybody else.
The episode ends with Grogu staring down his choice to continue training to become a Jedi or take the armor and return to the Mandalorian.
Judging by this cliffhanger, Grogu will undoubtedly return in some way in the season finale but it would seem really counterintuitive to “The Mandalorian” season 2 finale if he just leaves Luke’s side already and returns to stay with Mando where he will be in constant danger. Then again perhaps Luke just wants Grogu to choose to become a Jedi and then both of them will lend Mando a hand back on his former home planet of Tatooine.
All will be revealed in “The Book of Boba Fett” season finale next Wednesday on Disney+!
