The Book Of Boba Fett Review: 8 Ups & 1 Down For Chapter 1: 'Stranger In A Strange Land'

5. The Smart Use Of Tusken Raiders

The Mandalorian Season 2 Boba Fett
Lucasfilm / Disney+

As is so often the case in Star Wars lore - and as shown in The Mandalorian - where there are Jawas, Tusken Raiders are never far away.

Having been stripped of his armour and weapons, the battered and broken Boba Fett's day goes from bad to worse in Chapter 1's flashbacks, with Tusken Raiders arriving on the scene to take Fett as their prisoner.

So often a Star Wars species that is merely there to erratically honk and shriek at others, The Book of Boba Fett actually shows a slightly different side to the Tusken Raiders than has been seen before. Sure, there is very much erratic honking and very much plenty of shrieking, but Boba manages to fully break the ice with these creatures by the time this first episode wraps up.

After saving a Tusken youngling from a sand creature in the closing moments of Stranger in a Strange Land, Fett returns to the Sand People's camp to a hero's welcome. Well, if by hero's welcome that means being offered some water and not being beaten - which, compared to how Boba had previously been treated by the Tuskens, is certainly an upgrade.

Also, this all looks like nicely dovetailing into why Boba was dressed as he was and wielding a gaderffii staff when he turned up in The Mandalorian's second season.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer and Presenter, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund and Eli Roth to Kevin Smith and the Russo Brothers, to Kevin Conroy and Frank Miller, to Bret Hart and Sting, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, and Brian Flynn, to many, many more. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.