The Book of Boba Fett has finally landed on Disney+, a year after seeing the titular bounty hunter (Temuera Morrison), along with his associate Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen), claim the throne of Jabba the Hutt in The Mandalorian Season 2's surprise secret ending. But what happened in the first episode of The Book of Boba Fett? Join us as we return to the unforgiving deserts of Tatooine, and find out whether Boba Fett's resurrection has been worth the wait...
The Book of Boba Fett's Chapter 1 is titled "Stranger in a Strange Land", and the first glimpse of everyone's favorite Star Wars bounty hunter sees him asleep in a bacta tank, where, presumably, his skin is being treated from all those acid burns that also adorn his iconic armor.
Before things get hot, we see the thrashing waves of Kamino, home to the cloning facilities. We cut to a scene from Attack of the Clones, where Boba picks up the helmet of his father Jango Fett (Temuera Morrison), who moments before was decapitated by Mace Windu (Samuel L Jackson).
To no surprise, we then get to see how Boba Fett survived the sarlacc pit that he fell into in Return of the Jedi. It's a pretty grotesque scene, as we see poor Boba being crushed by the walls of the sarclacc's intestines, where he slowly begins his 1,000-year-long digestion in its stomach acid.
Using a nearby stormtrooper who's in even worse shape, Boba Fett acquires some oxygen and uses his flamethrower to burn his way out of the leviathan beast, clawing his way up to the hot sands of the surface, where he waits for death from the equally-harsh binary Tatooine suns.
Left for dead, he is stripped of his armor by Jawas, and eventually taken by Tuskan Raiders, dragged along the burning hot sands of the Tatooine deserts by Bantha. Boba Fett has now become a prisoner of the Tuskan Raiders, who, as we know, make for an awful welcoming committee.
Despite an escape attempt, Boba remains their prisoner. We then return to the 'present day' (well, five years after Return of the Jedi, at least), where Boba and Fennec have indeed claimed the throne at Jabba the Hutt's palace. But Boba intends to rule with respect, and not fear like his predecessor.
This comes as a bit of a surprise, as Boba, who is an otherwise formidable warrior, has decided he doesn't want to use violence to rule over the criminal underworld of Tatooine, and because of his grueling experience with the Tuskan Raiders, doesn't believe in the method of torture, either.
From the offset, this creates an interesting character morality, and an equally-interesting dynamic with Fennec Shand, who warns Boba that he will be taken advantage of. Boba and Fennec head to the spaceport city of Mos Espa, where they're attacked by ninja-like assassins.
Of course, Boba and Fennec gain the upper hand, and we then see Boba in his bacta tank again, where we return to his days as a Tuskan Raider prisoner. Out in the deserts, Boba and his captor (a Tuskan Raider youngling) are attacked by a giant, sand-dwelling beast.
Boba saves the young Tuskan Raider from the beast, and earns some respect from the elders back in the village. It's possible that this is what lays the foundation for Boba using respect as the driving force behind his rule over the criminal underworld of Tatooine.
But earlier in the episode, Boba tells Fennec that his dreams have started again, referring of course to what we see as flashbacks. Clearly, Boba is tormented by his memories of almost being digested inside the sarlacc, and of his time thereafter on the cruel surface of Tatooine.
It's possible that Boba blames Han Solo (Harrison Ford) for his misfortune, who sent him into the sarlacc pit in Return of the Jedi. But whether or not Han will make an appearance in the show remains to be seen, though there are rumors of Ford striking some sort of deal with Lucasfilm.
Other characters who could appear are Omega from Star Wars: The Bad Batch, the sister of Boba, or Clone Force 99 - Tech, Wrecker, Crosshair, Echo, and Hunter. However, as we're just one season in to the animated show, it's impossible to tell who will survive and who won't.
But one thing's clear - Boba Fett should probably expect to face some huge dangers now that he's taken on Jabba the Hutt's empire. And if he isn't willing to be as unforgiving or as cruel, then the inhabitants of Tatooine's underworld will most definitely try to exploit this.
As for who the show's main villain will be, we'll have to wait and see, but the first episode suggests that Boba will have many dealings with Twi-leks. If things do get troublesome for the famed bounty hunter, let's hope Mando (Pedro Pascal) shows up to lend a helping flamethrower!
Related: Will Omega Appear in The Book of Boba Fett?
Robert Rodriguez directs The Book of Boba Fett pilot, and also helmed The Mandalorian Season 2 episode "The Tragedy." Rodriguez has directed a number of other episodes in The Book of Boba Fett, so it's fair to say we should expect plenty more action!