I don't think I am being too hyperbolic by saying this episode blew me away, it was full of surprises while also being very entertaining. In my review of chapter five I mentioned that I expected us to spend the episode with Boba, and that maybe we don't see Mando again until season three of The Mandalorian. Instead, we were treated to a continuation of chapter five with Mando going to see Grogu to give him the beskar armor the Armorer made for him. It is no less shocking that we saw Grogu, R2D2 and Luke, but then Ahsoka Tano arrives. I like that like the Marvel films and series, Star Wars is treating its shows as very interconnected; The Book of Boba Fett feels like it is season three of The Mandalorian. It feels like everything is on the table for these shows (possibly a Han and Leia appearance); any character could make an appearance. The end of the episode delivered the biggest surprise with the first live-action appearance of legendary bad-guy bounty hunter Cad Bane. Cad Bane was created for the Clone Wars animated series where he appeared throughout the seasons as a villain, he had such a unique style (outer space cowboy). Not only was Cad Bane so menacing in his short appearance, but he was exactly what I felt the show needed a villain. Having the Pykes was not working for me because we never got to see a leader, a singular Pyke to know and hate. We can now hate Cad Bane, not only for shooting Cobb Vanth, but also for what he likely does next.
The last two episodes have also delivered some truly incredible additions to Stars War lore, in this episode we saw Luke and Ahsoka together. The fact that those two met blows my mind, not only would I hope to see their first meeting, but to also see them talk about Anakin. Seeing Grogu advancing in his abilities, while also appearing to be so far away from being a force to be reckoned with. Grogu is now faced with a choice, continue training with Luke or go back with Mando. Luke's warning that Grogu may never see Mando again guarantees that Grogu will pick the armor and Mando. Luke's line about a short time for Grogu is a lifetime for others really struck home the fact that for Grogu time is so different. Even though this episode was not an action-packed romp, it was such an interesting choice for episode to spend so much time focusing in on Luke and Grogu. It is funny in retrospect that what Luke is doing with Grogu is so similar to his training with Yoda. Grogu like Luke is a distracted student, where Luke had a galaxy to save, Grogu could pursue adventures with Mando and then come back to the Jedi at a future point. In the few short years since the fall of the empire Luke has become so much wiser, and there is also a quiet thoughtfulness to him. Luke has become more like Kenobi and Yoda then I would have expected considering he was so close to the dark side. It felt to me that this version of Luke believes he can bring back the Jedi; that he can teach young Jedis. Knowing what will happen to his character (disappear from the galaxy) after his failed attempt to start a Jedi academy; I am excited if we will see his transition from teacher to hermit.
RECAP OF CHAPTER 6
Chapter six opens with us revisiting Cobb Vanth as he comes face to face with a few Pykes, they attempt to draw on him, and Vanth shoots three dead. Vanth tells the only Pyke left to leave, but they cannot run spice through land, he keeps the spice (which the Pyke says is worth more than Vanth's town) and pours it out into the desert sand. We next see Mando arriving on a planet, we then are treated to seeing R2D2 who takes Mando to a hut that is under construction by a team of spider droids. R2D2 has the droids construct a bench for Mando to wait on, and he then promptly goes into sleep mode. Next, we see Luke meditating with Grogu, Grogu though is using the force to move a frog towards his open mouth until Luke stops him. Luke then demonstrates that mastering the force can allow you to pick up and move all of the frogs. Luke and Grogu go for a walk where Luke tells Grogu about Yoda, he explains that Yoda would say "size matters not". Luke asks Grogu if people back home talked like Yoda, when Grogu is silent Luke asks if he remembers home, and if not does he want to. Luke helps Grogu remember, and we see a memory of Grogu watching as three Jedi attempt to fend off a legion of clone troopers ending with the three Jedi dead. Luke brings Grogu back, and he tells Grogu that the galaxy is a dangerous place and that he will teach Grogu how to defend himself.
Mando wakes up from a nap on the bench with Ahsoka Tano standing in front of him, she tells Mando that she is a friend of the family. Ahsoka wants to know why Mando is there, she says R2D2 brought her there to talk to Mando. Mando asks what this place is, and Ahsoka says it will be a school. Mando explains that he wants to make sure Grogu is okay and give him something. Ahsoka warns that his attachment is dangerous, she tells him that Grogu is safe with Luke. Mando from a distance can see Grogu with Luke, Ahsoka asks if Mando is here for Grogu or himself; Ahsoka says she will give the armor to Grogu. Ahsoka says that if Grogu sees him it will make his training more difficult since she knows he misses Mando. Mando agrees and gives the armor to Ahsoka; he then leaves the planet, and we see Grogu watch him fly away. Luke then tries teaching Grogu to use the force as a means to jump, Luke then puts Grogu on his back while he runs through the forest. When Grogu still struggles, Luke brings out the training droid (from Episode IV). Grogu has to jump around to avoid the blasts, eventually Grogu gets tired of jumping, and he uses the force to destroy the droid. Ahsoka says that Grogu is learning, but Luke says it is more like he is remembering. Luke wonders if the bond between Mando and Grogu is too strong for Grogu to let go of, Ahsoka says that Luke should trust his instincts as she leaves saying they will meet again.
Mando returns to Tatooine; flying to Jabba's old palace where he joins in on a briefing Boba is holding regarding the war with the Pykes. Fennec says they need fighters, and Mando replies that he might be able to help with getting soldiers. Mando flies to Mos Pelgo to try and recruit Cobb Vanth and his town into the fight. Vanth, says the town is now called Freetown, and that the residents of the town will not fight anymore. Mando says that whether they like it or not the Pykes will not leave the town out of this dispute. Mando leaves saying he hopes Vanth and the town reconsider. Vanth calls for a town meeting where it is believed he will tell them they need to fight; it seems that nobody knows Vanth killed a few Pykes and threw away a lot of spice too. Vanth sees a stranger walking towards the town from a distance away, Vanth tells everyone to get off the streets. The stranger it is revealed is Cad Bane, he tells Vanth to stay out of the fight, he says Boba used to work for the empire. Vanth's deputy was slowly moving towards Cad Bane, and when the deputy attempts to draw Bane shoots both Vanth and him. The deputy is dead, but Vanth's status is suggested to be alive but badly hurt; Bane leaves saying the town will be left alone as long as the spice runs freely through the town. Back in Mos Espa a couple of Pykes enter the cantina belonging to Garsa Fwip. The Pykes are carrying a case, they get up leaving the case behind blowing up the cantina. Luke is sitting with Grogu, and he presents Grogu with a choice. Luke shows Grogu the armor Mando brought him, he also shows Grogu Yoda's old lightsaber, he tells Grogu whatever item he chooses determines his path. Luke says that if Grogu chooses the lightsaber and the path of the Jedi he might not see Mando again. Luke says that a short time for Grogu might be a lifetime for others, if Grogu chooses the armor he will go back with Mando. The episode ends with Grogu staring at his two choices.
LAST THOUGHTS ON FROM THE DESERT COMES A STRANGER
There is so much to talk about, and maybe the most pressing thing is that Boba Fett was once again noticeably absent for most of the episode. I have no issue with that choice now since I am digging what they are doing in the last two episodes, but I do wonder if there were other names for the show being passed around. This series seems more like The Mandalorian season three than a Boba Fett show, I have no problem with that either. Besides the nitpick that is Boba Fett being absent, I think this episode rocked because it has me so excited for the future of Star Wars. This episode did not focus at all Mandalore, but on Grogu and the future of the Jedi. The future of the Jedi has been something that has never really come up, since the end of Episode IX we have seen nor heard anything about the future. The opposing creeds of the Jedi and the Mandalorians was being explored in this episode with Mando trying to tighten his bond with Grogu while Luke is asking Grogu to let it go. I have always felt that Jedi's belief when it comes to attachment had merit, but it was also a point of weakness. You cannot convince me that Yoda did not have attachments to his fellow Jedi or the younglings. We know from Clone Wars that Kenobi had an attachment to Satine, this differing of beliefs on attachment should be explored in more detail. At some point the future of Star Wars will be filled in, but until they are ready to start telling that story I am more than happy to stay in the past. There is still so much history of Star Wars that has not been filled in yet, there is so much fertile ground for stories to tackle. For example, how did Luke get Yoda's lightsaber. The last time we saw the lightsaber was when Yoda lost it fighting Palpatine in the senate. I assume the Palpatine took it as a trophy of his victory, and Luke found after the empire fell. Seeing Luke being an adventurer post-empire would be so interesting (like his brief appearance in the Battlefront 2 video game). I would love to see a show around Luke's adventures, it would be like Indiana Skywalker.
I think with some of the future Star Wars series we will start to see the holes be filled in, I could see a huge part of this being done with the Ahsoka series. Ahsoka's appearance in season two of The Mandalorian teased that she is looking for Grand Admiral Thrawn. Ahsoka's search implies he has been seen since the series finale of Star Wars Rebels where Ezra used purrgils to take himself and Thrawns forces to unknown territory. The final moments of Rebels had Sabine Wren (another character I'm expecting to maker her live action debut) and Ahsoka going on a search for Ezra after the empire had fallen. It makes sense for me to see Sabine join Ahsoka for the series, they would be searching for Ezra and Thrawn. In the Ahsoka series I hope we see flashbacks to what Ahsoka has been up to, specifically meeting Luke. It would be such a fascinating meeting to watch, especially when they both realize they are connected by Anakin. It would be great for Luke to hear about his father from Ahsoka, and for Ahsoka to hear about Anakin's redemption before he died. I know the Ahsoka series is not coming out this year, but I hope 2023 is when it will make its debut. I am trying to think where might Ahsoka pop up next, I wonder if during the events of the Kenobi series that she might run into him at some point.
Having Cad Bane appear was a great choice because not only was he a great villain, but he also has ties to Boba Fett. During the Clone Wars Cad Bane was an antagonist working against the Jedis, he had a knack for surviving. More importantly Cad Bane was mentored by Jango Fett (Boba's father), when Boba was trying to find his way in the world Cad Bane was one of his many mentors. In an unaired episode of the Clone Wars Boba and Cad Bane duel with both hitting the other, but where Boba's helmet saved him, it might appear that Cad took some damage. That Clone Wars episode was never finished because the show was canceled, it will be curious to see if that unaired episode will be considered canon. Cad Bane's appearance also gives the Pykes a boost, they were just faceless villains, and now we have a face to root against. The opening scene of the episode featuring Cobb Vanth shooting the Pykes, shows that Vanth is a skilled fighter, but Cad Bane is on a whole other level. Not only does he shoot Vanth, but he also kills the deputy too. Cad Bane will make this more personal for Boba, and I think that was a smart choice bringing in Bane as the muscle for the Pykes.
This was the best episode of the series so far, it is a shame that Boba was not more prominently featured, but that is my only issue with the episode. If I remind myself that this is a Star Wars show rather than just a Boba Fett show I can understand that storytelling takes precedence over everything. I know the show has Boba Fett in the title, but they are trying to tell a story, if they had more episodes (or longer episodes) I think there is way to keep Boba front and centre. Unfortunately, there is only seven episodes, and choices needed to be made to tell the story they wanted in those episodes. I am more convinced now that this war will carry over into another season, there is still too much happening for it to all be wrapped in one episode. We saw the Pykes have started the war, they blew up the cantina, and they sent Cad Bane to intimidate Cobb Vanth. I hope they give time to the story in the next episode; I want to be able to see Boba react to the news that Cad Bane is on Tatooine. The fact that this episode also featured Luke, Ahsoka, Grogu and R2D2 was an added bonus. Seeing Luke be a mentor to Grogu was endearing as he has now taken on the role that Yoda had. Now that the empire has fallen, I think Luke feels that if Grogu is not ready to be trained, than it is better he moves on. Some people think Luke is being cold, but he learned from Yoda that to be a Jedi you need to put all of your focus into the training. Grogu is conflicted, he still has the trauma from his time in the Jedi temple, but he also misses Mando who is a father figure to him. We still not very little about Grogu's past, Luke unlocked a memory that looked very traumatic. This episode is a 10/10, it delivers a story that is incredibly nostalgic, but also gives the finale a level excitement that will make it must watch television.
Thank you for reading my review, let me know what you thought about seeing Luke, Ahsoka and Cad Bane.
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