Warning: The following contains spoilers from Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett “Chapter 4: The Gathering Storm,” streaming now on Disney+.
The first few episodes in The Book of Boba Fett have been building on themselves in a few ways. Obviously, the series is leading up to a massive confrontation with the Pyke Crime Syndicate, but there’s a lot more nuance going on than Boba simply fighting for Jabba’s former empire. So far, the series has changed some original trilogy characterization by shining a new light on the Tusken people and rancors. For better or worse, however, it’s become clear that the series’ end game involves the complete rehabilitation and reinvention of Boba Fett himself.
After being climbing out of the Sarlacc Pit in the first episode, fans could see that Boba Fett was broken. Physically, he had been inside the belly of the beast and been exposed to the harsh suns of Tatooine. However, on an emotional level, Boba was much different. Clearly, his inglorious tumble into the Sarlacc left him with a new outlook on life, and in “The Gathering Storm,” the former bounty hunter returned to the scene of his fall.
After the Kintan Striders massacred his Tusken tribe, Boba wandered around by himself with only a Bantha for company. He wanted to retrieve his Firespray Gunship from Jabba’s Palace, but there were too many guards to fight off alone. So, when he found Fennec Shand, he saw an opportunity. He saved her life, and the two of them repossessed his ship and killed a hefty number of Bib Fortuna’s guards in the process.
One Boba had his ship back, his next order of business was finding his armor. His time in the Sarlacc must have left him pretty fuzzy because Boba didn’t remember the Jawas taking his Mandalorian armor, believing that the suit must have been inside of the beast. And with that being the case, he and Fennec go to the Pit of Carkoon. Thinking it harmless at this point Boba, hovered over the crater and shined his lights into the Sarlacc’s maw, which didn't end well. The creature lashed out and grabbed the gunship, appearing much stronger than it did in Return of the Jedi.
Boba unleased the ship’s guns, but nothing made a difference until Fennec pushed a button and let a seismic charge drop into the monster, effectively killing it. As Boba Fett’s most powerful weapon, it’s no wonder that the seismic charge would kill the Sarlacc. Of course, Boba used a seismic charge to escape Imperial pursuit in The Mandalorian and Jango Fett deployed several of them against Obi-Wan in Attack of the Clones.
Killing the Sarlacc was an important step in Boba’s character development because, shortly after his victory, it was clear that he had changed. He still wanted his armor back, but for the first time, he admitted that he had no intent of return to his bounty hunting life. Fennec thought that he was going soft, and maybe he was. However, he made it clear that he was tired of being on his own, as his time with the Tuskens made him realize that no one can get far without a tribe. The Sarlacc may have just been doing its job, but Boba needed to teach it a lesson to complete his transformation.
To see more of Boba’s reinvention, watch The Book of Boba Fett, streaming now on Disney+.