WARNING: The following contains spoilers from Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett "Chapter 2: The Tribes of Tatooine,” streaming now on Disney+.
In Star Wars, the Jedi trials have been crucial in the knights' journey to becoming masters. They've been part of so many movies, animated series, novels, video games and comics, testing Force wielders if they're meant for the Light or the Dark Side. The latest episode of The Book of Boba Fett took influence from this to give the bounty hunter his own epic Jedi moment as he continued his rebirth.
The trials are multi-faceted; the Trial of Skill and Trial of Courage are very important, with the likes of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka Tano passing just based on their talent in the field. The Trial of the Flesh is tied to sacrifice, with Anakin and Luke Skywalker losing their limbs seen as dedication to the Order, with the Trial of the Spirit and Trial of Insight connected more to the mental state of the individual.
The latter two have been linked to Anakin, who discovered his dark reflection on Mortis; Luke, as seen when he fought the specter of Darth Vader in the Dagobah swamp; Rey when she saw darkness inside and a lack of identity in the Ahch-To mirror cave; and lastly, with Ben Solo as he felt the pull of corruption his entire life due to Snoke and Palpatine. They grappled with fear, hatred, anger and sadness, with abandonment being something they had to wrestle aside in order to chart a course forward.
Fett got his own moment too, shattering destiny and bucking his own sinful past on the sandy terrain of Tatooine. It's shocking as he's no Jedi, just a gunman, but it spoke a lot to him redeeming himself and aiming to be a hero of sorts. It occurred after he helped bring down the Pyke Syndicate's train, showing them mercy. He brokered a deal for the Tuskens, and after becoming one of the tribe, a lizard jumped into his nose in a scary ritual.
It was meant to "guide" him, taking Fett to a tree in the ocean that started wrapping its branches around him as if it were sentient. There, the past, present and future collided as Fett, flanked by red eyes, saw waves crashing down on Kamino, his life as a child soldier, Jango's death by Mace Windu, and how he got hooked on revenge and murder.
As he screamed, the dark imagery of him crawling out the Sarlaac, and lightning and shadow reflecting his helmet alluded to Boba Fett needing to exorcise his own darkness -- or let the man give into the monster within. He'd already passed the physical trial but this was the cerebral one that'd determine his ultimate fate, bearing strong resemblances to the Jedi and designed to test the hero within. It's clear a well of anger lingered, but Fett fought its design, embracing the payoff of the Light and spurred on by hope and optimism with his new family.
It culminated in him wanting to prevent greater atrocities in the future, insistent on discarding the helmet in favor of love. Impressively, as they all confronted their demons -- while Ben and Ani didn't win -- Fett resonates a lot as he has that sense of triumph which Luke and Rey exuded. It continued The Book of Boba Fett's cycle of questioning oneself over generations, deepening the understanding of the myth and binding characters together in unexpected ways -- whether they're Force sensitive or not.
And so, when Fett got back to the tribe and his new home, he was healed, hinting at why years later he doesn't want to wear the helmet all the time as the Mos Espas daimyo. It's a terrifying, poignant reflection, which is interesting, as for years fans' minds divined its true meaning and who was under the helmet. But like the Jedi, Boba Fett has scrubbed the lack of belonging and accepted an emotional reliance on family, which has provided greater, endearing purpose.
To see the bounty hunter get an epic Jedi moment, The Book of Boba Fett is now available on Disney+ with new episodes out every Wednesday.