WARNING: The following contains spoilers for the series premiere of The Book of Boba Fett, now streaming on Disney+.
The Book of Boba Fett intends to explore the dark, seedy underbelly of the galaxy, but not all of its conceits are cynical and grim. The Star Wars universe has thrived in part of its measured use of whimsy, and points when even the bleakest storyline is buoyed by a joke or visual gag. C-3P0’s incessant fussing during the otherwise white-knuckle escape from Cloud City in Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back makes a good example, as does Poe Dameron trolling Kylo Ren before his interrogation in Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens. Such moments are doubly important in projects like The Book of Boba Fett, which adopt a gritty tone from the start.
Season 1, Episode 1, “Stranger in a Strange Land,” saves its deepest cut for just such a moment; not a joke so much as a figure about as far from the dog-eat-dog underworld of Boba Fett as one can get and still be a part of Star Wars. R-3X, AKA "Rex," began life as part of a ride at the Disney theme parks. Somehow, he found his way to the mean streets of Mos Espa.
Rex’s real claim to fame is very different than any onscreen appearance. He’s the central character in Star Tours, the immersive theme park ride which debuted at California's Disneyland in 1987 with sister rides opening at Disney World in Florida and Disneyland Tokyo in 1989. Visitors are placed in a large motion simulator representing a commercial passenger ship in the Star Wars universe. Rex is the ship’s pilot, voiced by Paul Reubens, and as he sheepishly admits to the passengers, about to embark of his first outing as pilot.
The results are comically disastrous, as the “ship” careens through comets, fleet battles and a variation of Luke Skywalker’s trench run at the climax of the Battle of Yavin before finally arriving at a safe port. The ride’s humor stems from Rex’s inability to do his job and frantic attempts to course correct, and helped make it a staple of the Disney parks for decades. It’s also very family friendly and upbeat, devoid of the more adult nuances of The Book of Boba Fett.
Rex’s canon appearances before “Stranger” are limited to one: Star Wars: Rebels Season 1, Episode 1, “Droids in Distress.” His droid type made a second appearance in Season 3, Episode 8, “Blood Sisters,” though it’s unclear whether that particular unit was Rex or a different individual. Regardless, those brief moments are matched by an equally brief glimpse in “Stranger.” As Fett and Shand enter the shady establishment the Sanctuary, the camera focuses on a gambling table where Rex sits dealing cards with a new paint job. The episode never returns to him after that as the story moves forward, and normally the cameo could be chalked up to a careful-but-irrelevant bit of world-building.
And yet, it’s strangely easy to see the character in his current job, dealing cards at a sketchy casino and perhaps chattering a bit more than he should. The Sanctuary is likely to become a significant location in The Book of Boba Fett, and as such, he could very easily play a larger role in future episodes. “Stranger” places him with great care, so that his upbeat and slightly silly nature doesn’t clash with the straight-faced crime drama comprising the bulk of the show.
It isn’t the first time latter-day Star Wars projects have actively embraced the saga’s sillier side in the midst of otherwise serious narratives. For example, The Mandalorian mentioned Gungans in the midst of its outer space bank heist in Season 1, Episode 6, “The Prisoner.” By leaning into those components instead of rejecting them, they strengthen the universe as a whole, revealing Star Wars at its grittiest and zaniest simultaneously without weakening either side. Regardless of whether or not Rex re-appears, his appearance is a reminder of just how thematically diverse the franchise has become.
Created by Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau, Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett stars Temuera Morrison and Ming-Na Wen. New episodes are available on Disney+ every Wednesday.