“I know these people. They are brutal. But so is the Dune Sea. They’ve survived for thousands of years in these sands and they know the krayt dragon better than anyone here. They are raiders, it’s true. But they also keep their word.” ―Din Djarin
During last night’s podcast discussing the trailer for the Disney+ series, The Book of Boba Fett, we broke down each of the scenes with thoughts and theories. There was one scene that stood out to me. The scene I am referring to is when we see a group of Tusken Raiders walking towards the camera in the Tatooine desert.
Why was the scene there? What involvement will the Tusken have in the series? Here is my theory of what we might see unfold in the series.
The Tuskens FIND/SAVE Boba Fett
My theory is, what we are seeing in that scene, are the Tuskens finding Boba as they are passing through or investigating the aftermath of the destruction of Jabba’s sail barge in The Return of the Jedi.
We all know that Boba Fett was assumed dead when he fell into the Sarlacc in that comical scene, all with a “Wilhelm scream”. But in 1983 in the Marvel comic issue 81, we see a story that shows Boba surviving (barely), the Sarlacc pit and being discovered by scavenging Jawas.
This, of course, isn’t canon anymore but I believe inspired the “resurrection” of the notorious bounty hunter and I know of the story of Dengar rescuing Boba but the comic story fits my theory better.
The Mandalorian Connection
In episode 9 of The Mandalorian, we are introduced to “The Marshal” Cobb Vanth wearing the battered armor of Boba Fett. We learn that Vanth acquired this armor from Jawas and that he now uses the armor in his duties as Marshal for a small mining town. It was never revealed how the Jawa possessed the armor but we know who it came from. But how?
My theory is that in the series, it will be revealed that as Boba laid in the sand clinging to life that the Jawas, who were investigating a dream salvage with the sail barge found Boba and took his armor believing him dead (or left him to die). A slight change from the Marvel comic.
The Tuskens
Now we come to that specific Tusken scene.
After the Jawa Sandcrawler moved on, a band of Tusken happen upon the chaotic scene of burning metal and death and finding a barely living Boba Fett. Instead of leaving him to die or killing him themselves, they take him with them and treat his injuries. But why? Perhaps they aren’t the mindless killers that many think they are? Maybe there is some connection between the Tuskens and the Mandalorians? In episodes of The Mandalorian, we see Din Djarin interacting and communicating with the Tuskens with their language as well as a form of “sign language”. We even see Mando brokering a peace agreement between the small Tatooine mining town and the Tuskens to defeat the Krayt Dragon. I had thought this was just the personal experience of Mando but, what if it goes deeper? What if the Tuskens saw Mandalorian markings on Boba’s clothing the identified him as an ally?
Perhaps Boba’s recovery with the Tuskens was long and in that time, he learned about their culture and even embraced some of it. This might explain his mastery of the Gaderffii he used to crush the attacking Stormtroopers with in episode 6 of The Mandalorian.
This might also explain the robes that he wears and the comfort at which he travels in the dangerous sands of Tattooine which the Tuskens rule?
Personally, I love how that the Tuskens, aka: “The Sand People”, have had their story and background expanded on more that show that they are an actual community that, although dangerous, has a culture and more societal nuance than just “desert raiders”. That said, they always scared me when I was a kid and I hope they don’t soften that reputation!
Of course, this is all speculation and we won’t know for sure until December 29th when The Book of Boba Fett premieres on Disney+.
What do YOU think? Could Boba Fett have been saved and healed by the Sand People? Did they become allies? Leave a comment.
