Boba Fett meets the Mayor of Mos Espa and recalls his time with the Tusken Raiders.

Star Wars has always been knowingly derivative. George Lucas is up front in acknowledging his references, from old serials to Japanese westerns, so it would be folly to say that The Book of Boba Fett is borrowing heavily from other genres.

The Mandalorian drew on westerns, and this spin-off series earns its spurs by transposing the plight of the Tusken Raiders/  Sand People to that of Native Americans. Boba goes all A Man Called Horse as he’s integrated within the indigenous tribe, earning their trust and benefitting from their knowledge of the landscape. On the flip side, the Tuskens are no longer just cool-looking baddies on dressed-up elephants, they actually have some nuance. And while this loses their mystique (a similar fate has befallen Fett), we gain a more balanced view of the tribe.

Steph Green (Watchmen) directs a script by show creator Jon Favreau, the core of which is a fantastic raid on an armoured train, an accomplished and exciting set piece. Rather than stretch out Fett’s transformation from slave to Tusken warrior over too many episodes, this is completed by the end of this longer chapter, but it does mean that we spend little time in the show’s present day timeframe. Now that Fett’s transformation is complete, maybe we’ll spend more time in establishing the story in Mos Espa, though we do at least meet some of the main players this week.

Verdict: An exciting train raid and the emergence of a hero define a show that’s yet unwilling to dive fully into the problems at hand – but surely that’s just a matter of time. 8/10

Nick Joy