REVIEW: ‘The Book Of Boba Fett,’ Episode 6-“From The Desert Comes A Stranger”

The Book of Boba Fett Episode 6 yet again shifts its focus to other characters, as the battle against the Pyke Syndicate takes a turn. “From The Desert Comes A Stranger” once again follows Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) as he attempts to visit Grogu, who is training with Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). Meanwhile on Tatooine, the Pike Syndicate launches an aggressive salvo against Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison), which draws the attention of the Marshall of Mos Pelgo Cobb Vanth (Timothy Olyphant).

While it’s nice to see Djarin attempt to reconnect with Grogu, as well as the return of Luke and Vanth, once again we have an episode that places the character this series is named after to the side. Granted, Fett actually appears in this episode, but he doesn’t have any lines of dialogue or do anything noteworthy. I expected a series called The Book of Boba Fett to well…actually be about Boba Fett. It’s a shame because the previous episodes had done a great job of fleshing out Fett as a character; I would have loved to see more of that.

And while the scenes with Luke training Grogu are wonderful (and pay homage to The Empire Strikes Back) in all truthfulness this feels less like it’s tying into the main story and more like a potential pitch for a Jedi Academy spinoff for Disney+. “The Return of the Mandalorian” actually managed to tie in Djarin’s quest with the ongoing elements of Tatooine; in The Book of Boba Fett Episode 6, it takes a little over halfway into the runtime before the action returns to Tatooine. Director and co-writer Dave Filoni ran into a similar issue back in The Mandalorian‘s first season; you think he would have learned from past mistakes but that obviously isn’t the case.

Where Filoni does excel is with the scenes set on Tatooine, particularly with Vanth. A large part of that is probably due to Olyphant’s performance-the man can play cowboys in his sleep at this point-bur also how Filoni stages the scenes. The standout scenes of the episodes come in the opening when Vanth confronts a group of Pike Syndicate members, and in the final scene where he comes face to face with another fan-favorite Star Wars character. The dust swirls around characters’ boots as their fingers hover over their pistols, with onlookers peering on; it’s a scene ripped from a Sergio Leone western and I love it.

In addition to the reappearance of Vanth, this episode also sees Black Krrsantan and the Mod Squad enter the fray. Their presence, as well as Djarin’s, is a testament to how Fett has managed to build an army of supporters from the ground up. Though there’s only one episode left, I’m fully expecting other characters-possibly Boba’s fellow bounty hunters-to drop in and help fight the Pikes. Star Wars has thrived on those moments, from Han Solo swooping in during A New Hope‘s climax to Luke Skywalker showing up at the end of The Mandalorian‘s second season; a reappearance from other fan-favorite bounty hunters would not only be fun but it could prove to be an uplifting note to end the series on.

The Book of Boba Fett Episode 6 ping pongs across the galaxy, spotlighting characters from The Mandalorian but failing to put the focus on the title character. With only one episode left, hopefully, Fett takes center stage in the next episode and proves to be a formidable force. And should the series be renewed for a second season, I hope to see more of Fett and less of guest stars eating up his screen time and character development.

The Book of Boba Fett‘s finale will be available to stream next Wednesday on Disney+.