“Help me recover my Firespray gunship.”
Slave 1: 'Boba Fett' may have just quietly fixed the show's biggest problem
The renaming of Slave One is a huge deal in the fandom. But could a new name fix the show's biggest problem?
Ships are an integral part of Star Wars. It’s hard to think about Han Solo without thinking of the Millennium Falcon, or Mando without the Razor Crest. Boba Fett has his own iconic ship, the firespray gunship previously known as Slave One.
Fett is now calling it the Firespray, but that’s just the model of ship, no more specific than a “X-wing fighter.” So what is Slave One’s new name? We don’t know. But there’s an opportunity to show Boba’s growth when it’s rechristened.
So far, the biggest missed opportunity in The Book of Boba Fett is in its treatment of the Tusken Raiders. After they capture Boba in the premiere, the show glossed over the years he spent among them, only to massacre them all in Episode 3. Is Boba’s Tusken past over and done with? He held such deep respect for them, and they made a definite impact on him.
Boba’s famous ship may be getting a new name.
Maybe, after being taken in by the Tuskens, Boba decided to rename the ship to honor the people who spared his life. Perhaps we’ll see Boba dub his ship “The Bantha” or “Tusken Sun.” The options are endless.
By renaming his ship to remember his lost companions, Boba Fett could show his respect for the Tusken people while also assuaging the fears of Star Wars fans who think the erasure of the “Slave” name is an example of real-world issues leaking into Star Wars.
Will the Tuskens appear in The Book of Boba Fett again, or is a reference all we can hope for?
After all, Tuskens aren’t a monolith. Even after his tribe was obliterated, Boba could have encountered another group and proven his mettle there. But with his years with the Tuskens behind him, it doesn’t look like Boba is going to return to that chapter of his life. Could a tribute to them be enough to conclude their storyline?
With the series half over, time is running out to take advantage of this opportunity. But maybe the Tuskens will at least get another nod, if not another appearance.
The Book of Boba Fett is now streaming on Disney+.
