Here's All The Concept Art From The Book Of Boba Fett Episode 2

This article contains spoilers for the latest episode of "The Book of Boba Fett."

Another week, another episode of "The Book of Boba Fett," and another round of gorgeous concept art for us to ogle to our heart's content. This is the way. The second episode of the new Disney+ series, titled "Tribes of Tatooine," kicked the story into another gear after last week's somewhat subdued premiere. We're still in the early going, but we seem to be getting a better sense of the structure that each week will adhere to. The first third or so of the episode follows the current-day events, with Boba Fett establishing his new reign as crime boss after usurping Bib Fortuna, who in turn took over from Jabba the Hutt. The majority of the episode afterward deals with Boba's bacta tank dreams/flashbacks to his immediate journey after escaping from the Sarlacc pit, when he's taken in by a settlement of Tusken Raiders and slowly gains their respect. As with the season premiere, this is reflected in much of the concept art that takes viewers through the credits sequence at the end of the episode. 

"Star Wars" has always defined itself in large part by its space-Western trappings, a core aspect of the franchise's identity that "The Mandalorian" and now "The Book of Boba Fett" have embraced even more tightly. As fans of the genre know, Westerns come loaded with a whole set of time-honored tropes and traditions that "Star Wars" has deftly integrated into its adventures in a galaxy far, far away. This time, episode 2 of "The Book of Boba Fett" puts its own spin on the classic tale of robbing — in this case, stopping — a deadly train that periodically attacks the Tuskens along its route. To do this, Boba gets to work teaching the clan how to even the playing field a bit with the use of technology. This first piece of concept art evokes the training montage early in the episode, with the Tuskens learning to leap from one speeder bike to another.

Lucasfilm

All that jumping practice comes in handy during the actual raid on the train (or "long speeder," according to the Tuskens), as seen here. The train itself is a stunning piece of design work, feeling perfectly of a piece with the planet's overall aesthetic and cleverly incorporating certain elements (like that jet engine mounted on top, which appears as if it were pulled from an old pod racer) directly into the actual action. The set piece is far and away the highlight of either episode so far, finally delivering on the action that fans have been craving.

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As befitting the main action of the episode, this image feels downright evocative of something straight out of "Mad Max." Nothing could ever hope to match the stunt work and CGI-fueled mayhem of that franchise (especially the chase sequences in "Fury Road"), but episode 2 does a solid job of bringing at least some aspects of that tone and energy to "Star Wars." After watching Boba and the Tuskens cooperating with one another on the way to achieving the same goal, it feels rewarding when the Tuskens make it onto the speeding vehicle and handle themselves well.

Lucasfilm

Lucasfilm

How's that for a before/after comparison? Amazing what one tribe, a bounty hunter, and a couple of speeder bikes can do to a crime syndicate's shady spice-running business. Boba and the Tuskens make short work of the train, further earning their admiration and gratitude.

Back in the present-day storyline, Boba's quest to maintain his power in the rough-and-tumble town of Mos Espa is further complicated by the assassination attempt by a mercenary and the arrival of the dreaded Twins — Jabba the Hutt's surviving cousins who have come to stake their claim on his old stomping grounds. The creepy brother and sister pair, carried on a typical litter by some poor humanoid servants, are flanked by a rogue, formidable-looking Wookiee enforcer in their employ, a "gladiator" who may very well point to deeper connections in "Star Wars" lore. Rather than coming to blows, however, the Twins deftly put off any bloodshed for now, seemingly content to make their presence known but inevitably due to return later on.

Lucasfilm

Earlier, Boba wrings the truth out of the would-be assassin with a funny bait-and-switch with a Rancor, or rather the lack of one. The prisoner attributes his hiring to the Mayor, though Jon Favreau's script maintains some ambiguity there, and Boba drags him over to the Mayor for a long-overdue confrontation. Their tense meeting only leads to the prompt death of the assassin and the Mayor's tip to check out the Twi'lek Garza's (Jennifer Beals) Sanctuary, where Boba then runs into the Twins. The series is clearly building to some sort of boiling point between Boba, the Mayor, and now the Hutt Twins, with any number of adversaries who could potentially be introduced in the weeks ahead. As it turns out, acting as a crime lord to fill in a power vacuum on the backwater planet of Tatooine isn't all that easy — who knew?!

After Boba deals with the train and finds himself sent on a spiritual quest of sorts by the Tusken Raider leader, I immediately thought of the television series "Lost" and the near-mystical "walkabout" that John Locke (Terry O'Quinn) embarks on during flashbacks to his life before the plane crash. In fact, the journey Boba goes on here feels similar to "Lawrence of Arabia" and the spice-addled adventures of Paul Atreides in "Dune," though with the "Star Wars" twist of ingesting a lizard, guiding him to a sacred tree where he contends with a series of memories from his past.

Lucasfilm

No "Star Wars" installment would feel complete without the main hero facing the demons of his past in an abstract dream of sorts, now would it? Boba Fett's encounter with the mysterious tree is fully rendered in this striking concept art, though with the much more explicit inclusion of the Jawas (we only see multiple pairs of red eyes in the actual episode). I was convinced that the tree itself was part of his dream — for his part, Boba naturally assumed the same about the lizard! — but he walks back from the depths of the desert with a branch in hand, having successfully navigated his nightmares of the Sarlacc pit,  a young Boba watching his father Jango fly away on rainy Kamino, and more evocative imagery.

Lucasfilm

Boba's initiation into the tribe culminates with the forging of the branch into his very own Tusken Raider-styled weapon, the distinctive staff that he spent the early moments of the episode training with (mostly unsuccessfully). One gets the sense that Boba is walking through the same rite of passage that young Tuskens must go through at much earlier points in their lives, which we're constantly reminded of by the child who stays close by Boba's side throughout these flashbacks. The laws of storytelling probably dictate that this young Tusken will return in some capacity during the present-day storyline, further connecting the two disparate segments, but that's just a guess on my part.

Lucasfilm

Finally, Boba Fett earns some new threads after spending his immediate days post-Sarlacc pit in his underclothes. This last bit of concept art captures the bount hunter's ultimate acceptance into the tribe, capped by his nifty black robes and the ritualistic dance that concludes the episode.

"The Book of Boba Fett" airs every Wednesday on Disney+.