Star Wars is perpetually a mystery in search of answers. We all have questions about it, from what its biggest reveals mean, to narrative thoughts, to questions of character. The Book of Boba Fett is, of course, no exception… and while we’ve already had several questions about its latest chapter, one massive query lingers as the biggest mystery of all.
When “From the Desert Comes a Stranger” wasn’t laser-focused on a series of major Star Wars cameos that left The Book of Boba Fett’s titular protagonist out of the picture, it set up the escalation of Boba’s war against the Pyke Syndicate on Tatooine in an explosive manner. Quite literally, as Sanctuary, the casino/parlor operated by Jennifer Beals’ Garsa Fwip, was visited by two Pyke agents who left a Camtono full of explosives at their table for good measure.
The aftermath of the blast leaves little to the imagination in terms of who made it out of Sanctuary alive, as what we see is a pretty all-encompassing flame. Poor Madame Garsa is clearly no more, as are her Twi’lek agents/helmet collectors. So are, presumably, basically all of the innocent civilians, droids, and other assorted beings that made up Fwip’s employees and clientele. Which means that Sanctuary’s house band also got kablammo’d… except one familiar face.
Max Rebo lives to Jizz another day. Because Max Rebo wasn’t there.
Go back through the final moments of Sanctuary in this week’s episode and pay attention to the establishing shots of the band. Some Bith on kloo horns and what looks like it can only be described as a space bass, a modified astromech just absolutely wailing on its drums, the band’s all there save for the Ortolan and his jett organ. And this is certainly suspicious — every time we’ve visited Sanctuary on The Book of Boba Fett, the camera has invited us to take note of the band, and every time we have, we saw Max Rebo. Of course, why wouldn’t we — Star Wars loves itself a reference, and Max Rebo’s an easy bonus reference a week. He’s just there, a little blue guy playing his little organ having a fun little time! So for him suddenly to not be present, just when not being present saves him from a second brush with a fiery death, feels… notable. We have a few theories:
- Max, who no longer wanted to be tied down as an artist in residence after all the stuff with Jabba, is now much more willing to tour, and while Sanctuary was a regular stop, this was just a night he was elsewhere.
- Likewise, after years witnessing Jabba’s criminal empire first hand, Max Rebo knows when to get out of dodge if a situation looks off, and Mos Espa’s been on the edge of conflict for weeks at this point.
- Max is a Pyke agent, and knew what was up, having fed information to the syndicate about Garsa’s growing relationship with Boba.
- Max is actually Boba’s agent, having decided he doesn’t mind hanging out in Jabba’s palace again regardless of who’s occupying it, and was on his way to tip Boba and his growing gang off about the potential threat.
- Max is a Jedi, maybe like his father before him (TBD TBD), and sensed a disturbance in the Force.
- Max was actually on his mandated bathroom break at the time, and was saved from the blast by being jammed in the Star Wars equivalent of a port-a-potty.
So yeah, forget Luke Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, Cad Bane, Din Djarin, Grogu, Cobb Vanth, Black Krrsantan (god this show really has had a lot of cameos, hasn’t it), or whoever else could show up in next week’s Book of Boba Fett finale. Clearly the biggest mystery this show still has — other than why it’s seemingly so disinterested in its own protagonist — is what the hell is Max Rebo’s deal. That, and whether or not he’ll return for a rousing rendition of “Lapti Nek” to cap off the show.