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“This is the bond of water. We know the rites. A man’s flesh is his own; the water belongs to the tribe.”
'Boba Fett' finally confirms a mind-blowing Star Wars-Dune connection
The similarities between Star Wars and Dune are endless, but 'The Book of Boba Fett' just revealed arguably the most important one yet.
What is it about deserts that inspire science fiction classics? Dune author Frank Herbert was famously inspired to create Arrakis after witnessing the the “Moving Sands” of Oregon. And George Lucas “borrowed” that inspiration to build the backbone of his Star Wars galaxy.
The similarities between the two sci-fi stories are endless, but The Book of Boba Fett just revealed arguably the most important one yet: disappearing oceans.
Boba Fett and the oceans of Tatooine
For as long as Star Wars has existed, water has been scarce under the twin suns of Tatooine. Luke Skywalker literally grew up on a moisture farm, and throughout various prequels and sequels, the rarity of water on the iconic desert planet never changed.
But as we learned in The Book of Boba Fett Episode 3, that hasn’t always been the case.
“I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere.”
“The sands have belonged to the Tuskens since the oceans dried.” Boba Fett says in a flashback sequence.
In the same episode, a sleazy water merchant played by Stephen Root confirms the same.
“Tatooine was once completely covered with water,” he says. “It's fascinating, actually.”
In other words, Boba Fett has finally confirmed something we’ve long suspected: Tatooine use to have a lot more water. This is something Star Wars has danced around for a while now. In the animated series Star Wars Rebels, we saw what looked like naturally occurring small bodies of water on the planet. And in Visions (the non-canon anime anthology on Disney+), one episode hints Tatooine could be transformed back into a planet with oceans via terraforming.
Boba Fett, Star Wars, and Dune
Dune (2021).
Why does this matter? Well, in Dune it’s made clear that the planet Arrakis (aka, Dune) was once covered in oceans and other bodies of water. The story even reveals that terraforming the planet back to that state would be possible, but would mean losing the ability to harvest the Spice that powers interstellar travel.
This struggle between what’s best for the planet’s native people and what’s best for the intergalactic empire fuels the entire story of Dune. If there was any doubt that the Tusken Raiders and Dune’s Fremen are one and the same, this proves it.
Beyond creating yet another link between Star Wars and Dune, this similarity could reveal where The Book of Boba Fett is going. The question is: will Boba Fett lead the Tuskens to victory like Paul Atreides did with the Fremen in Dune? If that’s not where this show’s big finale is headed, we’ll honestly be surprised.
The Book of Boba Fett is streaming now on Disney+.
