Survivor

The episode opens with a landscape shot of the surroundings of the late Jabba’s Palace on Tatooine. Several interior shots include the barbican, Jabba’s throne room, and the empty band stage. Boba Fett is submerged inside a bacta tank in a separate chamber.

He experiences flashbacks of watery Kamino and Tipoca City, followed by a grieving Boba cradling the helmet of his fallen father Jango Fett, at the Petranaki Arena on Geonosis. In another flashback, Fett struggles with the digestive system of the sarlacc. Turning on an inbuilt sensor inside his helmet, he sees the remains of a stormtrooper. Fett retrieves an oxygen unit from the stormtrooper’s armor before punching a hole through the sarlacc’s gut. He then fires a flamethrower. Fett then climbs out of the sarlacc onto the sands of the Great Pit of Carkoon, which is littered with the wreckage of Jabba’s sail barge Khetanna. A weakened Fett climbs out of the pit and lies on the desert floor.

Later that night, Fett is discovered by a party of Jawas, who strip the armor from his body. They also take his jetpack. Fett awakes, but one of the Jaws knocks him unconscious with a blaster. The Jawas return to their sandcrawler.

Prisoner of the Tusken Raiders

The following day, a group of Tusken Raiders stumble upon the unconscious Boba Fett. One of them turns him over with his Gaderffii stick. Seeing the burnt and weakened Solo, they bind his hands with a rope. One of the Tuskens gives him a drink from a gourd. The Tuskens ride back to their clan with Fett bound behind a bantha. Fett is forced to walk through desert heat and sand and eventually collapses from exhaustion. They drag him through the sands to their encampment.

Fett is bound to a wooden post and guarded by Tusken sentries. Several adolescent Tuskens beat him with gaderffii sticks, knocking him unconscious. That night, Fett awakens at his post. Seated nearby is a captive Rodian with red skin. The two watch a nearby fire, where a massiff rests. Fett struggles with his ropes, which draws the attention of the massiff. The massif lunges at Fett, and a fight breaks out. He knocks out the beast and uses its sharp teeth to cut his bonds.

Fett asks the Rodian if he wants him to cut his bonds. A Tusken sentry intervenes, but Fett overpowers him, knocking the gaderffii stick from his hands. The Rodian cries, alerting the rest of the Tusken clan. Fett flees into the desert with the massiff in hot pursuit. The creature catches up with him, and he fights it with his stolen gaderffii stick. The Tuskens catch up with him and watch. The beast returns to its Tusken masters.

A showdown ensues between the Tuskens and Fett. One of the Tuskens approaches him with a gaderffii stick. After sizing each other, the two break into a duel. The Tusken knocks Fett to the ground, but Fett rises to his feet and fights back. The Tusken knocks him down again, but Fett is determined to continue the fight. The Tusken beats him repeatedly. The other Tuskens surround him, with one kicking him to the ground. Fett slips into unconsciousness.

Holding court

In the present, Fett is woken up by Fennec Shand. Fett wakes up and suspends his “healing session.” The bacta tank’s doors open, and he climbs out of the machine. As a droid fetches him a towel, Fett tells Shand that the dreams are returning. Shand reminds him that they expect guests who have come to pay their respects. Droids dress Fett in his Mandalorian armor. Fett dons the helmet himself.

In Jabba’s former throne room, an Aqualish delegate spoke in Aquailish and presented a box of credit chips. The droid 8D8 retrieves the chips. When Fett asks what the Aqualish said, Shand explains that he said something about friendship. Fett says that they need a protocol droid. 8D8 presents Dokk Strassi, the leader of the Trandoshan family and the protector of Mos Espa’s city center and its business territories. Fett recalls that he used to work for Dokk.

Dokk addresses Fett as the new daimyo. Fett says it is a pleasure to be welcomed to Mos Espa by Dokk, who presents 8D8 with a rug. Dokk wishes that Fett may never leave Mos Espa before walking away. Fett confides with Shand that the Trandoshan’s compliment sounds like a threat.

The following guest is Mok Shaiz, the Mayor of Mos Espa and its surrounding plateaus. Mok corrects that he is the Mayor’s majordomo. Shand recalls that the Mayor was coming to pay tribute. Mok apologizes for the “understandable” misunderstanding in the Mayor’s correspondence. Fett extends his greetings and shows his appreciation for the mayor’s tribute. Mok clarifies that this was another “understandable” misunderstanding and says the only tribute he bears is the Mayor’s heartfelt welcome, which he expresses in his stead. When Shand asks if he brings no tribute, Mok reiterates the Mayor’s heartfelt welcome and claims that he has been drawn away by pressing matters.

Shand warns Mok that the Hutt would have fed him to his menagerie if he had shown the same disrespect to the late Jabba. Mok apologizes. Fett tells Mok to tell the Mayor that he is here now. Mok replies that he knows and raises the matter of tribute. Shand explains to Fett that the Mayor wants Fett to pay him. Fett replies that he is the crime lord and that the Mayor of Mos Espa is supposed to pay him. Shand wants to kill him, but Fett disagrees, saying that Mok works for the Mayor.

Shand tells Mok that Lord Fett allows him to leave unmolested. Mok apologizes and says he will convey Fett’s sentiment to the Mayor. Mok warns Fett and Shand that they will receive another delegation. Fett tells Shand to keep an eye on Mok.

8D8 then had an unidentified character bring in two Gamorrean prisoners who had served Jabba and then transferred their allegiance to the late Bib Fortuna. They did not surrender even after their patron was killed. 8D8 says that they were captured alive as a tribute to Fett and that their tortured squeals will send a message to potential challengers to his throne. Fett says he does not torture. 8D8 counsels his master to show strength to win acceptance as a daimyo. Complimenting their loyalty to their previous bosses, Fett offers to spare the lives of the Gamorreans if they were to serve him. The Gamorereans bend the knee and submit to Fett. Shand warns him that this is a “bad idea.”

Trip to Mos Espa

Fett and Shand later travel to Mos Espa with their two new Gamorrean bodyguards. Shand chides Fett for not letting them carry him on a litter. Fett says he doesn’t want to be carried around like a “useless” noble. Shand explains that it is a sign of power and that people in Mos Espa are used to seeing the Hutts paraded around the streets. Shand says things would have gone much smoother if he had accepted their ways.

At a cantina, Max Rebo and a Bith musician perform. Fett and Shand enter the bar with their Gamorrean bodyguards. An astromech droid asks if they are here for drinks. Shand replies that they are here for business with Madam Garsa Fwip. Two Twi’leks ask if they want their helmets cleaned while waiting for Garsa. Shand declines, but Fett allows them to take both their helmets to accept their ways.

Madam Garsa Fwip turns out to be a female Twi’lek with olive skin. She welcomes them to The Sanctuary and asks if they would like any of their sundry offerings. Fett says maybe another time and gets down to business. Garsa asks if he would like his Gamorrean guards to be given refreshments while sequestered. Fett replies that it won’t take long and offers to do it here. Fett introduces his Master Assassin, Fennec Shand, and explains that he has replaced Bib Fortuna.

Garsa apologizes that she did not see his litter, prompting Fett to say he prefers to walk on his own two feet. Fett explains that he is here to introduce himself and reassures her that her business will continue under his watchful eye. Garsa thanks him for traveling to The Sanctuary and says he is always welcome, granting Fett ownership. Two Twi’lek staff bring them boxes of coins. Shand remarks that his coins look shinier than hers.

While departing The Sanctuary, Fett tells Shand that Jabba had many vassals and that they had a lot of ground to cover to keep his empire intact. Shand offers to cover the rounds alone, saying that Jabba left his chambers. Fett replies that Jabba is ruled by fear while he intends to rule by respect. Shand counters that under challenging times, fear is a surer bet.

The ambush

The two are then ambushed by six crimson-clad figures armed with stun batons and energy shields, who surround them. Fett instinctively fires a rocket, whose blast is deflected back by an energy shield, knocking both helmets loose—the credits in Fett’s helmet fly everywhere to be picked up by bystanders. A fight ensues, with Fett and Shand barely holding their own before the Gammoreans come to their aid, breaking the circle created by the ambushers and providing the respite Fett and Shand needed to regain their balance and the upper hand.

Together, they dispatch three of the attackers, leading the other three to attempt to escape. Fett fires a rocket at one, disintegrating and partially blowing up a rooftop. The other two, who had climbed to the rooftops ahead of their disintegrated compatriot, are chased by Shand, who retrieves her helmet on the way to the wall. As she reaches the rooftop, Fett tells her to capture them alive before telling the Gammorreans to return him to the bacta pod.

Shand chases the two survivors across the rooftops, all performing feats of acrobatics and athleticism. She finally reaches them but is forced to dive off a rooftop to escape a counterattack, allowing the two to continue their escape. As they round a corner, they meet with Shand, who has gained the lead. She disarms the two before knocking one off the rooftop to his death and capturing the other.

Trials of the past

Following the assassination attempt, Fett is put into the bacta tank by one of the Gammoreans, where he experiences another flashback into his past following the rescue of Han Solo. Following his unsuccessful escape attempt, Fett is woken up by a young Tusken and led away by his bound hands, with his feet chained to the captive Rodian, who follows. Together with a domesticated massif, they trek across the desert and make a slight detour after seeing smoke.

They peer over a dune to see a homestead, with several beings beating a man, painting a symbol on the walls of their homestead before getting on speeder bikes and riding off.

Moving on, the trio stops, where the Tusken gestures for the two captives to dig, searching for a gourd filled with liquid, a water source. The Rodian finds one before Fett, who takes a drink. Fett soon finds one for himself. Before he can drink, the Tusken child takes the gourd from Fett, pouring it out for the massiff to drink, with some spilling onto the dry sands of Tatooine.

Continuing to dig for the gourds, Fett tells the Rodian that they could have both escaped had he kept his snout closed. Fett says that if he can get to Anchorhead, he can get them off-world. Fett grumbles about strangling the Rodian and feeding him to the watchdog. The Rodian returns an insult in Rodian, which Fett can understand.

While continuing their dig, the Rodian discovers a large scaly mass under the sands. Excavating the mass, it stirs to live to reveal a large three-clawed hand, grabbing the Rodian’s arm. More arms come out of the sand before the beast reveals itself as a six-legged reptile capable of standing on its hind legs. Grabbing the captives, the creature starts attacking with a massif counterattack before being thrown away by the creature, which then kills the Rodian. Fett is held up and the Tusken stabs the creature’s foot, resulting in the creature throwing Fett and hitting the Tusken, causing him to hurtle onto the sands.

The creature turns from Fett and goes after the Tusken adolescent. However, Fett runs up the creature’s back, wraps the chains around its neck, and asphyxiates it. Fett’s actions earn him the respect of the adolescent Tusken. The Tusken, Fett, and the massif return to the Tusken camp with the creature’s head as a trophy. Their return sparks a celebration among the Tusken clan, with the adolescent Tusken regaling his people with stories of the battle with the reptilian creature. The camp leader wordlessly hands Fett a gourd out of gratitude, which he drinks.