The Book of Boba Fett's latest episode, "From the Desert Comes a Stranger," included a bunch of surprise cameos and a live-action debut fans of The Clone Wars have spent years waiting for.
With Dave Filoni at the helm, we probably should have expected surprises on a level that can only be categorised as "mind-blowing." In this feature, we're breaking down those cameos, explaining their roles in the episode and what they could be setting the stage for as we head into the finale.
The Book of Boba Fett may be at its best when it's basically The Mandalorian season 2.5, but the stage has been set for both a massive finale and future stories we can't wait to delve into!
As you might expect, you'll find nothing but major spoilers from this point on...
6. Cobb Vanth
The episode kicks off with Cobb Vanth's return as he confronts members of the Pyke Syndicates who are transporting Spice through Mos Pelgo/Freetown. He sends them on their way, dumping the expensive Spice they've mined back into the sand dunes of Tatooine.
Din Djarin later visits his old friend and attempts to convince him to join Boba Fett's war against the Pykes arguing that Freetown will never be safe while they're around. Vanth is initially reluctant but agrees to speak to the townspeople in an effort to see if they're willing to join the fight and protect Tatooine.
Din heads back to Boba, but a shadowy figure approaches Freetown and things immediately get pretty bad for the one-time owner of Fett's armour...
5. Cad Bane
Cad Bane has finally made his live-action debut, and we soon learn The Clone Wars villain is working for the Pykes. He warns Vanth to back off and allow the Syndicate to do what they want on Tatooine, but the heroic Marshall won't stand for that...and neither will his new deputy.
Aiming his weapon at Bane, that deputy is gunned down and killed while Vanth, who simply wasn't quick enough to outdraw the fearsome bounty hunter, is also shot.
Thankfully, he appears to have survived. Bane, meanwhile, makes his exit and it appears the stage is set for him to clash with both Boba Fett and Din Djarin in next week's finale. Something tells us his live-action tenure could be short-lived!
4. R2-D2
As promised, Din heads to the planet where Luke Skywalker has taken Grogu and immediately finds himself face to face helmet to droid with R2-D2.
There's obviously some familiarity there as the two first crossed paths in The Mandalorian's season 2 finale. R2 leads the bounty hunter to a clearing where the first of many temples on the planet (where Luke will eventually start his own Jedi Academy) is being built by a series of droids. They construct a bench for Din and R2 powers off, leaving him there to wait.
This is definitely the same planet we saw in The Last Jedi's flashbacks, but Luke has only one student at this point. However, there's another Jedi who greets 'ol Mando.
3. Ahsoka Tano
We certainly didn't anticipate seeing more of Rosario Dawson's Ahsoka Tano this soon, but she returns here for a lengthy conversation with Din Djarin. He explains that he's there with a gift for Grogu, but she believes him seeing the "foundling" again might not be what's best for The Child.
Ultimately, she convinces the bounty hunter to leave without this reunion taking place, but the gift he had the Armorer make remains behind.
Later in the episode, Ahsoka shares the screen with a character fans have only dreamed she might one day meet: Luke Skywalker! She compares him to his father and takes her leave, hinting that they might one day cross paths again (she clearly has her own mission to get back to involving Ezra Bridger and Grand Admiral Thrawn).
2. Luke Skywalker
The visual effects used to bring Luke Skywalker back in The Mandalorian's season 2 finale were extraordinary, but not quite perfect. Well, they've been improved upon for The Book of Boba Fett, and the Jedi Knight gets to see plenty of action in this episode.
Training Grogu in the ways of the Force, he teaches the youngling how to jump and protect himself. He also uses his powers to tap into The Child's mind, revisiting his past and clearing up some huge fan theories (we'll get to those in our next slide).
As noted, Grogu is Luke's only student at this point in the timeline, but it seems clear he intends for Din Djarin's former steward to be the first of many. Arguably a highlight of the episode comes as Luke straps the Yoda lookalike to his back for a run through the forest, instantly evoking memories of the Jedi's training with his former master on Degobah.
1. Grogu
Is "Baby Yoda" a clone of Yoda? It certainly doesn't seem that way. In this episode, we get to see a flashback to his time in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant as the Clone Troopers closed in during Order 66. However, how he escaped isn't revealed, and all we really know about the character is that he's the same race as Yoda (whether they're related in any way is similarly unclear).
Grogu's training appears to be a success, though, and he soon starts to get a good grasp of the Force.
However, sitting in the now completed hut, Luke presents him with a choice. He can accept the lightsaber that once belonged to Master Yoda and train to become a Jedi, likely never seeing the Mandalorian again. The alternative is he takes Din's gift - a mesh armor made from Beskar - and returns to Mando, giving up being a Jedi.
And that, unfortunately, is where we leave things...