Countdown to The Mandalorian Season 3: Revisiting The Book of Boba Fett Chapter 7 In the Name of Honor

As we start to gear up for the release of The Mandalorian season 3 on March 1, 2023, we’re taking a look back at each episode of the show and its spinoffs so far through the lens of concept art. This will be a weekly series of reviews until the premiere of season 3. You may find our previous entries in this series here.



While we will be revisiting all of the artwork displayed in the episode’s credits, bear in mind that this is not a fully conceptualized review of the episode. We still have those from each episode, and we’ll link to them at the end.



Chapter 7, In the Name of Honor, caps off season 1 of The Book of Boba Fett with a fantastic flourish. It is jam-packed with high-intensity action, heartfelt reunion, and the decisive finish to an old rivalry. Regardless of where you stand on the show as a whole, it is hard not to be entertained by this episode, where each moment is more eyebrow-raising than the next -- it is the antithesis to Andor’s slow burn. Rodriguez and Favreau artfully managed to include each significant plot beat so that, by the end of the episode, you feel as if you’ve watched an entire movie, all wrapped up in a neat 61 minute package.







The first piece of concept art features Grogu peeking his head out of Luke’s X-Wing after having been safely escorted to Mos Espa by R2. This moment was a bit of a surprise for me. As excited as I was to see Din and Grogu’s reunion, it felt like it was happening too soon. After all the trials they went through to unite Grogu with a Jedi who could train him, why give up on this narrative path so quickly? I'm not the only one who may have had this question. In a recent interview, Jon Favreau explained the thought process behind reuniting Din and Grogu in this show, but many fans may not agree with him.



Peli Motto’s frantic calls to her team of droids to hide various contraband lying around her hangar provides some comedic relief after the shots of scorched destruction that used to be Garsa’s Sanctuary and Drash and Skad’s impassioned pleas to protect the people of Mos Espa against the impending attack by the Pyke Syndicate. The stage is set.







This concept art never appears in the show, and oddly, is the only concept art in the collection that includes Fennec Shand. It looks like they may be performing some recon on the Pykes outside of Mos Espa. I am a little disappointed we didn’t get any concept art depicting Shand swiftly and efficiently handling the Pyke leadership and Mok Shaiz that occurs at the end of the episode.







Here, the show went in a slightly different direction too. Instead of the above picture, the Mods are ambushed off their scooters near the Worker’s District and the Aqualish Quarter. Assuming the Mod above is supposed to be Drash, her scooter ended up blue and with a slightly less chaotic mirror arrangement fixed to the front. I admit the Mods and their scooters initially pulled me out of the story, and like most of the fandom (it seems), I found them campy to the point of clunkiness. Nowadays, they’ve grown on me. If nothing else, they insert a lively pop of color into a very brown world. And, lately, we've been spending a lot of time on Tatooine.







After Boba’s brief opening standoff with Cad Bane, events quickly start to unravel as it is revealed that the crime families of Mos Espa have aligned with the Pykes in an attempt to betray Boba and maintain a profitable flow of spice. We witness a coordinated attack on all the main components of Boba’s team, not least of which is Krrsantan, conveniently stationed in the Trandoshan district. The concept art matches the scene almost exactly, depicting Krrsantan being taken down by several Trandoshans.



The age-old antagonism that exists between Wookiees and Trandoshans, combined with Krrsantan’s previous attack on the Trandoshans in Garsa’s Sanctuary, makes his assignment in this district a virtual powder keg even without the threat of a Pyke attack. Shortly afterwards, he arrives at the ruins of the sanctuary, limping and bloody, but not beaten.







This piece of concept art also never appears in the show. There are many shots of Boba Fett shooting a gun, but never in this rural setting and this late in the evening. I wonder if perhaps they initially were going to follow Boba Fett’s first plan of taking a defensive position outside Jabba’s Palace.







The people of Freetown arrive just in time to provide some much-needed support to Boba Fett and his team. Mistakenly thinking that the Pyke’s forces are falling back, our heroes begin to cheer, only to witness the terrifying Scorpenek annihilator droids around the corner, which immediately begin raining fire down upon them. These droids are effectively large versions of droidekas and are even more stubbornly difficult to destroy. The concept art depicts the menacing scale of the Scorpeneks well, and with the fleeing fighters in the background, it demonstrates just how much of a challenge these droids will be to beat.







In an effort to draw the Scorpeneks away from the fighters, Din unwittingly runs straight into Peli and Grogu. A brief, touching encounter, and then straight back to the action. I love how the concept art captures the speed in this scene, complete with pit droids holding on for dear life.







The suspense in the next scene is palpable as Din tries and fails to best the Scorpenek; its hulking form looming over him, red eye blazing, only for Grogu to, once again, save Din by using the Force to call one of the droid’s joints to him. Grogu is thrown back like a football and incapacitates the droid long enough for Din to scoot away.



One of my favorite scenes in the episode, and perhaps the fiercest Boba Fett moment so far, comes next. Boba launches onto the screen atop the rancor, quickly taking hold of the Scorpenek. He gives the rancor a simple command of “do it,” and the beast dispatches the Scorpenek droid quickly, tearing it apart into fiery oblivion.







Boba Fett then turns his focus to the other Scorpenek droid, and we are gifted with a beautiful homage to Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla. In the show, there’s no one on the street while this is happening, but I find it particularly interesting that the concept art above seems to include R2 in the background as one of the many fleeing characters.







Next up, we have Boba Fett and Cad Bane’s final standoff. Cad Bane appears to defeat Boba with his quick draw, only for Boba to sweep his feet out from under him with his gaffi stick before stabbing him in the chest. A rhythmic gesture that is both fun to watch and emphasizes how much Boba has changed as a result of his time with his Tusken tribe. Culturally, he is now both Mandalorian and Tusken, two very clan-focused cultures that represent a stark departure from his cutthroat and lonely upbringing among bounty hunters. When Boba kills Bane, he is killing the past.







Not featured in the concept art is the last shot of Cad Bane lying in the dust, a device on his chest feebly blinking. A fittingly austere and solitary ending for the infamous bounty hunter. I enjoy that the concept art here features a look of fear on Bane’s face, an emotion we hadn't seen from him, except in his final moments.







The rancor besting the droids and the Pykes is a recurring theme in Star Wars, where the antagonists always seem to underestimate the power of the local residents, fauna and flora. Rest assured, the Ewoks may not bring the same cinematic panache as the rancor, but they are just as deadly. Examples such as these are scattered throughout canon.







Here the concept art depicts the rancor atop one of the taller, domed buildings in Mos Espa in a not-so-subtle nod to King Kong. This scene happens exactly as pictured in the show, and is yet another striking example of just how massive and intimidating a rancor can be when it’s free to roam and in the mood to kill.







Loose from its leader, Din attempts to control the raging rancor only to wind up with his head in its mouth. When the rancor realizes he’s unable to bite down on Din’s beskar helmet, Din takes the opportunity to use his flamethrower against the rancor, and is then promptly and unceremoniously flung into the street. Grogu waddles into the fray and uses the Force to gently put the rancor to sleep. The juxtaposition of their size and outward appearance in this concept art is a perfect example of the Star Wars universe -- they are each powerful in their own way.







This piece of concept art also doesn’t appear in the show. Given the calm body language of the Mos Espa residents pictured, I assume this was a possibility for the end of the show instead of what we actually got, which was Boba and Fennec calmly walking through the streets, accepting reverent greetings and even a meiloorun melon.



Not depicted in concept art is a final reveal of Cobb Vanth in Boba's bacta tank, with the Modifier, played by Thundercat, standing over him and preparing to get to work. Presumably, Cobb Vanth will take over a role that is a bit more democratic. Wherever his story goes, we haven’t seen the last of Vanth.



It’s easy to forget that squeezed in among all the rancor roars and blaster fire is Din and Grogu’s not-so-long-awaited reunion. I’m looking forward to learning more about Din’s plans for his clan of two and witnessing many more heartwarming moments between them.



You can find our original review of The Book of Boba Fett Chapter 7 right here.



Our final installment of “Countdown to The Mandalorian Season 3” will be posted next week with a revisit of 'The Mandalorian's Disney Gallery.



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