Tamal Kundu
With ‘The Book of Boba Fett,’ Disney continues to expand the ‘Star Wars’ universe into new and fascinating directions. It’s the first of several web series that Disney is set to release after the massive success of ‘The Mandalorian.’ ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ is also a space western like ‘The Mandalorian,’ but while the latter travels across the galaxy with its protagonist and his charge, it appears that the former will be predominantly, if not exclusively, set on Tatooine.
So, most of the supporting characters that are going to appear in ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ will likely be from Tatooine. This includes Mok Shaiz, the Mayor of Mos Espa and the surrounding plateaus. Here is what you need to know about him. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Who Is Mok Shaiz, the Mayor of Mos Espa, in The Book of Boba Fett?
Mok Shaiz doesn’t make a physical appearance in the pilot episode of ‘The Book of Boba Fett,’ but the way he is being set up, it’s clear that he might serve as the seasonal antagonist or even go on to play a similar role as Moff Gideon does in ‘The Mandalorian.’ Robert Rodriguez, who directed several episodes, including the first one, also has done the voiceover for Mok Shaiz. We hear Mok speaking to Boba in the trailer of the series.
As Boba holds court as the new crime lord or Daimyo of the galactic underworld, several prominent personalities of Mos Espa and former captains of Jabba the Hutt appear before him to pay tributes. 8D8, the masculine Roche Hive 8D-series smelter droid, announces Mok Shaiz will now appear before Boba. However, it turns out that the Mayor’s twi’lek majordomo has come in his employer’s stead. The majordomo tells Boba that the Mayor will not pay him any tribute in a polite but condescending manner.
After the majordomo appears and clarifies his identity, Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) admits that they thought the Mayor himself was coming to pay the tribute. In response, he apologizes and says that he can understand why one might draw such a conclusion from the correspondence before explaining the Mayor’s position. Mok Shaiz doesn’t simply refuse to pay the tribute, he actually wants Boba to pay tributes to him.
Fennec outright wants to kill the messenger, but Boba decides to let him go. The renowned assassin then quips to the majordomo that Lord Fett offers the gift of his leave unmolested. The twi’lek, with matching shrewdness, tells her and Boba that the Mayor might take their refusal to pay the tribute differently, but he will relay their message to him.
What Does Mok Shaiz Want?
Later in the episode, Boba and Fennec are attacked in the streets of Mos Espa, and there is a significant chance that Shaiz orchestrated it. Mos Espa is a criminal’s den where the Hutt clan has ruled with an iron fist. In these transition times, it seems that other forces in the spaceport will vie for its control against Boba. And its mayor will probably be his most dangerous adversary.
Read More: Where Is The Book of Boba Fett Filmed?
