The Spider In The Book Of Boba Fett Trailer Explained (It's Weirder Than You Think)
Lucasfilm dropped the teaser for "The Book of Boba Fett" – a spin-off series that builds on the legendary bounty hunter's perhaps not-so-surprising appearance in "The Mandalorian" — and we here at /Film couldn't wait to dig into every hint, implication, and certain aspects that might take some getting used to. But because this is the "Star Wars" universe, even this relatively brief trailer contained a wealth of nerdy details and fan-pleasing gestures toward very niche lore. One of those happens to be placed right at the forefront of the trailer, which opens up on Tatooine outside Jabba the Hutt's old stomping grounds with a shot of a creepy-looking spider droid moseying along the desert landscape.
As pointed out in our extensive trailer breakdown, that's a BT-16 perimeter droid (though it also goes by "VT-16") and — again, in vintage "Star Wars" fashion — its distinct appearance is far from the most interesting part about it. If this droid caught your eye and you simply have to know more about it, you've come to the right place. Looks can be deceiving and, in this case, such an unassuming droid might have more implications on the upcoming series than you might think.
A Familiar "Face"
It may be tempting to consider this "The Book of Boba Fett" trailer to be the live action debut of the multi-legged droid, but that wouldn't really be true. Who could forget our introduction to the lair of the notorious gangster Jabba the Hutt early on in "Return of the Jedi," the great pay-off to all the hints and off-screen (well, mostly off-screen) references of Han's debt-collecting crime boss. One of the most beloved and convoluted plans in all of sci-fi begins with the duo of R2-D2 and C-3PO offering themselves up at Hutt's palace as bait ... but right before the imposing door closes and seals our droid heroes inside, C-3PO gets an up-close and (way too) personal look at a very familiar-looking spider droid hiding inside. Yes, this one blink-and-miss-it moment was all that was needed for fans to demand an expansive and in-depth backstory for what essentially amounts to set dressing, a grand tradition that began in earnest with all the creative extras on display throughout the famous Cantina sequence in the original "Star Wars."
If you want to go back even further, it's commonly assumed that the first mention of these droids occurs during casual conversation between two Stormtroopers on the Death Star while Obi-Wan Kenobi is sneaking around trying to shut off the station's tractor beam in the original "Star Wars." While oblivious to the Jedi invader's sabotage, one soldier makes small talk with the other and asks, "You seen that new V-16?" Call me skeptical, however. It's entirely possible that they're referring to one of these spider droids instead of literally anything else in the galaxy that they could be talking about ... but that doesn't quite make a lot of sense, given their very specific origins.
Oh yeah, you didn't think this random droid would lack its own intricate and frankly bizarre backstory, did you? Let's get right into it.
The B'omarr Monks
Ever wonder who built Jabba's desert palace in the first place? This question likely never even occurred to most people, but as we all know, "Star Wars" fans are a different breed entirely. Though sources stem from the now-defunct "Star Wars Legends" material (formerly known as the "Expanded Universe," pre-Disney acquisition) and their official backstory could be altered in any way that the creative team behind "The Book of Boba Fett" sees fit, the little we currently know about the original builders of the palace indicates that they were a mysterious order of highly religious monks who settled on Tatooine. Using the building as a monastery over 700 years before the events of the original trilogy, the B'omarr monks quietly receded into the shadows as the planet (and, inevitably, their precious monastery) became more and more populated over the centuries. By the time Jabba and his ilk moved in, the monks have adjusted to a quiet coexistence with the bandits and gangsters.
What does that have to do with those perimeter droids, you ask? Well, let's go back to that "highly religious" aspect of these monks. According to the exhaustive Wookiepedia entry, these creatures are described to follow a religion centered on "...isolating themselves from all feeling and emotion, so they could focus and enhance the power of their minds." Apparently, they took this belief system to such an extreme that they would eventually reach a point where a physical body was no longer needed. Since nothing in "Star Wars" is done halfway, the monks would undergo a surgical procedure to remove their deeply enlightened brains from their bodies and transfer them to nutrient jars. Sometimes, however, they would need to move around and that's where those spider droids come in. Yep, you can probably guess that the red globe-shaped object underneath the droid in the trailer isn't just for show. No, that's the actual brain of a monk that the arachnid "body" carries around on patrol, dutifully lingering around the perimeter of their monastery.
Their presence in the "The Book of Boba Fett" footage tells us they've remained on Tatooine long after Jabba's death in "Return of the Jedi" and through Boba Fett's takeover. If "The Mandalorian" was any indication, we shouldn't be surprised if these droids receive more of a focus at some point in the new series.