The Star Wars Universe Is Cool Until You Have To Fly Commercial
Life in a galaxy far, far away sounds pretty great, but that's without considering the more mundane aspects of existing in the "Star Wars" universe. If you have your own starfighter or are a member of a fleet, you're fine, but what about the rest of the regular rubes who are forced to fly commercial? In "The Book of Boba Fett" chapter 5, fans were given a very relatable glimpse at what day-to-day life in the "Star Wars" universe might be like. It turns out that even if you're one of the coolest bounty hunters in the galaxy, you still have to deal with the intergalactic TSA.
Minor spoilers for episode 5 of "The Book of Boba Fett" from here on out.
Relatability in a Fantasy World
In the fifth episode of "The Book of Boba Fett," we follow the Mandalorian Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) as he tries to find his way back to the infant Grogu. The Mando's Razor Crest ship is long gone, and he doesn't exactly have a good way to get around the galaxy, which means he's forced to board a commercial flight. His time in the spaceport is full of the awkwardness of our own reality, including an uncomfortable elevator ride with a stranger, a security droid that refuses to let Djarin on board before taking off all of his weapons, and a whole load of people staring at him while he disarms. Anyone who's ever had to step aside in the TSA line to be patted down or have their bag inspected knows the strange combination of embarrassment and annoyance that comes with having a crowd of strangers stare at you in a vulnerable moment. Even Djarin seems a little unsettled, and he tells the droid that he knows exactly what he's handed over and expects to get it back. Just imagine if your luggage was lost, but it was full of irreplaceable Mandalorian weapons and artifacts and not just your socks and undies. Oof.
Where's the In-Flight Movie?
Once Djarin boards his flight, it looks pretty similar to our own commercial flights. There's a lot more headspace and legroom, but given that they're traveling through outer space and not just the stratosphere of a planet, that's a darn good thing. They also don't have to worry about aerodynamics the same way as jet planes, which gives them a lot more space to work with. The seats are still pretty close together, however, and Djarin is lucky that he has a kid in front of him instead of behind him. There's an adorable young Rodian in the seat in front of him, peeking over backwards before his mother tells him to get down and stop staring. It's incredibly human and ridiculously cute, and since Mando is missing his own little green guy, it's all the sweeter. Besides, he could have had a young Wookiee sitting behind him, kicking the seat and roaring, which might be the most terrifying thing in the "Star Wars" universe.
Djarin's flight is a quick one, so we don't get a chance to see what kind of in-flight snacks are offered, or if they had an in-flight holographic movie available for viewing. Can they serve space peanuts, or do they have to worry about alien allergies? Can Djarin get some of those little bottles of booze to take with him to Tatooine? He might need it.
Pulled Over by Space Cops
Things don't get much better for Djarin even after he gets his own ride. He takes his new ship out on a test run, and is almost immediately pulled over by New Republic officers in X-wing fighters. They inform him that he was going way too fast near the commercial liner just leaving the planet, and they also don't love the fact that his registration doesn't match the ship's parts. When one of the officers questions Djarin about some of his previous exploits on Tatooine, our hero speeds off, leaving the X-wings in his metaphorical dust. The younger officer asks if they're going to report the incident, and is summarily asked if he really wants to go back to headquarters to fill out paperwork all day. Even in a galaxy far, far away, cops want nothing to do with bureaucracy. At least it works out for Djarin, and he's able to get back to Mos Eisley without incident.
These tiny moments don't seem like much, but they help make the characters within this wacky universe feel more relatable. One thing that has made the "Star Wars" shows unique is the more grounded take, focusing on individual character stories instead of a giant overarching mythology. I love it ... as long as we never have to see the interstellar DMV. That's just a little too real for me.
New episodes of "The Book of Boba Fett" debut Wednesdays on Disney+.