Is Max Rebo Okay?!
After the events that take place in the latest episode of "The Book of Boba Fett," there are two burning questions on everyone's minds:
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Is Max Rebo good? Has anyone checked on him?
The episode, entitled "From the Desert Comes a Stranger," features a devastating explosion at Garsa's Sanctuary, and it's interesting to note that a point was made to show all sorts of cantina patrons and staff present moments before the bomb went off — including two other musicians who played there — and Max Rebo wasn't among them.
This obviously leaves the fate of the blue space pachyderm musician unknown. Is he alive? Is he hurt? Was he even there at all? We have a few theories concerning his status.
Surviving Two Explosions?
As I stated in my assessment of the series premiere, I am the most casual of "Star Wars" viewers. I have not seen all the movies. I cannot name all the characters, but I am invested enough in this series, and have absorbed enough second-hand knowledge of "Star Wars" to kinda know a little bit. There are also fandom wikis dedicated to providing all sorts of information about all sorts of pop culture juggernauts, and "Star Wars" is no exception.
Using the knowledge so generously provided by dedicated fans, I learned that if Max Rebo is alive, this would not be the first time the elephant alien guy survived an explosion. He also managed to escape the destruction of the Khetanna, Jabba the Hutt's sail barge, with his life back in "Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi." Seems kind of unlikely that he'd be present for two devastating explosions in one lifetime, let alone that he'd survive both of them — that is, if he survived at all. And if he was even there to begin with.
Space Drugs or Sinister Secrets?
I asked my boyfriend for his thoughts on the matter, and he suggested that perhaps Max Rebo wasn't at the lively little cantina at all. Maybe he's busy elsewhere, doing space drugs or something. Musicians and entertainers are known to be particularly susceptible to the use of illicit and questionable substances, so maybe he was out on a bender, getting his fix and living it up on cloud nine while his bandmates were blown to smithereens. That'd be pretty sad, but maybe the death of his bandmates would be the thing he needed to turn his life around and show up to work on a day when the cool space bar doesn't happen blow up.
Another theory is that perhaps he knew of the explosion, and was either in on it or had at least been tipped off. Let's not forget that despite his delightful children's show protagonist appearance, he did once work as an entertainer for Jabba, a sentient booger-slug who was notorious for being a cruel crime lord, pervert, and slaver. It's understandable that well-paying, consistent gigs can be hard to come by for freelancers, but where were Max Rebo's ethics? What do we really know about Max Rebo's moral code beyond the fact that he will play his red ball jett organ for just about anyone? It's perfectly possible that he's been secretly working with the Pyke Syndicate all along, and so he knew of the bomb beforehand. Or perhaps his apparent absence is indicative of his own masterplan to become the next crime lord. He strikes me as the ambitious type.
Or maybe he was out sick that day. Or maybe he was there and now he's just dead. Hopefully we'll get some answers next Wednesday, when a new episode of "The Book of Boba Fett" drops on Disney+.