Why The Daimyo Title In The Book Of Boba Fett Means More Than You Think
"Star Wars" fans rejoice: the first chapter of "The Book of Boba Fett" is here, bringing to life the complete history of how Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) escaped the Sarlacc Pit, and what he's been up to in the years following "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi." In fact, the inaugural chapter picks up right where the "Return of the Jedi" left off. We watch as the bounty hunter burns his way out of the Sarlacc's belly, and claws up onto the sands of Tatooine, gravely wounded, but alive nonetheless.
His escape story is one that fans have been asking to see for decades, and while "The Book of Boba Fett" has certainly delivered thus far in explaining his backstory, the series is also focused on Fett's newest endeavor: taking over Jabba the Hutt's role as crime lord of Tatooine. Back in the present, we discover that Fett has taken Jabba's palace for himself. But there is more to being a crime lord than simply sitting on the throne. As it happens, there's a small detail early on in the episode that gives us a hint about what Fett's actual standing on Tatooine is, and perhaps foreshadows who his real enemy might be.
The significance of Boba Fett being referred to as a daimyo
When the first chapter of "The Book of Boba Fett" returns to the present day, we're greeted with a brief scene of Boba Fett sitting in Jabba's old throne room, collecting tribute from the various alien leaders of Mos Espa. One of these alien visitors is Dokk Strassi (Robert Rodriguez), head of the Trandoshan family on Tatooine, who refers to Boba Fett as the new "daimyo” of the region. Daimyo is a title originating in feudal Japan, which referred to powerful lords who ruled vast tracts of land in the name of their leader, the Shogun (via Core Knowledge).
The daimyo were immensely powerful in their own right, each one commanding their own armies. However, they were always firmly beneath the Shogun himself. Thus, Dokk Strassi's reference to Fett as a daimyo is perhaps a clue that he isn't as powerful as he might think. There appears to be someone set firmly above him on Tatooine, someone who might expect Fett to serve as their vassal rather than a lord in his own right.
From what we've seen of Fett so far, it's clear he does not intend to pay fealty to anyone, not even the mayor of Mos Espa, Whoever the big boss on Tatooine turns out to be, it's possible that Fett may have to battle them eventually, especially if he ever wants to live up to the legacy that Jabba left behind.