Video source above from Star Wars: Book of Boba Fett and Star Wars - property of Walt Disney.
The Book of Boba Fett was a highly entertaining film for me to watch. I was especially interested and surprised that the director decided to go into depth with Tusken Raider culture, even briefly. I decided to take a deeper look into the cultural dive Dave Filoni gave us, from Fett's ruthless but unique fighting style with his gaderffii (sometimes abbreviated to gaffi) stick to Fett's theme music. Hardly anything in Star Wars is accidental, after all, and it wouldn't be the first time Filoni threw in an easter egg or two in the music.
What I found was intriguing. Given that a significant amount of time had passed between the events of Return of the Jedi and The Mandalorian, Temura Morrison had to take creative liberties with the character, especially since the mask is now off, both in a literal and proverbial sense. As it turns out, Fett's theme music and fighting style are inspired by Maori culture.
I come from a warrior background in New Zealand. I’m a Maori and I’ve been trained. It gives me something to draw on. I was trained as a young boy back in New Zealand in the art of our haka [warrior dance]. “Ha” is the breath, and “ka” is the fire. I’m using my warrior background as a source of energy and as a source of confidence.
- Temura Morrison.
It certainly was a nice touch, given that in The Mandalorian and Book of Boba Fett, we get to see how Fett's mandalorian past has influenced him as a character. There is a fair amount of compare and contrast that can be done between Fett and Din Djarin — and their theme songs reflect that. Their theme songs sound similar, but Fett's is grittier and darker. Nevertheless, the music plays well to the theme of confidence, with soaring notes and energetic shouts throughout. In Maori culture, these exclamations are just as meaningful and powerful, and seem to match up well with Fett's arc thus far.
I die! I die! I live! I live!
I die! I die! I live! I live!
One upward step! Another upward step!
An upward step, another… the sun shines!
Until next time!
Comments