"Chapter 1: Stranger in a Strange Land" marks the beginning of the The Book of Boba Fett television program. It was made available on December 29, 2021.
The episode commences with a broad view of the territory surrounding Jabba's former Palace located on Tatooine. The camera pans across several interior locations, including the barbican, the throne room where Jabba once sat, and the stage where the band used to play. In a different room, Boba Fett is immersed in a bacta tank.
He is flooded with memories of the watery world of Kamino and Tipoca City, then a sorrowful Boba is seen cradling the helmet of his deceased father Jango Fett at the Petranaki Arena on Geonosis. Another memory shows Fett struggling within the belly of the sarlacc. Activating a sensor within his helmet, he observes the remains of a stormtrooper. Fett takes an oxygen supply from the stormtrooper's armor and then creates an opening in the sarlacc's stomach. Subsequently, he uses a flamethrower. Fett then emerges from the sarlacc, finding himself on the sands of the Great Pit of Carkoon, which is covered in the debris of Jabba's sail barge Khetanna. In a weakened state, Fett crawls out of the pit and collapses onto the desert floor.
Later, as night falls, Fett is discovered by a group of Jawas, who remove his armor. They also take his jetpack. Fett regains consciousness, but a Jawa strikes him with a blaster, rendering him unconscious once more. The Jawas then return to their sandcrawler.
The next day, a group of Tusken Raiders come across the unconscious Boba Fett. One of them uses his gaderffii stick to turn him over. Seeing Fett burnt and weakened, they tie his hands together with rope. One of the Tuskens offers him a drink from a container. The Tuskens then ride back to their settlement, with Fett tied behind a bantha. Fett is forced to walk through the scorching desert, eventually collapsing from fatigue. They proceed to drag him through the sand to their camp.
Fett is secured to a wooden pole and guarded by Tusken sentries. Several young Tuskens strike him with gaderffii sticks, causing him to lose consciousness again. Later that night, Fett awakens at his post. Nearby sits a captive Rodian with red skin. They both observe a nearby fire, where a massiff is resting. Fett struggles against his restraints, drawing the attention of the massiff. The massiff attacks Fett, and a fight ensues. He subdues the beast and uses its sharp teeth to sever his bonds.
Fett asks the Rodian if he desires him to cut his bonds. A Tusken sentry intervenes, but Fett overpowers him, disarming him of his gaderffii stick. The Rodian screams, alerting the rest of the Tusken tribe. Fett flees into the desert, with the massiff chasing after him. The creature catches up to him, and he fights it with the stolen gaderffii stick. The Tuskens arrive and observe the fight. The beast returns to its Tusken masters.
A confrontation between the Tuskens and Fett follows. One of the Tuskens approaches him with a gaderffii stick. After assessing each other, they engage in a duel. The Tusken knocks Fett to the ground, but Fett gets back up and continues to fight. The Tusken knocks him down a second time, but Fett remains determined to fight. The Tusken beats him repeatedly. The other Tuskens surround him, with one kicking him to the ground. Fett falls unconscious.
In the present day, Fennec Shand wakes Fett up. Fett ends his "healing session." The bacta pod opens, and he exits the machine. As a droid brings him a towel, Fett tells Shand that the visions are returning. Shand reminds him that they are expecting visitors who have come to pay their respects. Droids dress Fett in his Mandalorian armor. Fett puts on the helmet himself.
In the throne room that once belonged to Jabba, an Aqualish delegate speaks in the Aqualish language and presents a box of credit chips. The droid 8D8 collects the chips. When Fett inquires about what the Aqualish said, Shand explains that he expressed friendship. Fett remarks that they need a protocol droid. 8D8 introduces Dokk Strassi, the head of the Strassi family and the protectors of the city center and business districts of Mos Espa. Fett remembers that he used to work for Dokk.
Dokk refers to Fett as the new Daimyo. Fett responds that he is pleased to be welcomed to Mos Espa by Dokk, who presents 8D8 with a Wookiee pelt. Dokk expresses his hope that Fett will never leave Mos Espa before departing. Fett tells Shand that the Trandoshan's compliment sounded like a threat.
The next visitor is introduced as Mok Shaiz, the mayor of Mos Espa and the surrounding areas. The guest clarifies that he is Shaiz's majordomo. Shand mentions that Shaiz was supposed to come to pay tribute. The majordomo apologizes for the "understandable" misunderstanding in Shaiz's communications. Fett extends his greetings and expresses his appreciation for Shaiz's tribute. The majordomo clarifies that this was another "understandable" misunderstanding and states that the only tribute he brings is Shaiz's heartfelt welcome, which he conveys on his behalf. When Shand asks if he brings no tribute, the majordomo repeats Shaiz's heartfelt welcome and explains that he was called away by urgent matters.
Shand warns the majordomo that if he had shown such disrespect to Jabba, the Hutt would have fed him to his creatures. The majordomo apologizes. Fett instructs the majordomo to inform Shaiz that he is now present. The majordomo acknowledges this and raises the issue of tribute. Shand explains to Fett that the Mayor expects Fett to pay him. Fett responds that he is the crime lord and that the Mayor of Mos Espa should be paying him. Shand suggests killing him, but Fett disagrees, pointing out that the majordomo is just an employee of the Mayor.
Shand informs the majordomo that Lord Fett will allow him to leave unharmed. The majordomo apologizes and promises to convey Fett's message to Shaiz. The majordomo warns Fett and Shand that they will receive another delegation in the future. Fett instructs Shand to keep a close watch on Mok.
8D8 then directs UK2-B to bring in two Gamorrean prisoners, who had previously served Jabba and then switched their allegiance to the late Bib Fortuna. They did not surrender even after their leader was killed. 8D8 explains that they were captured alive as a tribute to Fett and that their cries of torture would serve as a warning to anyone considering challenging his authority. Fett states that he does not engage in torture. 8D8 advises his master to project strength in order to gain acceptance as a Daimyo. Praising their loyalty to their former leaders, Fett offers to spare the Gamorreans' lives if they agree to serve him. The Gamorreans kneel and submit to Fett. Shand warns him that this is a "bad idea."
Fett and Shand later travel to Mos Espa with their two new Gamorrean bodyguards. Shand criticizes Fett for refusing to be carried on a litter. Fett explains that he does not want to be carried around like a "useless" noble. Shand explains that it is a symbol of power and that the people of Mos Espa are accustomed to seeing the Hutts being paraded through the streets. Shand suggests that things would have been easier if he had adopted their customs.
At a cantina, Max Rebo and a Bith musician are performing. Fett and Shand enter the bar with their Gamorrean bodyguards. An astromech droid asks if they are there for drinks. Shand replies that they are there to conduct business with Madam Garsa Fwip. Two Twi'leks offer to clean their helmets while they wait for Garsa. Shand declines, but Fett agrees to let them take both helmets as a gesture of goodwill.
Madam Garsa Fwip is revealed to be a female Twi'lek with olive skin. She welcomes them to the Sanctuary and inquires if they would like any of their various offerings. Fett declines for now and gets straight to business. Garsa offers to have refreshments served to his Gamorrean guards while they are in private. Fett declines, stating that it will not take long and suggests conducting the meeting there. Fett introduces his Master Assassin Fennec Shand and announces that he has taken Bib Fortuna's place.
Garsa apologizes for not seeing his litter, prompting Fett to say that he prefers to walk on his own two feet. Fett explains that he is there to introduce himself and assures her that her business will continue to thrive under his protection. Garsa thanks him for visiting The Sanctuary and assures him that he is always welcome, essentially granting Fett ownership. The Twi'lek attendants return their helmets, with Shand commenting that Fett's helmet appears "shinier" than hers, as it is filled with credits.
As they leave The Sanctuary, Fett tells Shand that Jabba had many vassals and that they have a lot of territory to cover to maintain his empire. Shand suggests that she could handle the rounds on her own, noting that Jabba rarely left his chambers. Fett replies that Jabba ruled through fear, while he intends to rule through respect. Shand counters that fear is a more reliable strategy in difficult times.
The pair is then ambushed by six figures in crimson attire, wielding plasma pikes and projected energy shields, who surround them. Fett instinctively fires a rocket, but the energy shield deflects the blast, causing both helmets to fall off—the credits from Fett's helmet scatter, and bystanders begin collecting them. A fight breaks out, with Fett and Shand struggling to hold their own until the Gamorreans come to their aid, breaking the encirclement and giving Fett and Shand the opportunity to regain their footing and gain the advantage.
Together, they defeat three of the attackers, causing the remaining three to attempt to flee. Fett fires a wrist rocket at one, disintegrating him and partially destroying a rooftop. Shand pursues the other two, who had already climbed onto the rooftops, retrieving her helmet along the way. As she reaches the rooftop, Fett instructs her to capture them alive, before instructing the Gamorreans to take him back to the bacta pod.
Shand chases the two survivors across the rooftops, both demonstrating impressive acrobatics and athleticism. She eventually catches up to them but is forced to jump off a rooftop to avoid a counterattack, allowing the two to continue their escape. As they turn a corner, they are confronted by Shand, who has taken a shortcut. She disarms them, then knocks one off the rooftop to his death and captures the other.
After the assassination attempt, one of the Gamorreans places Fett in the bacta pod, where he experiences another flashback to his past after the rescue of Han Solo. Following his failed escape attempt, Fett is awakened by a young Tusken and led away, his hands bound and his feet chained to the captive Rodian who follows behind. Together with a domesticated massiff, they journey across the desert, making a slight detour after spotting smoke.
They look over a sand dune to see a homestead, where several Kajain'sa'Niktos are assaulting a man, painting a symbol on the walls of their homestead before mounting speeder bikes and riding away.
Continuing on, the trio stops, and the Tusken gestures for the two captives to dig, searching for a gourd filled with liquid, a source of water. The Rodian finds one before Fett, who takes a drink. Fett soon finds one for himself. Before he can drink, the Tusken child takes the gourd from Fett, pouring it out for the massiff to drink, with some spilling onto the dry sands of Tatooine.
Continuing to dig for the gourds, Fett tells the Rodian that they could have both escaped if he had kept quiet. Fett says that if he can reach Anchorhead, he can get them off-world. Fett mutters about strangling the Rodian and feeding him to the watchdog. The Rodian responds with an insult in Rodian, which Fett understands.
While continuing to dig, the Rodian discovers a large scaly mass beneath the sand. Excavating the mass reveals it to be a large three-clawed hand, which grabs the Rodian. More arms emerge from the sand before the entire beast reveals itself as a sand beast capable of standing on its hind legs. Grabbing the captives, the creature begins attacking, with the massiff counterattacking before being thrown aside by the creature, which then kills the Rodian. Fett is held aloft, and the Tusken stabs the creature's foot, causing the creature to throw Fett and hit the Tusken, sending him sprawling onto the sand.
The creature turns from Fett and goes after the Tusken adolescent. However, Fett runs up the creature's back and wraps the chains around its neck, asphyxiating it. Fett's actions earn him the respect of the young Tusken. The Tusken, Fett, and the massiff return to the Tusken camp with the creature's head as a trophy. Their return sparks a celebration among the Tusken clan, with the adolescent Tusken recounting the story of the battle with the reptilian creature to his people. The leader of the camp silently offers Fett a gourd out of gratitude, which he drinks.