The Book Of Boba Fett stars Temuera Morrison and Ming-Na Wen have responded to the controversy regarding the Disney+ show’s depiction of the Tusken Raider characters.
The Star Wars spin-off had been criticised for abruptly killing off the tribe of desert warriors and the burning of their bodies by Boba Fett.
The Mandalorian and The Book Of Boba Fett had generally been praised for the characters’ depiction after a negative portrayal in the Star Wars film, but still drew some backlash online.
“[Their portrayal] was better than it was [in the films],” Morrison said at a virtual Television Critics Association panel on Friday (January 14), according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“Then I read [in the script that] we were throwing dead bodies just on the fire and I was going, ‘Oh, hang on, we got to put a bit of ceremony into this.’”
He added: “But they are the Indigenous of the sands of Tatooine, and I was creating a little bit more history about their own culture – and I was pulling from my own culture, in a way, in terms of the ceremonies and preparing the warrior and preparing a weapon.
“And Boba has never experienced a real family before – with the young Tuskens and the old Tuskens – and protecting their land.”
“We knew so little about the Tuskens, and [the show] really gave them an incredible backstory,” Wen added.
“I thought all those elements really enrich who the Tuskens are … and [setting the bodies on fire] was part of Star Wars, with A New Hope, whether it’s the Jawas, when they were attacked, there is this ceremonious desire on Tatooine to burn the bodies as opposed to letting them lie out in the open in the desert.”
Meanwhile, Temuera Morrison recently told NME he tried to cut his own dialogue in the new series since the character first appeared in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
‘The Book Of Boba Fett’ releases new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+
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