Book of Boba Fett: Why isn’t the New Republic doing anything about the Pykes?

Warning: Spoilers ahead for episodes 1-6 of The Book of Boba Fett.

The Pyke Syndicate has become a serious threat to the people of Tatooine in The Book of Boba Fett. They have been gradually taking over the planet for years now as part of their lucrative spice trade.

Mos Espa’s Mayor Mok Shaiz is on their payroll and has been doing their bidding, putting the needs of the Pykes over the needs of Mos Espa’s people. As the Pykes strengthened their hold on the planet, he went off-world.

During this time, the Pykes blew up Mos Espa’s cantina the Sanctuary, likely killing Madam Garsa Fwip and everyone inside as an attack on Boba Fett and anyone who has done business with him.

When the Pykes’ high-speed train traveled through the Dune Sea, they shot and killed Tuskens and their Banthas. The Kintan Striders’ symbol was later left at the massacre of the Tusken tribe that took Boba in, but it seems much more likely that the Pykes were responsible for that massacre. It meant they would not have to pay protection fees to the Tuskens and Boba would kill the Kintan Striders in retaliation, meaning that the Pykes would not have to pay protection fees to anyone and they could move their spice through the Dune Sea without any interference.

The Pykes are not only affecting Mos Espa and the Dune Sea, but their effect is also being felt in Mos Eisley. Mos Eisley resident Peli Motto told Din Djarin that “Pykes do not mess around. Ever since they’ve been moving through the system, everything’s gone to hell. Everyone’s afraid of ’em and law enforcement won’t even go near ’em.”

In the same episode where Peli says this, Din encounters two New Republic pilots monitoring the space around Tatooine. If the New Republic has a presence in Tatooine space, the question becomes why the New Republic is not helping the planet against the rising threat of the Pykes and their illegal spice trade. These are some of the possible answers at this point in the story.

They don’t care because Tatooine is an Outer Rim planet

Suffering and injustice on Tatooine have a history of being neglected and overlooked because the planet is located in the Outer Rim and is not a Core World. Prequel fans can remember this well as the Republic did nothing about the slave trade on Tatooine, even after young Anakin Skywalker joined the Jedi Order.

Many decades later with a new galactic government, the attitude toward Tatooine is likely no different. The New Republic is probably more concerned with the Core Worlds and simply doesn’t care about Tatooine, which makes it the perfect place for the Pyke Syndicate to strengthen their spice trade without interference.

They don’t have the resources because of the Military Disarmament Act

First proposed by Chancellor Mon Mothma, the New Republic passed the Military Disarmament Act. This law significantly demilitarized the New Republic.

The goal of the law was to show the galaxy that the New Republic was a government made for an era of peace and that they would operate through diplomacy rather than military force. While these are noble aims, they are not entirely practical, and indirectly aided the rise of the First Order and their attack on the New Republic in The Force Awakens.

In The Book of Boba Fett, the Military Disarmament Act means that even if the New Republic is aware of what is happening with the Pykes, they are not going to allocate their limited military resources toward helping Tatooine.

The two New Republic pilots seen in the “Return of the Mandalorian” episode are not enough to deal with the Pykes and the New Republic is likely unwilling and unable to send further assistance.

They are more concerned with Imperial remnants than crime syndicates

When the New Republic pilots stopped Din Djarin, one of the pilots–Carson Teva–asked Din about an incident he was involved in concerning an Imperial remnant. The Mandalorian already showed that Carson Teva is trying to connect the dots between these Imperial remnant incidents.

The New Republic is largely comprised of individuals who fought with the Rebellion. The government formed to defeat the Empire once and for all and to lead the galaxy into a better future. Squashing the Empire and its remnants is their priority and takes precedence for them over what’s happening in the criminal underworld.

Given the high level of connectivity between The Book of Boba Fett and The Mandalorian, there is a chance that threat of the Pykes and the Imperial remnants will end up being connected, but if that is the case, the New Republic doesn’t seem to realize it yet.

For now, it appears that stopping the Pykes is all up to Boba Fett and his allies. It speaks volumes about the New Republic’s weaknesses and the current state of the galaxy that a former bounty hunter and self-appointed crime lord has a better chance of saving Tatooine from the Pykes than the current galactic government does.

The Book of Boba Fett finale will air exclusively on Disney+ on Wednesday, February 9th.