Warning: SPOILERS from The Book of Boba Fett, episode 2.
The Book of Boba Fett featured a unique species of alien gangsters, which may have been the Pykes – who have not been seen in any live-action Star Wars media aside from Solo: A Star Wars Story. The Pykes are a piscine alien species, recognizable due to their large heads and disproportionately small faces. They are known for being gangsters, using their homeworld of Oba Diah as the headquarters for the Pyke Syndicate. This criminal organization dealt mainly in spice, a drug mined by the Pykes’ slaves on Kessel.
In The Book of Boba Fett season 1, episode 2, “Chapter 2: The Tribes of Tatooine,” the Pykes appeared in a train gang, shooting at the Tusken Raiders with whom Boba Fett was living. With Fett’s leadership and new speeder bikes, the Tusken Raiders were able to overtake the train and capture the surviving Pykes, claiming their goods. While these Pykes do not match the typical description of their species, having much smaller heads and larger faces, the train gang still seems to be Pykes based on their use of traditional Pyke masks. In addition, Fett instructed the gang to speak with their “syndicate” and recovered spice from the train with the Tusken Raiders.
Within The Book of Boba Fett episode 2, the Pykes were important because their defeat cemented Fett’s position in the Tusken Raider tribe. However, their appearance could have greater implications for Fett’s life. Due to their involvement with the Pykes, Fett and the Tusken Raiders have become connected to a larger crime network through the Pyke Syndicate. This could foretell greater danger for the Tusken Raiders in future episodes, especially based on the Pykes’ past canon appearances in both animated and live-action Star Wars media, including the title that featured Han Solo's origin story.
In the species’ first Star Wars live-action adaptation, the Pyke Quay Tolsite appeared in Han Solo’s movie, Solo: A Star Wars Story. Tolsite oversaw the Pyke Syndicate’s spice mining operation on Kessel, wearing a mask the entire time due to the planet’s toxic environment. He was a cruel administrator and slave master until Qi’ra killed him during the Raid on Kessel. However, before that, the Pykes were seen in other canon titles through Star Wars' animated shows.
Originally developed for the animated television series, the majority of the Pykes’ appearances have been in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The Pykes debuted in Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 5, episode 14, “Eminence,” and appeared throughout the three-episode story arc. During this time, the Pykes joined the Shadow Collective, an alliance of criminal organizations led by Sith Lord Maul, to take over the neutral planet of Mandalore. The Pykes next appeared in Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 6, episode 10, “The Lost One,” in which Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi investigated the Pykes’ involvement in the disappearance of Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas. Finally, the Pykes played a major role in Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 7, episode 6, “Deal No Deal.” In this three-episode arc, Ahsoka Tano helped the Martez sisters escape a bad deal with the Pykes while also uncovering their participation in the Shadow Collective. Similarly, the Pykes also appeared in Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 1, episode 13 “Infested,” in which Clone Force 99 stole, lost, and later recovered a shipment of spice. All of these appearances display the Pykes’ power and ruthlessness, possibly foreshadowing retaliation against Fett and the Tusken Raiders for attacking their train in The Book of Boba Fett.
New episodes of The Book of Boba Fett arrive Wednesdays on Disney+.
