Spoilers for The Book Of Boba Fett.
The Book Of Boba Fett’s finale saw an epic showdown between the forces loyal to the new Daimyo Boba Fett, and those loyal to the Pyke Syndicate, however, it also hinted at the return of the Separatists. While it was unclear what side of the battle lines many of the actions at play would fall on, what was clear was the absence of the Republic. This combined with a much bigger, and shinier feature of the episode hints at the potential return of the Separatists, officially the Confederacy of Independent Systems from the era of the Clone Wars.
Star Wars has consistently proven that the Empire was worse than the Separatists, with the former not only putting an end to the latter but also the Republic. In fact, it was the conflict between the Confederacy of Independent Systems, the Separatists, and the Republic that allowed for the rise of the Empire. Having been politically and monetarily motivated to be separate from the Republic, the Empire’s boot no doubt stamped out insurrection galaxy-wide. However with the New Republic being demonstrably weak, there are new opportunities once again.
Throughout The Mandalorian and now The Book of Boba Fett, the New Republic has been sparingly seen, demonstrating a lack of manpower, control, and even care as to the ongoings of the outer rim of the galaxy, presenting a slew of potential future issues. Lack of clamping down compared to the Empire no doubt allowed the Pyke Syndicate to grow, and in their recent efforts of expansion they used an intriguing weapon, the separatists Scorpenek droid in Boba Fett’s finale. While this is their debut in Star Wars canon, their manufacturers are previously established, the Colicoids of CollaIV were a major part of the Confederacy’s war industry, most famous for their production of the droideka. The fact that these facilities seem to be operational once again suggests that the Separatists may make a comeback.
While the show doesn’t confirm the manufacturing origin of the Scorpenek droid, a strong inference can be made based on the design of its appearance. Dual blaster cannons and multiple smaller legs, much like the droideka, not to mention the similar sound effect of the blaster fire despite the higher caliber. Even the shield technology of the droid seemed remarkably similar to the design of the droideka, further reinforcing that the design choices of this new droid were indeed made by the manufacturers of the droideka, the separatists Colicoids. While it is possible that they were surviving battle droids after the Clone War era, their high functionality, still shiny metal, and overwhelming technological power seem to suggest otherwise.
Therefore, not only are the Colicoids still manufacturing weapons in the post-Empire era, but they are actively selling this weaponry to dangerous and criminal syndicates. Seemingly not aligning with the Imperial remnants, and actively working to aid groups oppositional to the New Republic such as the Pykes, the Colicoids seem to be exploiting the weak galactic-political climate to serve their own agenda once again. Not only does this aid in the prevailing weak image of the Republic, but hints that former Republic territories pre-Clone War either haven’t been absorbed into the New Republic or that they are once again showing rebellious tendencies.
While CollaIV certainly wasn’t the only place the Separatists made battle droids after Geonosis, it was certainly a key part of their industry, and with these factories seemingly back up and running, it poses a renewed threat to the Republic. Considering the Clone War ended in favor of neither belligerent, it would be a reasonable inference that the return of the Republic would not change the desires of many systems to return to the previously strong Confederacy of Independent Systems opposed to the Republic, and do so through a renewed separatists movement if required. While not concrete, The Book of Boba Fett has seemingly left a strong hint that the Separatists could return.
