Warning: Spoilers for The Book of Boba Fett episode 3!

The Book of Boba Fett's Tatooine story is damaging the Star Wars timeline. Once the most feared bounty hunter in the galaxy, Boba Fett has survived the Sarlacc to reinvent himself. No longer content with being the one who obeys orders, he's decided to become a crime lord, and Tatooine seems like the perfect place for him to establish himself. Former throneworld of Jabba the Hutt, close to the vitally important Triellus Trade Route to the Outer Rim.

Jabba was killed by Princess Leia in Return of the Jedi, and according to The Book of Boba Fett, his throne was claimed by his former Majordomo Bib Fortuna. He didn't seem to have been an especially effective crime lord, though, because, within five years, Tatooine had declined so much the Bounty Hunters Guild had closed their chapter on the desert world due to lack of business. When Boba Fett reclaimed his Mandalorian armor, he teamed up with former Imperial assassin Fennec Shand to kill Bib Fortuna and take control of Tatooine. Boba Fett's actions seem to have generated renewed interest in Tatooine, with the Hutts initially sending two of their own to reclaim it; they retreated when the Pykes arrived in force.

Related: Boba Fett's Tusken Obsession Recalls Obi-Wan's Most Famous Lie

Unfortunately, this simply doesn't make any sense. As noted, Tatooine is situated close to the Triellus Trade Route, which is part of a loose "Spice Triangle" historically managed by the Hutts. Jabba's death likely caused a power vacuum among the Hutts, but it wouldn't have taken five years for it to be filled, and the Hutts would have prioritized reclaiming the strategically important desert world. Had Tatooine been left unguarded, the Pykes would have muscled in and attempted to take it over long before. The events taking place in The Book of Boba Fett should have happened shortly after Jabba's death, not five years later.

The Pyke Syndicate has a meeting in Book of Boba Fett

There's been some evidence the Empire briefly occupied Tatooine after Return of the Jedi, although it's hard to say why. This may have delayed the chaos on Tatooine, but by a single year at most, simply because the Empire collapsed after the Battle of Jakku. That probably explains the Stormtrooper helmets seen being put on pikes in the flashback in The Book of Boba Fett episode 3; the Empire has just fallen, the locals have taken advantage of this to rise up against the local Imperial forces, and the helmets are symbols of Tatooine's newfound liberty. Unfortunately, even this causes something of a problem in the timeline because the chaos of the Empire's fall should have led forces like the Pykes to move on Tatooine straight away, hoping to present the newly-established New Republic with a fait accompli.

All this sounds like nitpicking, but this is the problem with a shared universe; everything has a relationship with everything else. In the case of The Book of Boba Fett, the story being told is one that is entirely logical - but one that should have happened years ago. At the moment, the Disney+ TV series seems to be acting as though Jabba died and Bib Fortuna only took over for a brief period, with even the Hutt Twins acting as though Jabba had only just passed away. Hopefully, The Book of Boba Fett will address this oddity and fix its strange timeline.

More: Why Boba Fett Needs Permission To Kill The Hutts

The Book of Boba Fett airs new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+.

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