What Is A Gotra In The Book Of Boba Fett?
Under Disney’s ownership, the Star Wars universe continues to expand and introduce different characters, objects, and concepts that we have never seen in the previous films. Of course, this has become quite a trend in The Book of Boba Fett, which capitalizes on how truly vast the Star Wars universe is by introducing new things every episode. One of the newer introductions in the latest episode is the Gotra. But what exactly is a Gotra in The Book of Boba Fett?
A Gotra, in Hindu culture, refers to a lineage or a clan of people. In most cases, people in the same Gotra share the same surname, which is the name of the Gotra. But other people with different surnames can join too. In Star Wars, it is meant to mean the same thing as a Gotra is a family or a clan.
The thing about The Book of Boba Fett is that it takes a different approach to the character of Boba Fett in the sense that spending time with the Tuskens allowed him to see a different side to being in a group or a tribe. In this case, we are referring to a Gotra. As such, Star Wars is using the Gotra concept in an all-encompassing way that refers to the people under Fett’s leadership and protection.
What Is A Gotra In The Book Of Boba Fett?
The amazing thing about how Disney has been handling the Star Wars franchise is that it has allowed the universe to flourish by taking concepts, ideas, and even characters from previous works or from things that can be seen in real life. It only allows the Star Wars universe to become as vast as it should be.
This very same trend is seen in The Book of Boba Fett, which uses different concepts and ideas from one episode to another. And this was something we saw in the latest episode wherein Fennec Shand was heard mentioning the word “Gotra” to Boba Fett during their discussions about the bounty hunter’s plans for the future. But what exactly is a Gotra in The Book of Boba Fett?
In real life, a Gotra is actually a concept that you can see in Hindu culture. Gotras in Hindu culture are similar to clans or lineages that are composed of people of the same surname or even people from other families and castes. However, being in the same Gotra is similar to being in the same family, as it is incestuous to marry or be in a relationship with someone from the same Gotra. In short, Gotras are tight-knit clans of people.
Going back to The Book of Boba Fett, we hear Fennec Shand mentioning the word “Gotra” to Boba Fett when the bounty hunter was talking about his plan for the future after they get his ship back from Jabba’s former palace, which was now occupied by Bib Fortuna.
In this scene, Boba Fett was telling Shand that he was planning to take over Jabba’s territory after killing Fortuna, who he said double-crossed him. This was when Shand asked Fett if he wanted to be the head of a Gotra.
While the word was never mentioned again after that, we can use context clues to decipher the meaning of what Fennec Shand said when she mentioned Gotra. And given the fact that Shand was referring to Fett leading a “family” in place of Jabba in his former territory, it is easy to conclude that the meaning of a Gotra in Star Wars is nearly identical to what it means in real life.
In that sense, the Gotra that Fennec Shand was referring to was the clan or the family that was going to be under the leadership and protection of Bobba Fett after taking over from Bib Fortuna. Think of it as the same kind of family that the Mafia leaders run, as those who are a part of that family may not exactly be family members by blood but are tied by something more than just blood. In this case, the Gotra that Shand was referring to is not familiar in the sense that they are related by blood but in the sense that they are all part of one group under Boba Fett.
Why does Boba Fett want to head a Gotra?
Going back to the discussion between Boba Fett and Fennec Shand when the bounty hunter was talking about his plans of heading a Gotra, the former assassin was actually confused when she asked if Fett wanted to head a Gotra. So, why does Boba Fett want to head a Gotra?
If you remember, after Boba Fett nearly died in the belly of the Sarlacc and was barely able to escape with his life, the Tusken Raiders took him. First, they took him as a prisoner or as a slave. But after Fett proved himself worthy of their trust, they welcomed him into their tribe as one of them.
This was the experience that Fennec Shand was referring to when she said that Boba Fett had gone soft. After all, throughout his entire life, Fett was a lone wolf that always worked alone. There may have been moments where he worked with a few people from time to time. But he was almost always alone when he was conducting his affairs, and that is why Shand said that he had gone soft when Fett mentioned his plans of heading a family or a Gotra.
To that, Boba Fett told Fennec Shand that his time with the Tusken Raiders did not make him soft. Instead, he said that he became stronger during his time with them because that was the first time he truly experienced what it was to be a part of one tribe with members that supported each other. Fett realized that being with other people and working with them is stronger than being a lone wolf.
So, basically, the reason why Boba Fett wanted to head a Gotra was that he had already tasted what it feels like to be a part of a group. Someone like Fett was always an outcast because he was a clone that did not have a family.
But being with the Tuskens made him understand how important it was to be a part of a strong unit. He said as much when he said “No, it’s made me strong. You can only get so far without a tribe.” And we saw this when he and the Tuskens were able to take a Pyke train down with nothing but a few speeder bikes and some primitive weapons.
