What Is The Beast Boba Fett Is Riding Called (& Why Is It Scared Of Fire)

The finale of The Book of Boba Fett showed us an intense war between Boba Fett’s gotra and the forces that the Pyke Syndicate had on Tatooine. But the Pykes tried to pull the odds over to their side with the use of Scorpenek droids. All seemed lost for the heroes until Boba Fett showed up riding a beast to save the day, as this beast trashed the droids quite effortlessly but retreated when Cad Bane used his flamethrower. So, what is the beast Boba Fett was riding called, and why is it scared of fire?

Boba Fett was riding a beast called a Rancor, which is a semi-sentient reptilian carnivore that is native to the planet Dathomir. This is similar to the beast that Luke Skywalker killed in Jabba’s palace back in Return of the Jedi. And the Rancor was afraid of fire probably because it couldn’t withstand heat.

The Rancor isn’t something new to the Star Wars continuity because it has seen its fair share of moments ever since it appeared in Episode VI in the original trilogy. However, this was the most we have seen a Rancor in action on-screen, as we were able to see what it can do in the hands of a rider and in an open-space environment that will allow it to trash about.

What Is The Name Of The Beast Boba Fett Is Riding?

In the finale of The Book of Boba Fett, we finally saw the inevitable war between Boba Fett’s gotra and the Pyke forces that were stationed on Tatooine. Of course, this was an intense battle that allowed us to see the odds swinging back and forth between Fett’s forces and the Pykes. And it seemed like Boba Fett’s small army was winning when the people of Freetown joined him.

However, when Fett, Din Djarin, Black Krrsantan, and Drash’s gang were pushing the Pykes back with the help of the Freetown backup, a pair of Scorpenek droids appeared to give the enemies the advantage once more. The Boba Fett army had to retreat while Fett and Djarin distracted the droids away from the retreating forces.

When it was clear that neither the bounty hunter nor the Mandalorian could stop the droids or penetrate their shields, Boba Fett told Din Djarin to buy him some time because he needed to get some reinforcements. Djarin struggled to buy time, even with the help of Peli Motto, who appeared to deliver Grogu.

Just when it seemed like Din Djarin was cornered, Boba Fett arrived on time riding a beast. This very same beast pulled the odds over to their favor once again, as it was able to trash the droids quite easily. But what is the beast that Boba Fett was riding called?

The beast that Boba Fett was riding is called a Rancor. These are semi-sentient reptilian creatures that are carnivorous in nature. This was something we saw when the Rancor ate one of the Pykes after Fett was done demolishing the Scorpenek droids.

Now, in case you didn’t know, Rancors aren’t entirely new to the Star Wars continuity. In Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, Luke Skywalker battled and killed a Rancor when he was sent by Jabba the Hutt to its pit after trying to negotiate the return of Han Solo during the opening parts of the film.

Rancors have also been featured in numerous other Star Wars media, such as games, comic books, and animated series. But this was only the second time since Return of the Jedi that a Rancor appeared on-screen in a live-action Star Wars series.

Where Did The Rancor Come From?

Rancors are actually native to the planet Dathomir, which is the very same planet where Darth Maul and the Nightsisters come from. In fact, the Nightsisters of Dathomir used to ride Rancors to battle before these groups of witches were decimated by the Separatist droid army during the Clone Wars.

Despite the death of the Nightsisters, the Rancors survived and were bred in places all over the galaxy. The Hutt’s, in particular, are quite fond of them. In fact, Boba Fett’s Rancor was acquired from the Hutt’s as a gift when they apologized to him for sending Black Krrsantan to kill him. This happened in episode 3 of The Book of Boba Fett, as the Rancor came with its handler in the form of Danny Trejo’s unnamed character.

Boba Fett told the Rancor handler that he wanted how to ride a Rancor. We never saw him trying to ride a Rancor, but it is safe to assume that he learned to do so away from the cameras as he was quite proficient in handling the beast in the war against the Pykes. 

How Strong Is The Rancor?

The one main advantage that a Rancor has in battle is its size because of how big it is. Rancors stand around five meters tall and are bi-pedal creatures that can move really well for their size. And because they walk on two feet, they can use their arms as weapons, as seen in how Boba Fett used his Rancor to tear apart the Scorpenek droids.

Because of their size, strength, and mobility, the Rancors were formidable predators back in their homeworld of Dathomir. And due to their nature as angry beasts, they are often used by the Hutts in fighting pits. Jabba also used his Rancor as an executioner.

However, Rancors aren’t only about offense because they have hides that are quite thick to the point that they can easily withstand blaster fire. Regular shots from smaller blasters don’t do a lot of damage to them. But the most impressive part is that, as seen in the finale of The Book of Boba Fett, Rancor hides can withstand the shots from the bigger blasters that the Scorpenek droids were armed with.

In fact, the Rancors are so strong that Luke Skywalker most likely didn’t have a chance against Jabba’s Rancor. It was only through the use of the gate in the Rancor pit that Luke was able to kill it.

Why Is The Rancor Scared Of Fire?

As unstoppable as a Rancor is, Cad Bane was able to push the beast back and equal the odds against Boba Fett when he used his arm flamethrower to repel it. Fett’s Rancor was so scared of Bane’s flamethrower that it retreated and trashed about in Mos Espa. So, why is the Rancor afraid of fire?

The most likely reason why Rancors are afraid of fires is that, as thick as their hides may be, they cannot withstand the heat coming from a continuous source of fire for a long time. It might be true that the Rancor wasn’t visibly damaged when it got hit by Cad Bane’s flamethrower and when Din Djarin used his own flamethrower against it moments later.

However, the possibility is that Rancors know for a fact that, although their resistance to damage is better than most creatures, they are going to eventually suffer damage from a continuous source of fire such as a flamethrower. Of course, they aren’t entirely impervious as well because Boba’s Rancor was visibly damaged from a blaster shot coming from one of the Scorpenek droids.

How Does Boba Fett Know How To Ride Rancor?

Back in episode 3 of The Book of Boba Fett, the Hutt Twins gave the Rancor and its handler to Fett as a present for trying to assassinate him with Black Krrsantan. Meanwhile, in the Rancor pit over at Boba’s palace, the handler told the bounty hunter that the Witches of Dathomir used to ride them in battle.

To that, Boba Fett told the handler that he wanted to learn how to ride a Rancor. Of course, this meant that the handler taught him how to ride the Rancor he had in his possession. However, his Rancor riding training was never shown on-screen. Still, it most likely happened under the supervision of Danny Trejo’s handler character but off-screen, as seen from how well Fett handled himself when he rode the Rancor to battle.

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