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The sixth episode of The Book of Boba Fett, “From the Desert Comes a Stranger,” is frustrating in spite of how good it is. Directed by George Lucas protégé Dave Filoni—from a script he co-wrote with Jon Favreau—this installment is further removed from Fett and the influence of showrunner Robert Rodriguez than even last week’s Mandalorian-centric detour. Granted, The Mandalorian was itself a narrative Trojan horse on more than one occasion. But in a season with just seven parts, spending almost an entire episode setting up a completely different series feels like a disservice to Boba, lead actor Temuera Morrison, and Ming-Na Wen.

A friend recently observed that Marvel’s main film continuity had been around for about a decade before the Hulk could be found hanging out for most of a film called Thor: Ragnarok. Here, we’re seeing Star Wars television essentially building a single narrative with a pretty consistent style, and it works in the same way, but this is no longer the focused character study of Book of Boba Fett’s earliest episodes. Something meaningful has been lost for the sake of the bigger picture, much like the Jedi Order or the Children of the Watch squelching and subsuming the desires of the individual for the sake of their respective institutions. It’s fascinating, and you’ll never hear me complain about the idea of spending more time with Grogu and Luke Skywalker—though it has come at the expense of Fett’s story, in some respects.

Filoni’s episode is beautifully made. Luke looks astonishing; I’m thrilled for the actor whose voice we hear right at the end. But boy is that cliffhanger annoying. You might say this is classic Star Wars.

How can you watch ‘Boba Fett’?

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What happens in this episode of ‘Boba Fett’?

This episode begins with the return of Timothy Olyphant as Cobb Vanth, marshal of Freetown, where The Mandalorian’s second season began. The Pyke Syndicate’s operations have come to his doorstep, now, and he pulls his blaster and kills a handful of them. Vanth leaves one survivor, telling them to stay out of his territory or suffer the consequences.

Elsewhere, Din Djarin flies to a hilly, verdant world seen mostly in Phil Szostak’s art books for the sequel-trilogy films; it appears to be the site of the burning temple glimpsed in The Last Jedi. Mando parks his N-1 starfighter beside a peaceful stream and is greeted by none other than R2-D2.

“Hello, friend,” he says. “I’m looking for Skywalker. I came to see the kid. Grogu.”

Ant droids scavenge the surrounding forest for rocks and carry them, single file, to a clearing. They’re erecting a stone hut at the top of a flattened hill. Artoo shuts himself down before Mando finds anyone else, and the ants build him a bench made of bamboo, as if to say: Patience.

In the woods nearby, Luke and Grogu meditate. Skywalker teaches his padawan to jump, to reach out and connect with the Force and to find balance. (“Don’t try. Do.”) Luke tells the child about Yoda, his master. “He was small, like you, but his heart was huge,” says Skywalker. “‘Size matters not.’ That’s how he talked. He would speak in riddles. Have you heard anyone talk like that back home? Do you remember back home? Would you like to remember?” He says, “Let me help you remember.”

Luke places a hand on Grogu’s head and unlocks a memory: Three Jedi warriors, one of whom may or may not be the swordmaster Cin Drallig, struggle to fight back against Vader’s 501st Legion during the sacking of the Jedi Temple decades earlier. Little Grogu can only watch in horror as his old masters fall. “The galaxy is a dangerous place, Grogu. I will teach you to protect yourself,” says Luke.

Mando awakens from a nap to find a familiar sorceress, Ahsoka Tano, watching over him. “I’m an old friend of the family,” she says. She knows he’s here to see the kid, but she’s not going to let that happen. Though she claims to act independently of the fallen religion that raised her, she’s loyal to Skywalker. She and Luke see attachments, including familial bonds, as a danger to Grogu and other would-be Jedi. Tano implies that the child can’t be both foundling and padawan; he’ll have to decide on one or the other.

Mando hands her the gift he brought for Grogu. “Make sure he’s protected.”

On Tatooine, Djarin, Krrsantan and the rest of Boba’s allies gather to discuss the Pyke Syndicate’s continued mobilization across the planet. Fett’s gotra has muscle, but they lack the numbers to fight an army. So Din seeks out Cobb Vanth to ask for help. “I need you to lead a garrison,” he says. “Your people are good fighters.” Mando understands that, despite the world’s politics, its people are one. The Pyke Syndicate threatens all of Tatooine.

After the marshal orders his people to gather for a meeting, a red-eyed gunslinger named Cad Bane (Corey Burton) wanders into town, offering to buy Vanth’s neutrality. “I’d be careful where I was sticking my nose if I were you,” says Bane.

“Is that friendly advice or a threat?” Cobb asks.

“Boba Fett is a cold-blooded killer who worked with the Empire,” says the bounty hunter. Cad is a figure from Fett’s past, and what he’s saying is true; Boba’s shadow has caught up with him. But Vanth isn’t for sale. Bane draws his blaster and fires a single shot at the marshal. “Tatooine belongs to the Syndicate. As long as the spice keeps running, everyone will be left alone,” he says, and strides back out into the desert.

While Vanth’s people rush to his aid in hopes of saving him, a bomb goes off at Garsa Fwip’s bar in Mos Espa. Fett has no army, as of yet, and things are getting worse in a hurry.

Back in the hut on Luke’s quiet, green world, the Jedi Master presents Grogu with a choice: inherit Yoda’s lightsaber or accept the chainmail armor delivered by Din. “You may choose only one,” says Skywalker. “If you choose the armor, you’ll return to your friend.” But that path would mean forsaking the ways of the Jedi. Choosing the lightsaber, however, will make him Luke’s student for life—and he may never see the Mandalorian again.

Watch ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ on Disney+

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This article originally appeared on Reviewed: The Book of Boba Fett episode 6 review: ‘From the Desert Comes a Stranger’