The Book of Boba Fett moment answers decades-old question about Return of the Jedi

Warning: The following contains spoilers for The Book of Boba Fett episode 3! Turn back now if you haven't seen the latest episode on Disney Plus!

The Book of Boba Fett has answered an old question about a strange Return of the Jedi moment.

In the episode, Fett learns from the Hutt twins that the territory he is trying to claim on Tatooine has been promised by the mayor to the Pyke Syndicate. Before the twins leave, though, they give the former bounty hunter a gift: a monstrous rancor.

Cast your minds back to Return of the Jedi and you may remember the creature lurked beneath Jabba's palace, where it awaited anything unfortunate enough to be dropped through the trap door. The rancor met its match when Luke Skywalker was sent to its lair and it was killed by the Jedi. In a strange moment, one of the guards approached the rancor's body – and burst into tears.

For decades fans have wondered just why anyone would be so upset about the death of a giant, flesh-eating monster, but now we have our answer (H/T The Hollywood Reporter).

In The Book of Boba Fett episode 3, it's revealed that rancors imprint with the first human they see, as explained to Fett by Danny Trejo's character. In that case, it's likely the guard had formed a special bond with the creature, which explains the tears.

Whether Fett's new rancor turns out to actually be a gift, or if it's all part of a ploy from the Hutt twins to get rid of him, remains to be seen. The show drops a new episode on Disney Plus weekly, and you can find out exactly when the next installment will arrive in your time zone with our The Book of Boba Fett release schedule.

In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows for everything else coming soon from the galaxy far, far away.