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The Book of Boba Fett (2021-2022; Jon Favreau) is a long-awaited live-action series focusing on Temuera Morrison‘s fearsome titular bounty hunter. After being supposedly killed off in his first live-action appearance in Star Wars Episode VI -Return of the Jedi (Lucas, 1983), fans have clamored for more information on Boba’s fate and future adventures. During The Mandalorian (2019-; Jon Favreau) Season Two, he made his return, first in a cameo and then in the final three episodes. In a post-credits scene, showrunners Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni snuck in an announcement for The Book of Boba Fett, a spinoff and continuation. Finally, after almost four decades of waiting, fans of the elusive clone would see his adventures center stage.
The Book of Boba Fett chronicles Boba’s rise to Daimyo of Mos Espa, a position he receives after killing Bib Fortuna. With control of Jabba the Hutt’s palace, he strives to change both the political landscape and the criminal underworld of Tatooine. Joined by a supporting cast of former Imperial assassin Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen), a brand-new faction called ‘The Mods’ led by newcomer Drash (Sophie Thatcher), and a couple of other surprising allies, Boba Fett is back.
Same Suit, New Fett
With all the hype surrounding The Book of Boba Fett, it had nearly unreachable expectations from the fanbase. Perhaps the most unreachable expectation surrounded the characterization of Boba Fett. Throughout the years, a persona was built for the character, either through headcanons or the long-running Star Wars comics. That persona was hardcore and brutal, a far cry from the older and tamer version we see in the series. One of the more controversial moments of the show comes in the first episode, “Stranger in a Strange Land”. Near the end of the episode, Boba encounters assassins from the Order of the Night Wind. He is bested by them almost instantly, in a fight that was generally unsatisfying and clunkily choreographed. It seemed that the untouchable Boba Fett was a thing of the past.
Though, throughout the series, Fett’s fighting improves, especially as he completes his healing through his use of a bacta tank. Fighting aside, the character is developed in new ways. His deep connection with the Tusken Raiders adds depth, as do the glimpses of his scarred mind. The trauma he holds influences the decisions he makes as Daimyo, with an emphasis on respect. These shifts in characterization will delight or disappoint fans. Either way, it is an interesting new take on one of Star Wars’ most beloved characters.
Direction: Tone and Choreography
Another point to go over is The Book of Boba Fett’s direction. Similar to The Mandalorian, the show has multiple directors working on the series, each taking an episode. Most notably, Robert Rodriguez took the reigns for three episodes. These three episodes were criticized for their pacing and fight choreography, especially the aforementioned season opener. The finale improves on some of these qualms, however, not to the utmost extent. The design elements of the show are a decidedly new take on Tatooine’s underbelly. The Mods are introduced as a sort of New Wave biker gang, fitted with leather, Cyberpunk-esque body modifications, and bright colored hover-Vespas. Fans of the classical Star Wars space-western look might be disturbed by this spin, but they are not improperly designed. All-in-all, it is new, but not as out of place as one might think.
Other points of contention regarding direction might be the overall choice to focus less on Boba in the show’s last three episodes. With Favreau acting as showrunner, it shouldn’t be a huge surprise that his prized character Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) makes a return, but perhaps it is a surprise that the character takes the lion’s share of screen time in the final three episodes. With Din comes many other cameos and appearances, such as Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson), and Grogu. Boba gets lost in this mix, and for a while, the show is more of an extension of The Mandalorian than The Book of Boba Fett.
Pacing: A Frenetic Rollercoaster
The pacing is awkward at times, with main storylines taking more than half of the series to set up. The main villains of the show, The Pyke Syndicate, are hinted at but never make moves against Fett until the halfway point. Even then, it isn’t until the finale that we see them in action. Because of this, many of The Book of Boba Fett’s earlier episodes feel inconsequential at best to the grander plot. The story languishes in its setup, and the delivery just doesn’t feel like it is enough.
When the plot pivots its focus to Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin, all of Boba’s story arcs come to a screeching halt. In the entirety of “The Return of the Mandalorian”, Fett doesn’t even make an appearance. This is a strange and conflicting move. While in a vacuum, it could be said that this is one of The Book of Boba Fett’s strongest episodes, when looking at the series holistically, this full stop is damaging to the pacing.
Bright But Inconsistent
There are many positives to the show. The banter between Fett and Shand is witty and well played out, and the moral implications of being in the thick of the criminal underground are fully explored. Boba Fett, when his screen time allows it, has been fleshed out in a way that will chart the course for the character in years to come. Fennec Shand is a standout in the show, adding a cynical sense of humor that the show benefits from greatly. Characters such as Black Krssantan (Carey Jones) and Cad Bane (Corey Burton) make their first live-action appearances, delighting both fans of comics and animated Star Wars alike. Some of the actions scenes are truly well put together and Bryce Dallas Howard’s direction of “The Return of the Mandalorian” was stellar.
Because some moments are brighter than others, The Book of Boba Fett is mired by inconsistency. This proves to be the series’ greatest downfall. The ups and downs are polarizing and oftentimes the tone just seems to be confused. There is never a distinctly laid out genre. Sometimes it feels like a space western, sometimes it is a mafia-like crime thriller. These switches do more harm than good.
What the audience is left with is a homunculus of good ideas that are unfortunately not cohesively stuck together. Temuera Morrison proves once again to be more than capable of holding his own on the screen, it is only a matter of the writers allowing the character to shine through in a more prevalent way. Hopefully, he gets another stab at it soon, with The Mandalorian S3 just around the corner this holiday.