By Nate Zipf
Correspondent
With the release of the final episode of “The Mandalorian’s” second season, Disney+ and Lucasfilm treated “Star Wars” fans to a surprise announcement after the credits: a spin-off series centering around the longtime iconic character, Boba Fett, developed by “The Mandalorian” creator Jon Favreau, longtime “Star Wars” writer, director and producer Dave Filoni and “Alita: Battle Angel, Spy Kids,” and “From Dusk Till Dawn” director Robert Rodriguez.
Since making his first appearance in the infamous “Star Wars Holiday Special” in 1978, but more prominently in 1980’s “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back,” the armor-clad bounty hunter has drawn the admiration of many Star Wars fans. A man of few words and many badass poses, Boba Fett quickly became one of the more recognizable “Star Wars” characters, generating millions in toy sales for Lucasfilm and further incentivizing the expansion of lore surrounding himself and the Mandalorian people.
After his supposed demise in 1983’s “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi,” a younger Boba appeared in 2002’s “Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones,” portrayed by Daniel Logan, along with Temuera Morrison as Boba’s father, Jango. With that film’s reveal that Boba is a clone of Jango, Morrison immediately became the face and new voice of the adult version of the character, and officially made his live-action debut in the role in the second season of “The Mandalorian.”
“The Book of Boba Fett” examines the character after the events of “The Mandalorian” season 2, where he returns to Tatooine and takes the throne of his former boss, the infamous crime lord, Jabba the Hutt. Accompanied by master assassin Fennec Shand, portrayed by “Mulan” and “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” star Ming-Na Wen, Boba seeks to rule Tatooine much differently than his predecessor. In his own words, “Jabba ruled with fear. I intend to rule with respect.”
So what changed the ruthless, unfeeling bounty hunter into the mostly benevolent would-be ruler of Tatooine? The series seeks to answer that question, as well as challenge Boba in his newfound position. Much of the runtime of the first four episodes is dedicated to flashbacks chronicling Boba’s time between the events of “Return of the Jedi” and his appearance in season two of “The Mandalorian.”
After Boba is left for dead in the belly of the Sarlaac, without his arsenal of armor and weapons, he escapes and does what he must do in order to survive in the desert, before finding an unexpected community with a tribe of Tusken Raiders. This found family grants him a new perspective — driving him to rebuild Tatooine, to step out of the life of bounty hunting and forge a more honorable path for himself.
But not everyone has the same vision for Tatooine. With the Hutts gone, another powerful crime syndicate seeks to take their place and use Tatooine as a hub for its drug trade. The conflict is clear: a vastly underprepared and undermanned Boba versus one of the most powerful criminal organizations in the “Star Wars” universe.
Unfortunately, the series spends very little time developing that conflict further. Without giving away spoilers, the second half of the season seems shockingly unconcerned with its titular character, focused instead on furthering the story of “The Mandalorian” and using elements of the world far beyond that of Boba Fett. Ironically, however, the second half of the season is stronger in terms of quality.
The fifth and sixth episodes, directed by Bryce Dallas Howard and Dave Filoni respectively, feature more interesting locations, dynamic direction, the return of multiple fan-favorite characters and demonstrate the skill, creativity and imagination of those at Lucasfilm. Both are standout episodes of “Star Wars,” but ultimately are not episodes of a “Boba Fett” series. They may leave “Star Wars” and “The Mandalorian” fans satisfied, but for those wishing to truly see Boba in the spotlight, the two episodes make the overall show feel somewhat hijacked, sacrificing development of the main conflict and of its main characters for the sake of pushing the larger, interconnected story of “The Mandalorian” and its other upcoming spinoffs.
After this nearly two-episode detour, the season finale thankfully returns the focus to Boba. When a returning foe from his past joins the conflict on the side of the enemy, Boba is challenged in new ways to demonstrate the leader that he has become and the life he has left behind. The finale, directed by the serie’s showrunner and executive producer Robert Rodriguez, is the true culmination of the series, featuring exciting action, spectacular visual effects, homages to classic films like “King Kong” and a deeply personal conflict for Boba, which longtime “Star Wars” fans will likely be very satisfied with. However, some moments in the finale feel rather unearned. It is tough to care much for the side characters in danger when we have spent so little time with them. It’s even tougher to acknowledge the stakes of the conflict when the series spends two episodes actively trying to avoid building it up further.
“The Book of Boba Fett” ends up feeling like merely a few chapters in his story, a rather simple conflict that feels both stretched out and underdeveloped, interspersed with flashbacks and detours meant mostly to pad the runtime or to progress a story that is not Boba Fett’s. That is not to say that these elements are bad; some of them are standout moments in the series. Yet, they feel out of place. Boba Fett’s first time truly in the spotlight feels somewhat squandered, and seemingly condemns the character to the same status he had in the original “Star Wars” trilogy: a mostly background character whose presence is only warranted to further another’s story, but nonetheless piques viewers’ interest and leaves them wanting more. A second, more tightly focused season would truly grant the character the spotlight he deserves. But for now, “The Book of Boba Fett'' is the best thing that Fett fans will get, and nonetheless remains a necessary, exciting and enjoyable watch for “Star Wars” fans.
