Rising up from the Sarlacc pit, the best bounty hunter in the galaxy, or used to be.
In The Mandalorian, Jon Favreau brought back one of the most loved bounty hunters in all of existence, Boba Fett. Fans last saw Boba die in Return of the Jedi when his jetpack was shot by Han Solo, and he fell into the Sarlacc pit. This was the last time fans thought they would ever see Boba again, but 39 years later, he makes his return as he is seen crawling out of the very hole that presumably killed him. Not only did it bring back a fan-favorite character that is nostalgic to both the younger generation and older generation, but also the terrible writing that fans have seen in the sequel trilogy.
The Book of Boba Fett takes place on the sands of Tatooine, where the infamous bounty hunter, Boba Fett, and newly introduced mercenary, Fennec Shand, investigate the galaxy’s underworld while fighting for the throne of Jabba the Hutt. With an all-new series added to the Star Wars franchise, fans speculate, and moreover hope, that the series will be a great show for Temuera Morrison’s Boba Fett.
However, for a show to be truly amazing, it needs more than just an iconic character; it needs a breathtaking storyline to set it apart from others. And in all honesty, that’s what this show was missing.
The show does take a turn for the better – toward the end.
Starting at Chapter 5, a familiar face was introduced, completely taking over Boba’s show; this person was none other than Din Jarin, aka the Mandalorian.
Fans were stoked seeing Din Jarin appear once again on their screens but were even more excited for the return of Baby Yoda or grogu. The characters from The Mandalorian definitely spiced the show and turned things up a notch. For the season finale, we got to see Boba and Din fight alongside each other once again, Grogu returning to Din Jarin and the duel between Boba and Cad Bane. For context, Cad Bane is one of the best villains Star Wars has ever introduced. He has gone head to head with some of the fiercest Jedi in the galaxy and in fact trained Boba when he was younger. So seeing the writers of the show bring back Cad Bane and having him duel with Boba is truly a wonderful moment for Star Wars fans.
But, what the show needs are more than just “memorable characters.” Or, it would feel like the producers were just opting to save the series with fanservice.
In the beginning, the main story’s directionless plot doesn’t give meaning to Boba at all. Chapter 1 to 4 focuses on Boba casually strolling through the street of Mos Espa, indulging in conflicts that are lesser than him, while also hinting at the main conflict but not showing a clear villain. For example, they show the Pyke syndicate as some sort of the main villain, but it isn’t just one person; it is a whole group. At this point, it is revealed to be an organization that is lying in the shadows. However, the lack of relevance ultimately makes them irrelevant to the audience. The story progression made it feel like each episode after the other would be amazing, but then it was disappointing.
Overall, even though the show brought back characters we all love and enjoy, it did not have a cohesive story that reached its full potential, much like Disney’s sequel trilogy for Star Wars. If written correctly, it could have been truly astonishing. In a way, it feels like we got scammed from Boba’s utter lack of a story arc (ironically, as the show is called The Book of Boba Fett) in favor of seeing Din Jarin, Grogu, Ahsoka and Luke Skywalker again.
But, with the end of this show, fans can at least look forward to the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, The Mandalorian season 3 and the Ahsoka spinoff series, which hopefully won’t be as disappointing as the Book of Boba Fett.
