Less book than misplaced chapter, ‘Boba Fett’ misses mark for Disney+

After Disney’s other multi-million dollar connected universe, Marvel, had its year to shine through countless projects, it’s finally time for Star Wars to have its moment in the spotlight with The Book of Boba Fett.

The series picks up right where The Mandalorian’s season two post-credits scene left off, with Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison, The Mandalorian) as the newly crowned ruler of Mos Espa on Tatooine, sitting on the same throne where Jabba the Hutt did in the original Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. The series jumps back and forth between the present time period post-Mandalorian and Fett’s dreams, set in the post-Return of the Jedi era in the years immediately after the defeat of the empire. By episode four, the flashbacks have caught up to the main story, and the supposedly ex-bounty hunter’s entire journey from Sarlacc pit to crime lord is clear for the viewers to see… provided they have also watched season two of The Mandalorian.

As mentioned, Star Wars is starting to feel like the Marvel Cinematic Universe with its interconnected characters and cameos, of which this series has an overabundance. While fanservice like that is fun to watch, it makes it much harder for the average viewer to jump in and understand what’s going on, especially when one of the most important pieces of context is an eight-season long animated series with over 100 episodes. (Although Star Wars: The Clone Wars is still a rather enjoyable watch for a supposed “kid’s series”).

Despite the lack of independent story development, the series has fantastic style and cinematography that really feels artistic and thoughtful… for about the first 20 minutes, then it devolves into basic shots, too many of which are just variations of the same slow zoom in on Boba Fett in his bacta tank. The series can’t seem to decide if it wants to be a serious and reflective character piece, or a campy space adventure akin to the original trilogy. The flashbacks have minimal dialogue, relying on the powerful imagery to portray Boba’s journey across the Tatooine desert, and making the viewer feel like they’re really watching a “book” rather than a show. It’s a good thing that there’s barely any speaking in the flashbacks, because if there was, it would probably be more of the same cheesy one-liners found in the rest of the show. Series creator Jon Favreau, while he might understand manipulating technology to replace practical effects, comes up far short of engaging and provocative world building through his supposed prose.

The show takes an excruciatingly long time to get going. It takes until episode four before the plot feels like it's really starting to move forward, with the main conflict finally revealed and the flashbacks finally having caught up to the main story. It seems to follow the unfortunate pattern of a lot of recent Disney+ shows where “if you can just get through the first few episodes, then it gets really good”. However, what seems to be set up as an exciting upcoming battle is ground into a halt by the plot of episode five, which has almost nothing at all to do with the main plot or Boba Fett at all. It seems like episode one of season three of another, much better Star Wars Disney+ show. There is a solid two-episode stretch from episodes five to six that contains only one 30-second scene with Boba Fett, in the show that is supposed to be all about Boba Fett!

The problem with these episodes as well is that they’re actually extremely good, easily the best episodes of the series… and they have almost nothing to do with the titular character! If Disney wanted to make a season three of The Mandalorian, they should’ve done just that, not force that show’s plot and characters into this one where, quite frankly, they don’t belong and don’t work with the rest of the stories. As episodes one and two of The Mandalorian season three, they would be phenomenal, but here they’re just wildly out of place. The show is relying on viewers getting excited about the fanservice and cameos and is forgetting that it actually has to stand on its own with a complete and engaging plot outside of that. 

The appearance of (spoilers) Luke Skywalker, played by a deepfake of Mark Hamill is amazing; it’s fantastic that he’s returning to his iconic role and that the aftermath of his character from the original trilogy is finally being explored, but it has no business being in The Book of Boba Fett. The viewer ends up more invested in the plot of the Mandalorian, Luke, and Grogu than they do in the story of Boba Fett, Fennec Shand, and their band of misfits.

The episodes that do actually feature Boba Fett are not without their own merits, though. The setting is colorful and lively, with diverse and uniquely designed aliens that harken back to the vibes of the OG trilogy’s hive of “scum and villainy”. The addition of a new group, the “mods” are a fun addition to the cast of characters, as teenagers who modify their bodies with repurposed droid parts. While some have called them out of place, they fit right in with the campy, classic sci-fi vibes that the majority of the show seems to be aiming for.

Fett’s characterization is also stellar, and his kindness and understanding affords him many loyal allies throughout the course of the show, proving wrong everyone who insists that he must rule through fear as his predecessors did. He commits very few acts of senseless violence, and prefers to solve most of his problems diplomatically, showing his compassion and understanding for those who, like him, were outsiders, cast aside from society. And of course, Morrison does a fantastic job portraying this, having played the character ever since the original trilogy, and taking advantage of all this time with his helmet off for a change to deliver cartoonish and sometimes hilarious facial expressions.

While the series is far from being perfectly put together, it still presents an enjoyable watch for the average Star Wars fan, and a moderately confusing watch for anyone who isn't. The fanservice is, reluctantly, a delight to watch, even if it massively distracts from the original scope of the story, and the parts that do have to do with Boba Fett are, for the most part, well done. Perhaps this show shouldn’t have been called The Book of Boba Fett, but more accurately, Boba Fett and Friends.

B-

By Bailey Staerkel

Oshkosh West Index Volume 118 Issue V

February 22, 2022