Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett
Ever since I was a child, Star Wars fans have wanted to know more about the elusive character of Boba Fett. For nearly two decades, the only official glimpse we had of the character came from brief scenes in two of the original three movies. Other than that, fans had to rely on semi-official novels to fill in the gaps. All of that changed with the release of the prequel movies, however. Star Wars Episode II finally gave fans an origin story for the character. But we still never got to see Boba Fett in his prime. Why were fans so eager to learn about such a seemingly insignificant character? Is it because of his reputation as a badass bounty hunter? Is it simply because he looks cool? To be honest, I can’t really answer that question. There’s just something about Boba Fett that has captured the imagination of fans since his first appearance. That’s why so many fans went insane when The Mandalorian revealed Boba Fett had survived the events of Return of the Jedi. Since the second season of The Mandalorian ended, fans have been waiting with baited breath for the follow up series; The Book of Boba Fett. Now it’s finally here. What a time to be alive!
Be warned, the paragraphs that follow will feature spoilers for the first season of the show…
Making a series about such a legendary character is no easy task. You know the saying, ‘you can’t please all of the people all of the time’. This is exceptionally true for The Book of Boba Fett. The series received quite a bit of backlash from fans for a variety of reasons. For starters, the show focused largely on Boba Fett’s quest to take Jabba’s spot as daimyo of Mos Espa and the surrounding territories. Fans were confused as to why Disney decided to take this route with the character. After all, Fett has always been known as a bounty hunter. Now, he’s suddenly decided to hang that up to be a mafia boss? It seemed like an odd move. Some even said the whole idea was in conflict with the basic nature of his character. Personally, I don’t have a problem with this. Boba Fett has always seemed motivated by profit. What’s the more profitable route? The dangerous life of a bounty hunter or the posh life of a successful crime boss? Have you ever seen a poor mafia Don?
The second big complaint was the fact that this series shows the character of Boba Fett interacting with others without wearing his helmet (and often times in a compassionate way). Many argued that this breaks the mystery surrounding the character. Again, I have no qualms with this. The point of the series is learn more about Boba Fett as a character. If we’re being honest, I think the real issue so many fans are having is the fact that maybe the direction that Disney decided to take the character of Boba Fett didn’t match the expectation they had in mind. Personally, I was very pleased with what the show gave to Star Wars fandom. We learned how Boba Fett survived the sarlaac. We learned what he did in the years after the events of RotJ. This show filled in all of the gaps between his apparent fate in the original trilogy and his appearance in The Mandalorian.
I also think it’s important to look at The Book of Boba Fett as part of the Mandalorian storyline. Two episodes in the middle of this series could easily have been part of the upcoming third Mandalorian season. This was yet another complaint by many fans. But I loved it! Not only did this serve as a way to see both Boba and Din Djarin team up again. But it also gives fans a glimpse of what’s coming down the road. We got to see more Grogu, Ahsoka, and even Luke Skywalker. How is that a bad thing? Heck… we even get to see a live action version of Cad Bane. How awesome is that!
In the end, The Book of Boba Fett did what is promised to do. It filled in the gaps and brought the character of the Boba Fett into the modern era of Star Wars. Not only that, but it provided plenty of background lore and flavor to a number of fan-favorite aliens and secondary characters. I have no complaints about the this show whatsoever. That being said, I don’t think it was as good as The Mandalorian. But the way I see it, you can’t hit a home run with every single swing.
If you’re a Star Wars fan, this is still a must-watch. I’ve been a lifelong Star Wars fan and I was very pleased and entertained by this series.
