The Book of Boba Fett (2021-Present)

*Some casting spoilers.*

I’ve watched all the live-action Star Wars series as they’ve come out on Disney+—I’m holding off on the newer animated stuff until I catch up on the older ones. But while I’ve reviewed The Mandalorian, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and of course, Andor, I never got around to writing about The Book of Boba Fett, which might be its own indicator of how I feel about the show.

After killing Jabba the Hutt’s successor, Boba Fett takes over the crime lord’s territory, attempting to amass power and respect in a Tatooine that’s not prepared to accept the new head honcho. As Boba tries to get his house in order, with a little help from Fennec Shand and a few other allies, we flash back on his time between Return of the Jedi and the present (which, like The Mandalorian, is set about ten years after the original trilogy.)

By now, everyone’s already talked about The Book of Boba Fett and, in many cases, where they think the show went wrong. I’m not against the series, and I don’t have a hatred for the mod kids who roll with Boba, but it is my least favorite Star Wars series by quite a bit. The story had a tough time holding my attention, and many episodes are notable more for what Boba doesn’t do than what he does.

One major sticking point is that, throughout the series, I don’t get what exactly Boba’s trying to do. He takes over a crime syndicate, but then it seems like he kinda doesn’t want to do crime? He’s not interested in running spice or whacking his enemies, and his rivals see his general disinclination towards violence as weakness, not mercy. This makes his position precarious, though again, I’m not sure how he’s so intent on holding Jabba’s former seat if he doesn’t actually want to be a crime lord. This disconnect leaves the whole show feeling like it has a bit of an identity crisis. What is the series trying to accomplish?

It's telling that one of the most popular episodes of the season doesn’t even have Boba in it. Titled “Return of the Mandalorian,” the fifth episode delivers just that, and Mando—along with Mando-adjacent characters—plays an important role through the rest of the season. And don’t get me wrong, I’m all about seeing Mando, Grogu, and co. again. Especially in 2021, when The Book of Boba Fett was only the second game in town, seeing these Mandalorian characters and giving them major plot focus beyond simple guest-star status was 100% welcome. But they add to the identity-crisis feel too, because the second half of the show seems a lot like season 2.5 of The Mandalorian. Everyone comes together in the finale, but it’s not quite satisfying for me.

None of this is the fault of the actors, who all do well with the material they’re given. Temuera Morrison is frequently hampered by Boba’s inaction, but he delivers whenever he gets the opportunity. Ming-na Wen’s Fennec is allowed to be stoic, badass, and not much else, although she keeps the character from feeling too flat. Pedro Pascal is great as always as Mando, as is the Grogu puppet—the way they emote through zero facial expression/being inanimate consistently kills me. Plenty of other characters from The Mandalorian and elsewhere also show up, including Amy Sedaris as Peli Motto, Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano, and an animated character making their live-action debut.

Warnings

Violence, mild language, drinking/references to space drugs, and thematic elements.