If The Mandalorian was proof that Star Wars could make the jump to live-action television, then consider The Book of Boba Fett the prequel era of the small screen adventures – a step down in quality hidden behind glossy visuals and more fan service than a rancor could devour. Temuera Morrison excels in fleshing out a character that was never meant for anything more than selling toys, but story built around him is painfully straightforward; a far cry from the mafioso crime story the series was billed as. Nevertheless the moment-to-moment action will keep you entertained and two brilliant episodes make this an absolute must-watch for any self-respecting Star Wars fan.
Following his grand return in The Mandalorian, we follow Boba Fett (Morrison) as he stakes his own claim to the throne formerly occupied by Jabba the Hutt on Tatooine; coming up against all manner of resistance from the local scum and villainy, and a few familiar, if not very friendly, faces. As his grip over the planet becomes increasingly tenuous, Boba and mercenary-turned-right-hand-woman Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) must seek out allies willing to put a stop to the dangerous smuggling activities of the Pike Syndicate who hold Tatooine hostage. Simultaneously we get an inside look into Boba’s grand escape from his once-presumed death in the fearsome Sarlacc pit, and an unlikely alliance the legendary bounty hunter forms with a band of Tusken Raiders.
For someone with such an instantly recognisable and menacing presence as Boba Fett he sure is one underdeveloped character, uttering a mere handful of lines in his appearances throughout the original trilogy before swiftly falling to what we thought was his untimely demise. That gives the writers (Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni) free reign to flesh out Fett’s character in any way they see fit and for the most part they make him a compelling if slightly banal, predictable antihero. We’ve seen this shift in villains to fan-favourite anti-heroes more and more in characters like Venom and Loki, but going from who we knew as a man famously scolded for disintegrating too many people to someone who can barely strike fear in a bar owner is jarring to say the least.
Boba’s journey to shake that image and lead through respect, rather than fear, forms the backbone of the show; the flashbacks serving to showcase his re-emergence into the world and shift towards do-goodery, even if they are a painfully overused story device at this point. The three directors that helm these episodes do a great job of fleshing out Boba’s journey with the Tuskens, but in doing so create on of_The Book of Boba Fett_’s biggest earlier issues. In spending time with Boba and the Tuskens almost all development of the present-day storyline is sacrificed, but if you don’t take this time to establish Boba’s character, the rest of the show would be a painfully un-compelling slog. It’s a fine balance that mostly works, erring on the side of development that can pay off more in further seasons rather than focusing on a hollow, action packed story about characters we don’t care for.
That’s not to say the show isn’t action packed in usual Star Wars fashion, but what is here feels largely throwaway, with a final episode functioning essentially as an hour-long skirmish, overstaying its welcome very quickly. The strangest decision in the show by far however (some spoilers ahead), comes in the form of episodes 5 & 6, which completely cut away from Boba Fett to focus on Pedro Pascal’s Mandalorian since the events of episode 2. The first of these, directed by Bryce Dallas Howard, is easily the best episode of the season; a welcomed detour that derails the show and highlighting a huge issue in one fell swoop: we as an audience simply care so much more about Mando than Fett. That might be slightly unfair given his two seasons of development to Fett’s one but the fact remains that Boba’s story is vastly less interesting than the simple pleasure of seeing the Mandalorian run around learning to wield his new weapons. Whilst Mando’s episodes are great, it does seem like a move borne out of lack of faith in The Book; forcing the audience to sit through this to be up-to-date for the new season of Mandalorian. It’s not a big issue considering Marvel has been doing it for years across movies, but it is a clumsy, ham-fisted approach that doesn’t do the titular character much justice.
For his part Morrison does his best to bring nuance and emotion to Boba Fett, even if it doesn’t always come through, but is admittedly hamstrung by the show’s drastic shift in focus. The Mandalorian specific episodes also highlight just how effective Boba Fett is when used sparingly as a side character. While that may sound like a negative, it is a big step-up from his previous absence of character, with the show’s ending providing a lot of room to further explore Boba’s future on Tatooine and his relationships with his recently gathered inner circle. Alongside him Ming-Na Wen is solid as Fennec Shand but doesn’t get a whole lot to do. When her character is given a chance to shine she is frequently hampered by some truly horrible dialogue of the “I hate sand” variety.
When it comes to the villains of The Book of Boba Fett, the series is even less sure of itself, relying on the looming threat of the Syndicate to create tension that instantly dissolves once they arrive; a bunch of incompetent, paper people who exist only to justify the scale of the battles. Later in the piece a fan-favourite character is brought into the fold but only long enough to create a minor inconvenience for Boba, relying on die-hard fans instant recognition and knowledge of previous backstory to give their encounters weight rather than establishing anything within this show itself. Nevertheless it’s a fun surprise to see this character make the jump to live-action, even if it is just one more person to take the spotlight of Fett, who at this point feels like a guest star in his own show. It does speak to a larger trend that was refreshing in its infancy in The Mandalorian but which now seems to be the “get out of jail free” card for these shows to coast: simply introduce a character fans love and adore to distract them from the series’ shortcomings. More recognisable characters pop up here than in the last decade of Star Wars content and rarely for anything other than a knowing wink to the camera. Sure it’s fun, but a little more care going into making this show great independent of these characters would be far more impactful in the long run.
The Book of Boba Fett is a strange beast. A spin-off of a show largely based on Boba himself, it exists in a strange place where Favreau and Co know they want to do something with the character, but can’t figure out the best approach to making it as effectively as The Mandalorian. It’s a messy, glossy ride through a story that largely sticks to convention but is never in short supply of an action showcase or beloved character popping in to tide you over to the next scene. Temuera Morrison’s efforts to bring some depth to the character are impressive, ultimately falling short due to the creatives behind the show’s non-willingness to embrace him as a lead, but there is certainly enough here to set a solid foundation for a show that improves with time. This might not be the way but it’s a step in the right direction.
The Book of Boba Fett stars Temuera Morrison, Ming-Na Wen, Matt Berry, David Pasquesi, Carey Jones, Jennifer Beals, Jordan Bolger, Sophie Thatcher & Pedro Pascal – Streaming on Disney+ now.
