The Book of Boba Fett finale was certainly something. As expected, our man Fett got to ride his Rancor, which, I suppose, was worth the clunky, frustrating journey for most; and Mando got his little buddy back, which, I suppose, was the point of the series.
Or am I wrong?
If so, what was the point of The Book of Boba Fett? What did we gain from this extended series? Where was Ahsoka Tano? Why didn’t Boba use his ship after fighting so hard to retrieve it? Why bring in Cad Bane only to kill him off in the most anticlimactic way imaginable?
I’m going to try to answer a few of these questions as best as I can without sounding too negative, because, overall, The Book of Boba Fett was entertaining enough to give us something to talk about over the last few months. There’s really no such thing as bad Star Wars, in my opinion, but there are certainly better Star Wars. Boba Fett exists somewhere in-between.
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What Was The Point?
The Book of Boba Fett began with Boba escaping from the Sarlacc pit before getting mugged by Jawas and captured by Sand People. Supposedly, the man lived in the desert with the Sand People for quite a while and learned to become one with the sand. So much so that when he returned to the land of the semi-living, he decided to team up with Fennec Shand and start a legitimate criminal organization comprised of nice criminals.
Naturally, the mean bad guys don’t like Fett intruding on their territory and conspire to wipe him out. Except, Fett has friends like Mando, Grogu, and a biker gang consisting of really nice teenagers — not to mention a Rancor that spawns in the middle of Mos Espa whenever Fett presses “X” on his keypad. (To use Grogu’s powers, press “Y.” To have Fennec end the destructive conflict in short order by easily sneaking into the bad guys’ lair and executing the lot of them, press “A.”)
By show’s end, we’ve learned that Fett, the most ruthless bounty hunter in the galaxy, genuinely seeks peace — he’s gone soft in his old age, according to Cad Bane — and will preside over the barren wasteland of Tatooine for the rest of his days selling Spice and … whatever else they sell in Dune.
I guess the point of the show was to give the character some closure. Right? Rather than have Boba Fett be remembered for his comical death at the hands of a blind Han Solo in Return of the Jedi, Robert Rodriguez, Jon Favreau, and Dave Filoni resurrected Fett so he could have the happy ending he didn’t really deserve. Along the way, they thought, “F— it, let’s also set up The Mandalorian Season 3 in a really contrived manner that no one will notice because they’re too busy watching Boba Fett smack Cad Bane around with his pet Rancor.”
In a sense, Favreau and Co. cleverly killed two porgs with one stone — three, if you wanna count Cad Bane’s denouement, which should appease (and piss off) fans of the Clone Wars. Now, The Mandalorian Season 3 can jump right into the action without wasting time setting up the reunion we already knew was coming.
So what if the execution was clunky and muddled? Boba Fett rode a Rancor.
Grogu
Grogu and Mando’s relationship forms the emotional crux of this expanded TV Star Wars universe. I have no qualms with either character appearing in various shows or serving as the through-line that connects all of these tales, so long as it’s done correctly.
Personally, I think the showrunners should have used Grogu to inspire Boba Fett to turn to the light. That’s a lot more satisfying than having Boba’s entire arc based around a two-episode stint with a bunch of random Sand People so inconsequential they die offscreen without anyone noticing.
Imagine if The Book of Boba Fett had opened with the Mando episodes right off the bat. Din leaves Luke’s planet with Grogu in tow (rather than shipping the poor kid like a FedEx package halfway across the galaxy, which seems rather irresponsible of Luke). The pair make their way to Tatooine and stumble upon a broken Boba, who recounts his failed efforts to claim Jabba’s Palace whilst filling in the details leading up to his appearance in The Mandalorian. Eventually, the trio (along with Fennec) team up to take down Cad Bane. During the mission, Boba’s anger subsides as a result of his connection with Grogu — a change of heart that ultimately allows him to come to terms with Jango Fett’s death and subsequently bond with his pet Rancor. A climactic battle ensues, Boba wins, and Mando and Grogu fly off to take part in other adventures. Simple.
Make Grogu your emotional centerpiece of the overarching narrative. This is the way.
Positives
Seeing Din Djarin and Boba Fett fight alongside one another was pretty great. Each character utilized their weapons and suits in a way that was both satisfying and unique. Even the flying bits looked great! I loved the way the duo ran onto the scene Butch and Sundance style, fully prepared to go out with a bang — though, it’s fair to wonder if it was a bit foolhardy considering what was at stake. What if Mando had died all so Boba could retain control of a meager criminal enterprise on a backwater planet with no discernible resources? It’d be different if, say, the Pykes had kidnapped a pivotal character, or had some sort of weapon/operation that needed to be wiped out in order to protect the galaxy. Really, I didn’t understand why Boba and Mando didn’t simply fly away and regroup elsewhere — remember, he who fights and runs away can run away another day.
Also, once Din saw Grogu, he should have zipped right the hell out of there and gotten the lad to safety.
Anyway, those robot walkers were beautifully rendered and offered an appropriate amount of menace. And, naturally, the VFX work on the Rancor was magnificent, as were the shots of the random people (and Amy Sedaris) just casually walking through the streets during this enormous battle. I guess this sort of thing happens a lot in Mos Espa (Eisley?).
I dug the many western, High Noon-styled standoffs — though I’m not sure how fair it is if one of the gunslingers is wearing indestructible armor — as well as Grogu’s peaceful confrontation with the Rancor.
So, yeah, I’m not all negativity. There were things in the finale that worked for me.
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Odds and Ends
The Biker Gang: Let’s start with that silly biker gang introduced in the early goings of the season. I could abide their neon-colored vehicles and steampunk style if they actually contributed to the plot in a meaningful way. Instead, after engaging in the slowest chase scene ever put to film, the group pops up for the finale and basically does nothing. In fact, Boba has to save them after they fail to save him … which seems idiotic.
Ahsoka Tano: The popular Clone Wars character has made two guest appearances so far with mixed results. Rosario Dawson looks great in the role and blew our socks off during her brief stint on The Mandalorian Season 2, but contributed nothing with her random appearance in The Book of Boba Fett. I thought she would show up in the final battle at some point, which would have explained her cameo. Alas, Ahsoka only popped up to tell Luke, “You remind me of your father.” Ah, good ole fan-wanking.
Boba’s Ship: After going to great lengths to retrieve Slave 1 his Firespray Gunship, I was surprised Fett didn’t call on the vehicle to support him during the grand finale. Considering its arsenal of weapons and fearsome history, it stands to reason someone would recognize its value during a violent smackdown such as the one seen in Episode 7. Ditto with Din’s ship, which seemed like it was built specifically to engage in the events of The Book of Boba Fett to the point where I thought its appearance was a little too convenient. As it turns out, Din just really needed a ship. And he got one midway through Boba Fett’s show. Cool.
Cad Bane: As great as it was to see the popular Clone Wars villain in live-action, it was that much more disappointing to see the character go out in lackluster fashion. He deserved more than a clunky fight scene filled with goofy dialogue. I’d take less of the Rancor stumbling about like a drunken Wookie if it meant more Cad Bane. Still, the man looked fantastic; and, at the very least, got to engage in a few tense standoffs before his demise.
[Editor’s note: Previously, there was a paragraph here about Cobb Vanth’s “death.” Obviously, the post-credits scene implies otherwise, so we’ve deleted that portion.]
Robert Rodriguez: I’ve given the El Mariachi director the benefit of the doubt on multiple occasions, but his films typically leave me underwhelmed. I hate saying that because I dig his Mexico Trilogy, From Dusk Till Dawn, and some of Sin City, but his other works —The Faculty, Alita: Battle Angel, Spy Kids, etc. — leave much to be desired. His Boba Fett episodes were really clunky in execution. The finale had its moments but lacked that extra zing needed to bring it all home. On the flip side, Bryce Dallas Howard continues to impress, and I’d like to see her contribute more episodes in the future. But I have no power over such decisions.
Finally, I’m always down for more Star Wars, but right now it feels like a case of quantity over quality. Did The Book of Boba Fett really need as many episodes as the vastly superior The Mare of Easttown to tell its relatively straightforward story? Wouldn’t you rather have two really great hours of Boba Fett rather than seven mediocre-to-good episodes? I’m all for more should the story necessitate as much, but none of these Disney+ shows — including the Marvel entries — warrant more than two or three 45-minute episodes.
These limited series seem catered more towards stirring social media discussions than pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. As such, they offer passable entertainment and give us something to look forward to (or, in my case, complain about) every week, but they’re not exactly breaking new ground for their respective universes.
What’s really lacking from The Book of Boba Fett in particular is an emotional draw. Things explode, heroes and villains fight, monsters tear through city streets, but none of it matters because there’s nothing at stake. If the good guys lose, what happens? Boba doesn’t get to set up his criminal enterprise on Tatooine. Okay, but, I’m sure there’s a planet somewhere in this vast galaxy he can overtake. Why does it have to be Tatooine? Why not Kamino where he was created? Or Geonosis where his clone/father was killed? Did I miss a crucial line of dialogue that explained why Boba would risk his life (and the lives of countless others) in his endeavors to control Jabba’s Palace?
Without an emotional pull, it’s all just an empty spectacle.
Where’s the novelty that made Star Wars a pop culture sensation back in the 1970s and early ‘80s? Where’s the grand storytelling? The emotional stakes? Why does it all feel like a giant video game?
I mean, come on! We finally get more Boba Fett and the best thing anyone can say about his show is that he rode a Rancor.
Help us, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re our only hope!
