10 Great Things About The Book of Boba Fett
We’re in a resurrection era for Star Wars. After the film release schedule from 2015 to 2019 sent the franchise into another downward spiral, the folks at Lucasfilm re-strategised. Now focusing more on TV series, Star Wars is back in safer territory, with The Mandalorian and Andor elevating the franchise to new heights. However, there’s still an air of negativity among fans. In particular, when I talk to people about The Book of Boba Fett, it’s either shrugged off by apathy, or dismissed by passionate negativity. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t love it, but I enjoyed it and I’d argue the negative response is mostly unwarranted.
It’s frustratingly ironic that fans spent decades begging for a Boba Fett project, then when they finally have their wish granted, they complain relentlessly about it. There’s a broader issue regarding the way fans approach new Star Wars content. Personally, I love Star Wars, so I approach new content with hope, enthusiasm and a desire for it to be enjoyable. I’m not suggesting we should blindly love any new Star Wars content, but we also shouldn’t be so hostile. The Star Wars fandom broadly (although not entirely) is fragmented, difficult to please, contradictory in their desires, and ultimately predisposed to look negatively on new Star Wars unless it fits into a very small frame of criteria. To fully explore this issue is an argument for another time, but for now it sets the scene for how and why The Book of Boba Fett had such a tough time winning praise.
To combat unjustified negativity still lingering from the start of the year, I’m here to examine the other side of the coin. I want to focus on some of the good things which came out of The Book of Boba Fett, in the hope that people may reconsider. I’m not trying to argue The Book of Boba Fett is a masterpiece or top tier Star Wars. The main point I wish to convey is that it’s not nearly as bad as people think.
Before we jump into full optimist mode, for the sake of balance I will address some of the common complaints.
- It’s a slow burner - True, it does take time, but I personally appreciate that. Too many people expected this show to be seven episodes of Boba Fett cutting loose. Realistically, it was never going to happen. On a practical level it’s too expensive, and it wouldn’t be good storytelling. They need to develop the characters, build the story, let the audience emotionally invest, and then take us on a meaningful journey.
- It’s not “true” Boba Fett - I disagree. They took Boba Fett in a different direction from what people expected, that’s all. Rather than just giving us exactly what we wanted, they gave us that AND more. If they gave us “true” Boba Fett, then we would’ve seen seven episodes of a silent character standing in the background. Does that sound better?
- It’s camp and silly - Firstly, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Second, the series juggles multiple tones and styles, and evokes various genres. Third, Star Wars has always been camp and silly. Embrace it.
- It was a stepping stone for The Mandalorian season 3 - Granted, Mando literally stole the show, but that’s not a bad thing. This exemplifies the double standards Star Wars fans can exhibit. When Boba Fett has cameos it’s distracting, but when The Mandalorian has appearances from Bo-Katan, Ahsoka Tano, Luke Skywalker and even Boba Fett himself, then that’s totally fine apparently. The fact there’s crossover between these series is clever storytelling, and it offers ample room to develop Boba Fett and Din Djarin as characters.
Anyway, enough of the boring complaints you’ll find within seconds of visiting Twitter, we’re here for the good times! So, hop out of your bacta tank, dry yourself off, grab some blue milk, and join me as we look at just 10 things great about The Book of Boba Fett.
1. Story and structure
I’m aware some found this show a little slow, but I liked the structure and pacing. It was smart to bounce between showing Boba Fett in The Mandalorian era of the timeline and showing what happened to him directly after events in Return of the Jedi. A two-pronged story like that isn’t always easy to pull off, but they definitely stuck the landing. There were some great flashbacks, really good character dynamics, and still plenty of room to see Boba Fett do what he does best.
2. A different side of Boba Fett
Another criticism for this series is we didn’t see Boba Fett in action too often. Firstly, you can’t have any meaningful stories in Star Wars without dialogue and character growth. Second, it was a great way to show another side of Boba Fett. We all know he’s a badass, but showing him as an intelligent, calculated and rational leader was a nice spin on expectations. We still get all of the juicy Boba Fett action - flying through the air while firing at enemies, using his gaffi stick to clobber people up close, and of course firing the rocket from his jetpack - but we get a lot of growth, backstory and depth as well. This was a great blend of style and substance.
Also, not enough people talk about the fact Temuera Morrison gave a fantastic performance. Having more moments of character interaction, and more moments with the helmet off helped elevate Boba Fett from the mostly silent side character we’ve seen before.
3. Director talent
As with any big franchise, what you see on screen is just as important as the folks behind the camera bringing these stories to life. You can tell Star Wars are making big bucks, because they’re bringing in seriously talented directors for these shows. Our modern Star Wars masters Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni are of course steering the ship, but Steph Green, Kevin Tancharoen, Bryce Dallas Howard and Robert Rodriguez all directed episodes for this series. Every one of them was invited to the party, they were able to play with the toys in the chest, but still keep their own voice as creators, and THAT is how you keep a successful franchise alive.
4. Further distance from the Skywalkers
I hate to say it, but Star Wars stories often focus too much on the various members of the Skywalker family, and it reduces a vast universe to an outer space Jeremy Kyle episode. The best Star Wars stories from recent years (Andor, Rogue One, The Mandalorian) are those which dive deep into the galaxy far far away without the usual Skywalker family drama. Granted, Luke Skywalker does appear in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, but he doesn’t outstay his welcome. The point is, series like this can explore the Star Wars mythos and tell awesome stories without being restricted. I love Star Wars and I love the films dearly, but considering the timeline and how vast the galaxy is, the Skywalker Saga is just one part of it. It is significant and we have a lot to be thankful for, it’s just not the only Star Wars story we should explore.
5. Episode 5
Say what you like about The Mandalorian hijacking an entire episode, it was incredible. Bryce Dallas Howard is an insanely talented director, and she gave us one of the best hours of Star Wars content ever. Visually it was breath-taking, action and flight sequences were incredible, it developed characters in a meaningful way, and provided organic connective tissue for a crossover to happen whilst keeping the wider story moving. You can shout “iT wAsN’t AbOuT bObA feTt” all you want, it doesn’t take away the fact this was an hour of pure, top tier Star Wars magic.
6. Satisfying finale
Regardless of what you made of this series, the last episode was entertaining as hell. It had cinematic quality and offered some amazing moments. Mando and Boba Fett teaming up, Boba Fett riding on a Rancor, folks from Freetown coming to the rescue, Cad Bane going toe-to-toe with Boba Fett, I could go on. All of these moments were incredibly well executed, and the finale should be enough to make any Star Wars fan smile.
7. Cad Bane
I understand some people might not be happy with the way this character met their demise, but I think that’s incredibly short-sighted. It ignores an overall victory. They pulled a fantastic character from animation and brought them to life in a satisfying way. The practical design was perfect, Corey Burton nailed the voice acting as usual, and the character was a terrifying force on screen. It’s a classic case of “don’t be sad because we lost them, be happy because we had them.”
If nothing else this shows the passion Favreau and Filoni have, and the commitment to making miracles happen in live action. The stage is truly set for animated characters to appear in these series, and as a Star Wars fan it makes me hopeful that anything is possible.
8. Tusken Raiders
To think how far we’ve come since A New Hope in 1977 is incredible. Tusken Raiders were once one-dimensional monsters, immediately villainised with little explanation. Look at them now. They have their own spoken language, sign language and culture, their own traditions and values, and their place on Tatooine as natives with a rich history. It’s great to see a totally different side of them, and it made me think about them in a much deeper way than before.
9. Fennec Shand
I’m really glad this character stuck around. They’re mysterious, highly skilled, resourceful, but also respectful and loyal. Ming-Na Wen always brings her A-game, and her performance helps make this one of the most exciting characters in Star Wars right now. The dynamic with Boba Fett is really interesting, and we’ve also seen the seeds of mutual respect with Din Djarin, so we’ll hopefully see more from Fennec Shand in future seasons.
10. Krrsantan
As if adapting animated characters like Ahsoka Tano, Bo-Katan and Cad Bane wasn’t enough, Favreau and Filoni won’t stop there. Krrsantan was created for the comic books in 2015 by Keiron Gillen and Salvador Larocca and has now been brought to life in such a satisfying way. He looked great, we got to see him taking names and kicking butt, and his behaviour felt true to the character we know and love from the pages - what more could you ask for?
Plus, consider the greater victory here. Creators at Lucasfilm are able and willing to bring characters across from the comic books and wider media. This means we could see characters like Thrawn or 0–0–0 (Triple Zero) and BT-1 on screen. Books, comic books, video games, it’s all possible!
I’ll say it now, if I see a live action Cal Kestis and / or Doctor Aphra, I probably won’t survive the excitement.
As I said at the start, The Book of Boba Fett isn’t a perfect series, but it did offer a lot. It was entertaining, it built on characters both old and new, and most importantly it did something different. If this series did something we weren’t expecting, and it did something we’ve never seen in Star Wars before, that’s worth every second of our time. Franchises have to move forwards in a meaningful way, and projects like The Book of Boba Fett help keep Star Wars alive. I’ve said some harsh words about the fandom, but I do understand. When you’re passionate about something you not only feel a sense of protectiveness, but you want it to thrive. Regardless of whether you liked this series or not, Star Wars is thriving. We’ve got some of the best creative minds bringing fresh stories and beloved characters to the screen. They’re respecting the legacy, whilst adding to it in an exciting way.
To use a baseball metaphor, this series may not have been a homerun, but it was a solid double. There are reasons to be annoyed at Star Wars, and projects which deserve a frosty reception, but this certainly isn’t one of them. If it wasn’t your cup of tea then simply walk away, but it’s definitely not worth dismissing entirely, given the large number of positives. And considering the Jar Jar of it all, Star Wars has seen far worse days.
If you enjoyed this article, please check out some other Star Wars articles - the list will keep growing, so watch this space!
