Hello, my fellow The Book of Boba Fett fans!
In the Star Wars universe, there are many memorable characters. One of those unique characters is named Boba Fett. His legend and mythos have been a part of the Star Wars universe since The Empire Strikes Back and then again in Return of The Jedi, where he is knocked into the Sarlacc pit by a partially blind Han Solo (Harrison Ford).
For more than 30 years, we thought that was the last of that legendary bounty hunter until we saw him again in the Disney plus series The Mandalorian.
In Season 2, Episode 1 (Chapter 9: The Marshal), at the very end of the episode, we see a figure watching Mando (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu as they leave the area. Turning to the camera, we can see that the long assumed dead bounty hunter Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) is back from the dead.
It was great to see this legendary character come back to life in the Star Wars universe. The collective reaction was overwhelmingly excellent and excited when it was announced (with a teaser end credit scene) that Boba Fett was getting his own Disney plus series.
The Book of Boba Fett series started in December 2021, and for me, it was yet another thing to look forward to closing out 2021. There will be spoilers for this series, so stop now if you have not watched it yet.
The initial reactions to the series were mixed, with expectations being more of a badass Boba Fett to the more subdued, wiser, and more philosophical Boba Fett. Instead, we were treated to flashbacks of how Boba Fett escaped the Sarlacc pit from the first episode. This question has plagued fans for years, and we were finally shown how it happened. The scene itself was pretty creepy but brilliantly directed by Robert Rodriguez.
Seeing the inside of the Sarlacc pit and how Boba was entangled in the tentacles would make any viewer recoil. It was your worst nightmare come true; waking up in the dark, disoriented, and immobile, being slowly digested can make anyone terrified. Finally, the flight or fight instinct kicked in, and we saw Boba use his flamethrower to burn his way through to the surface and the sands of Tatooine. Crawling out of the Sarlacc pit to his freedom was more than satisfying to fans that have been waiting for this to happen for decades.
When it comes to the Star Wars universe and its lore, there is no better team than Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni to help navigate through that universe. With the blessing of George Lucas, both Favreau and Filoni took the helm of the spin-off series and added their terrific twist to the story arc. These creative genius’ showed us a side of Boba Fett that we never really saw in the original movies. Instead, we saw a man who had been fundamentally changed through his trauma. The series consisted of most episodes having flashbacks to Boba’s life after escaping the horrendous Sarlacc pit. These flashbacks occurred while Boba healed his visible wounds in the bacta tank. It showed him being found and captured by the Tusken Raiders or sand people.
What we knew of the Tusken’s was akin to how the Indigenous people were viewed in the West of early America. We, as fans, always assumed that the Tusken’s were savages and killers, not knowing precisely what they indeed were. It was refreshing to finally see another side of the Tusken’s and how they lived than what we fans have known for years.
Once Boba was accepted by the Tusken tribe, he began training with the gaffe stick, the sacred weapon that the Tusken people have been known to carry with them. We saw Boba yield this weapon in The Mandalorian, season 2 episode 6 (Chapter 14: The Tragedy), and wreck several Storm Troopers with a swift but brutal swipe of that legendary stick. We saw him suit up again in his fabled armor in that same episode. With his armor restored to its rightful owner, the bounty hunter we know and love returns with a vengeance. Annihilating a garrison of Storm Troopers in a rampage brought to life the myth that we have always known Boba to be.
Because of these episodes in The Mandalorian, I think fans were expecting The Book of Boba Fett to showcase Boba as the badass bounty hunter in every episode. Instead, what we got was different, and I was delighted with what we received. Boba took over Jabba the Hutt‘s throne on Tatooine from Bib Fortuna and declared himself Daimyo; he said that he would rule the territory with respect and not fear as Jabba had done in the past. The flashbacks also showed us Boba as a young boy back on Kamino seeing the devastating effects that his father, Jango Fett’s, death took on him. All the trauma that Boba has experienced in his life, both as a young boy and a man, has shaped him into the man he has become.
“You can only get so far without a tribe.” Boba had said to Fennec Shand (the fantastic Ming-Na Wen), referring to the Tusken tribe that accepted him as one of their own. That tribe that taught him their ways and, in turn, Boba taught them a bit about what he knew. The slaughter of his tribe was another traumatic event that added to his change and future decisions, especially when he finds out who it was that slaughtered them.
The series itself had elements of classic western and mafia themes and Eastern samurai themes running throughout the series. You could almost pinpoint precisely what elements were part of each episode by how it was shot and the other characters introduced into the series.
Boba has established rule was the opposite of how Fennec Shand had thought he would rule. The cunning assassin and right hand of Boba, Fennec, would have done it her way and most likely led with a bit of fear instead of respect. She may not have agreed with Boba at first, but eventually, it made sense to her and his decision. Fennec was also another voice for Boba to listen to, having gone through her journey and trauma to get where she is currently. It was nice to see how both actors meshed together and made one hell of a team. It was nice to see the balance out of opinions and strategies, the decisions made by the writers to show that was a brilliant move, in my opinion.
I know that most fans of the series were disappointed that Boba did not use more of his bounty hunting skills in the series. We only saw glimpses of it throughout the series instead of a constant barrage in every episode. Most fans failed to see or did not want to know the man behind the iconic mask. They did not want to see the trauma that shaped him into the new man we see before us. In my opinion, it would have been a disservice to the character not to have him change and go through what he did to come out a changed man. It would be boring to see him constantly do nothing but fight and not the reason behind it.
More Star Wars characters were introduced into this series as the series progressed. Characters in the animated series and the offshoots (like the comic book) come to life in live-action. Black Krrsantan (Carey Jones) was one such character, a meaner and more extensive version of the beloved Wookie Chewbacca. When you first see Black K (as he’s affectionately called), your first reaction is one of shock and awe.
The mere presence of this gladiator-turned bounty hunter is formidable, to say the least, with his menacing stare stopping you cold. Black K and Boba have a history together in the comic book story, so seeing them on opposite sides made for a tense interaction. Again, we see how Boba decided not to engage the Wookie or the Hutts because he knew that bringing war instead of peace to Tatooine would defeat the purpose of the change he wanted to implement as the new Daimyo. Also, it was nice to see the very popular Grogu character near the end of the series.
The elements that most intrigued me were the ones that mirrored the mafia. The different families that were part of Tatooine, the Pyke Syndicate, and how Boba had gathered all the capos to discuss the business and protection that Boba would offer were reminiscent of many mafia movies that showed the same thing. It was as if you were watching an intergalactic commission with Boba being the Capo di Capi or the Don Vito Corleone of Mos Eisley. Because of this element of the series, my love for it grew more. I am fascinated with the mafia and that way of life that I have made a point to research and deep dive into the inner workings of that way of life. By doing so, I understood, probably better than most, why Boba was doing what he was doing made more sense than the fear people expected him to use. One of the most infamous gangsters and arguably the father of the modern American mafia, Charlie “Lucky” Luciano, said, “We cannot make money with guns in our hands,” which credited what Boba had set out to do, rule with respect, not fear.
Boba wanted to rid the city of the “spice” trade (or drugs) that have been prevalent on Tatooine up to that point. He knew the Mayor Mok Shaiz (voiced by Robert Rodriguez) was tolerant and perhaps even involved with the spice trade and made it a point to let the mayor know that the spice trade and any other shady business with Boba in power would not be tolerated. The Mayor does not take kindly to the new Daimyo encroaching on his territory and sends assassins after Boba and Fennec. As the fight ensues, we see a bit of Boba using his skills to fight off the assassins sent to eliminate him. It was a quick fight with Fennec and Boba being the victors.
I will admit that I have not watched the other offshoots of the Star Wars universe, such as Clone Wars or Rebels, but I do know (thanks to my geeky friends) the specific characters that are brought to life in this live-action series. From bringing in Cobb Vanth (Timothy Olyphant) and Black Krrsantan to giving the fans what they have been jonesing for a live-action Cad Bane (Corey Burton). The introduction of Cad Bane was nothing short of spectacular. The scene of Cobb Vanth noticing a shadowy figure approaching from the horizon is heavily influenced by Sergio Leone‘s films. Classic gunslinger tropes and standoffs in the middle of town were brought to life beautifully in this series. Again, there was no doubt that the Western and samurai tropes were prevalent in these particular episodes.
The significance of Cad Bane showing up in the series means that Boba was making the families nervous. Bane being a gun for hire meant that whoever had the money, Bane had no qualms about doing a job no matter how criminal it was. Again, the meeting of Bane and Boba meant that there was a history between the two, albeit a rocky past, but one that could be exploited and used for pure adrenaline-fueled action. The irony of Bane calling Boba an “old man” is when Bane himself is living way past the typical life expectancy of his alien species. Bane accuses Boba of going soft since living with Tusken’s, with that statement hitting a nerve in Boba that makes his subsequent actions wholly justified.
The Book Of Boba Fett also gave us fans another piece of iconic Star Wars lore. We got to witness Boba being given a Rancor as a gift by the Hutts. What made that even more special was the Rancor handler was none other than celebrated actor (and Robert Rodriguez staple) Danny Trejo. I could hear fans across the fandom yelling “MACHETE” once they saw Trejo grace their screen. Trejo is one of those treasured actors that has made an indelible mark on audiences that whenever they appear on screen, it undoubtedly brings a smile to fans everywhere. Fans were also treated to witnessing Boba ride that Rancor in episode 7 during a battle with Scorpenek droids. It was very cool to see the Rancor in action as the last time we saw any Rancor was in Return of the Jedi when Luke (Mark Hamill) came face to face with one. With the live-action Rancor, we got glimpses of both Godzilla and King Kong movies as the Rancor battled the droids and faced down Cad Bane.
I love that with this series, elements of older movies again were prevalent and used as an homage. It was clear that the showrunners wanted to pay tribute to the film that shaped them as filmmakers and Lucas, whose influence is crucial to Star Wars as a whole. Adding in a bit of The Mandalorian and giving viewers a taste of what might come in The Mandalorian season 3 was great. It added another layer to the story that helped establish Boba’s loyal “tribe” around him.
I would love to go over every episode and reveal spoiler after spoiler, but I will refrain from that because I want you to watch the series and judge for yourself. To give the series a chance and look at it for the wonderfully complex series it is. The way the series was left, I am hoping for a second season. A LOT more can be told in this series; the story is far from over. Fingers crossed that Disney would give the green light to another fantastic season of The Book of Boba Fett so we can partake in more adventures with Boba and Fennec Shand.
Thanks to Kenn for video and image embedding for my feature article and many thanks to you for visiting WormholeRiders News Agency. We will be back soon with more analysis about new television series, movies and conventions on our screens this year and beyond!
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Regards,
