Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett - Episode 1 - Review

When the second season of the Mandalorian ended with Luke Skywalker appearing, many thought that was it, there was no way that they could surprise anyone any further and then post the credits, they did just that, revealing that Boba Fett was getting his own show. Now that the first episode has arrived, was that year long hype for one of the original trilogy’s most mysterious characters work it, or is it a book you can skip?

There will be some slight spoilers ahead, so warning from here on out.

Much like any good next book, the story needs to ramp up, to welcome new people in, but at the same time reward those who may know the character and here the show started out with some amazing promise. Getting a glimpse back into how Boba Fett managed to escape the Sarlacc Pit, where he was so unceremoniously knocked into, was great, not that anything we saw wasn’t totally unexpected. The appearance of a Stormtropper though, that was a little out there, given it throws off any potential timeline for how long he was in the pit for, but it was nice that we got to see the filtration system on the troopers armour make an appearance. While we saw this, it turns out that Boba was in a Bacta tank, healing up his many scars and flashing back to those earlier moments, watching some scenes on Kamino and Geonosis was nice, and it does leave the door open to some other tales of his exploits. While taking the trip down memory lane, we did get to see how his armour was stolen and how he became connected to the nomadic lifestyle, both of which tie back into the events we saw take place in The Mandalorian.

Where things got interesting is when he left the tank and started to hold court, accepting offerings from local crime bosses, who were reporting into Bib Fortuna and while it made sense, it seemed a little weird. Not because holding court is odd, it’s a concept that exists in medieval lore, but seeing a character that we have never seen do anything, attempt to be stoic and in charge, just never clicked. Then seeing Fett and Shand walking into town in order to advise that he has taken over and his logic that, he will walk and lead with respect, was a nice touch, but again didn’t click with what we are expected to know of the character. After a pretty average fight, we are back to a flashback, where again we see Boba learning more about life in the desert, all the while being a prisoner of the Tusken Raiders and while the ending was interesting, it highlighted a big issue with the show, there was just no consistency.

Anyone who has seen the movies knows that Boba Fett was a quiet and yet somehow powerful presence on screen, which is why his ending in Return of the Jedi was such a weird way to go out. What is interesting is that when we first got to see the modern Fett, in The Mandalorian, he pretty much kicked ass out of the gate, so having an episode where he basically get his butt handed to him, without question, was just weird. It also didn’t help that we start off with a flashback, then a modern scene and then more flashback, not that the flashback didn’t work for the show, it just needed to be all in on go. The reason is that, seeing Fett down on his luck, beaten, chained up and made to slave away in the hot desert suns, would have made for a stronger showing, if we then got to see his rise at the end, as the show did end, with Shand explaining that people are there.

The issue of him being weak, at least in the flashback makes sense, but for someone who is meant to be a legendary bounty hunter, making stupid decisions in a fight, like he did, is just pathetic. Surrounded by folks with shields and the first instinct he has, is to blast them with a rocket, right in front of himself, which somehow doesn’t hurt him, but when he does it later, the guy he hits is blown into chunks. There is also the fact that Shand is introduced as a master assassin and that is something was shown off during The Bad Batch series, that she can hold her own in a fight and both characters here are basically made to stay on the ground and take a beating, until they are saved by the new guards he obtained. Of course, we need to address the issue there, the fact that the guards teleport away from them, as Fett and Shand are leaving the casino, the guards are behind them, but when they are attacked, they are nowhere to be found, until it becomes time for them to race in and save them, it is a weird cut and something I noticed right away.

Star Wars of course has a very unique look about things and here is no different, while there are some very iconic locations used, from Jabba’s palace - to the ruins of the Sarlacc Pit; the newer ones that are thriving in a post empire world, all seem to still blend in. The new theme, once again composed by Ludwig Göransson feels like The Mandalorian, but also somewhat richer and more ethnic, the chanting helping there, the rest of the score by Joseph Shirley fits in just as well.

As far as openings go for a new show, this one misses the mark, which for a crack shot bounty hunter, is not a good thing. The pacing is off, with flashbacks bookending a modern sequence being the most offending, but weird cuts and characters vanishing randomly, until needed also being insulting. Having a character like Boba Fett get his time in the spotlight is welcome, the problem is that we got a character who is weaker now than when we last saw him, isn’t as stoic in the modern scenes, but yet is somehow more dangerous when he is starving, dehydrated and chained to another prisoner. While this is just the first chapter of this book, right now it isn’t looking like it is worth turning the page for.

The Score

7.0

The Pros

+Seeing the escape from the pit was great

+A new expanding cast of characters has the potential to make this something great

The Cons

-Fett is somehow weaker than when we last saw him and gets his butt kicked with ease

-Disappearing characters that then reappear when the story needs them too is cheap