A bitter end for Boba, but a sweet start for Mando

Jon Favreau’s “The Book of Boba Fett” is the second addition to Disney+’s Star Wars universe surrounding the Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal). Since Boba Fett’s (Temuera Morrison) surprising, but expected, entrance in “The Mandalorian” season two and the announcement of his own TV series, the return of the fan-favorite bounty hunter turned out bittersweet in the end.

TBOBF’s finale, which premiered Feb. 9, delivers the interaction between characters and adaptations from other Star Wars content that fans only dreamt of watching. In the finale, Boba Fett fights in an all-out war against the Pyke syndicate to keep the planet away from the Spice, a drug in the Star Wars universe. 

But he is not alone in this fight.

With the help from Black Krrsantan (Carey Jones), the Mandalorian, Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) and the people of Tatooine, Boba Fett builds an army to defend the planet against the Pykes and his enemy. But, in trying to appease fans, the finale focuses too much on character interactions and diverts away from Boba Fett’s story.

Although TBOBF’s ending detracts from Boba Fett, the first four episodes uncover what happened to Boba Fett after his appearance in “Star Wars: Episode 6 – The Return of the Jedi” (1983) through a series of flashbacks and forwards. The episodes explain how Boba Fett redefined his identity and the intention behind his goal to protect the city as a Daimyo of Tatooine.

While the first four episodes of the series highlighted the bounty hunter’s character, history and objective, the last three hardly seem like a tale of Boba Fett. Rather, the later episodes focus more on Jon Favreau’s original character, the Mandalorian. 

Many viewers expected the Mandalorian to make his guest appearance in TBOBF after his theme played at the end of episode four. However, the Mandalorian monopolized significant screen time in TBOBF, having the entirety of episode five to himself and the majority of episode six dedicated to his story.

For that reason, viewers expected to see more of Boba Fett in the season finale, which did happen, but it was surprising to see the focus still on the Mandalorian as he attempted to save the city against another danger while Boba was unavailable. 

Even as Boba Fett makes a strong impression during his confrontation with one of his oldest foes, the Mandalorian’s action and story ultimately distracts the viewers. 

While TBOBF is a tale of Boba Fett, the supporting characters take too much of the viewers’ attention. The finale compares to the finale of “The Mandalorian” season two when the showrunners introduced a key character in Star Wars, while keeping the focus on the Mandalorian.

But that does not mean that all of TBOBF is bitter or anticlimatic. 

The finale’s fight scenes against the Pyke syndicate do an excellent job of recentering Boba Fett as a main character. Director Robert Rodriguez’s flashy and almost child-playing-with-toys style of action sequences provides a treat to the audience’s eyes.

Flamboyant fight scenes aside, the expansion of the Mandalorian universe truly makes TBOBF incredible. TBOBF brings in new characters and ideas, such as modding, alongside existing elements like the Spice and crime organizations such as the Hutts and the Pykes. Even as the finale’s characters and components hints to its larger role in the Star Wars universe, the episode overall presented a bitter tale about Boba Fett as his spotlight was taken away by the Mandalorian. Nonetheless, “The Book of Boba Fett,” an exciting Star Wars story that plays well into the larger Star Wars universe, makes it a must watch for fans.

Rating: 3/5