Having finished The Book of Boba Fett Season 1 (I doubt there will be a second season, but we’ll see), I thought I’d reexamine what the mini-series has done to Star Wars. I also think it’s important to explain just why I rated the finale so poorly, and why I think that’s accurate. Like Loki, this series had very great episodes that were combined with absolutely awful episodes. It was a jarring experience, and I can only imagine that binging them all back to back would be mental whiplash-inducing cinema. Before I get into why this series is such a narrative failure, let’s review the episode ratings that I gave in my reviews over the last two months.
Here are the episodes from The Book of Boba Fett and how I reviewed them:
Episode 1: 5 (Average)
Episode 2: 6.5 (Good)
Episode 3: 1.5 (Almost Unwatchable)
Episode 4: 2.5 (Bad)
Episode 5: 7.5 (Great)
Episode 6: 9.5 (Nearly Perfect)
Episode 7: 1.5 (Almost Unwatchable)
Universally, it seem that most agreed with my reviews for every episode except 4 and 7. Almost everyone knows Episode 3 is hot trash. Episode 4 did get some enthusiasm and we even provided a regular reader here with the opportunity to post a counter viewpoint article. I highly recommend it:
Guest Article: Counter Opinion Review on Boba Fett Episode 4
Episode 7, on the other hand, is still fresh and people are wrapping their minds around it. I was listening to a podcast while I drove yesterday, and I found it odd to listen to some commentators who had very high expectations going into the episode. They had just finished watching it, and they were still trying to say they thought it was a 7 overall, but the disappointment in their voices told otherwise. It seemed to me that they wanted to believe this was good and they just were squirming with hope that a rewatch would solve some of their issues. It was very Prequel-esque. Now I have nothing against those podcasters; I can totally understand hoping that your favorite franchise will deliver some really cool stuff for you to munch on in your mind for the next months.
Unfortunately, that’s now what we got from Disney’s The Book of Boba Fett.
You won’t hear that it’s a disappointment or that it has harmed Disney financially… it came out the day of a gonzo earnings call for the mega-corporation. Disney is so big that they can flop a Star Wars live action series, and it is hidden by success in other places. I frankly think they’re draining the goodwill of park goers, but we’ll have to see over the next quarters — if people continue to pay exorbitant prices for nearly worthless services that once were free, can we really blame Disney? It’s free money. Plus, Disney had a diamond in the rough story this past quarter of an animated film that flopped in theaters but shot their Disney+ subscriptions through the roof. So they can afford a bad Boba Fett. But the series does damage across Star Wars. I talked about this in the article about Star Wars’ billion dollar decision, and now I’d like to break down why Boba Fett is so bad.
The Character of Boba Fett Is Now Less Cool (Marketable)
Going into the series, Boba Fett was a “bad action” action hero from Star Wars, a bounty hunter from the original movies that intrigued fans. People loved the character, and they loved his appearance in The Mandalorian. So let me ask you this: did this series make the character more or less cool (marketable)? Even Mr. Morrison, the lead actor playing Boba Fett, said that he disagreed with killing some of the mystery. When you go back to the original movies now, is your opinion of Boba Fett better or worse? Is there a way that Disney could have made this series that would have made Boba Fett even more interesting to Star Wars fans?
The Mandalorian Season 2 Is Moot
The whole deal about The Mandalorian Season 2 was Grogu calling out to the Jedi that remained. When Luke Skywalker showed up, Disney+ saw numbers that beat the top streaming content on any platform out there. That was their first. However, imagine that you go watch The Mandalorian seasons 1-3 once all three seasons are up. Going from the Season 2 finale to the Season 3 opener will have to be utterly confusing. The biggest moment and all that Season 2 was about has been wiped out in a different series cameo. How weird. What was the point of watching The Mandalorian Season 2 now? Why should we care that Grogu chose to go with Luke. Narratively, we’re completely reset now, like a new season of Rick and Morty. The emotionalism of the Season 2 finale was a farce. There was nothing lost or gained.
Grogu is Less Marketable
How much do you think Grogu with a lightsaber would sell this holiday season? Now how about that versus Grogu with a chain mail thing under his cloak? The problem with sending Grogu back to the Mandalorian is that Grogu has very little character development, and we’re now at least two years (or more) from anything changing. Character development is also how you drive interest in new toys. But why do we care about Grogu if he just loves Mando and that’s it?
Will Grogu still sell like hotcakes? Yes. But it might be in the same way that Baby Groot does. The potential for this character was astronomical. Now, maybe not quite as much. If you don’t think it’s possible for ultra cute characters to disappear or drop in popularity due to bad writing, go find a BB-8 toy in your local retail outlet next time you visit.
Luke Continues to be Diminished
People want Luke Skywalker to be wise, kind, and awesome. Yet decisions continue to occur that make him weak and awful as a person. Why would the same Luke that searched for good in his father now decide that Grogu must avoid all attachment? Why would that Luke Skywalker send his droid companion and this little force user into a warzone without him. Does the force no longer help Luke know what’s going on with his home planet? And by having these actions occur, all it does is remind people that Disney is going to run these stories straight into a sequel trilogy that many people despise. It’s not that they dislike them, they hate them. How much money is being left on the table by not just ripping off the bandaid and dealing with the issue?
Mandalorian Season 3 Now Has Less Tension
We now pretty much know The Mandalorian has to go to Mandalor to do a symbolic baptism. We know Grogu is going with him. We also think it’s likely the last season, and it’s not coming out until late 2022. So any real questions about Grogu are likely to not show up until 2023. Now compare that to if Luke Skywalker was still training Grogu. We’d be wondering how he comes to help Mando at some point. We’d be wondering if Luke will come back. What about Han? There would be so many questions. Would Grogu wield a lightsaber? Instead, it’s just another dad-son action duo that will wrap everything up. The excitement is less than it could have been.
Almost Everything Cool Became Not
I wonder what the dark saber does? Oh… it doesn’t do much I guess. I wonder what Boba Fett’s big plan is with taking over Jabba’s thrown? Be nice, I guess. Oh, but those Tusken Raiders, they’re going to come back, right?! Nah, he just uses the stick and teachings they gave him to kill the baddie. Oh, but the baddie will get some serious screen time and really put up a great finale fight, eh? No, it’s Cad Bane, and he doesn’t really do all that much, then gets offed by a stick. Ah, but Black Krrsantan, he’s going to show us what wookies can really do! Well… he sort of gets overwhelmed by a mob, then somehow makes it back to the heroes through off-screen action we can only imagine.
But hey, Mando and Boba Fett flew together in tandem. So that was at least cool. And the rancor wasn’t bad, even if I didn’t care for the CGI or its inexplicable fear of fire (at times but not others).
So those are the reasons that I feel this is a narrative failure for Star Wars. I think it damages Jon Favreau, but Dave Filoni does come out of this pretty well off considering he wrote Episode 6 and directed it. Robert Rodriguez is likewise just pummeled by this thing. He’s no Rian Johnson, but I’m going to be surprised if he handles live action Star Wars ever again. Maybe he’ll get a Battle Angel sequel for taking the hit, though.
Let me know if you agree with my analysis in the comments below, and as always, keep checking out That Park Place for all the latest on entertainment, Star Wars, and news that should be fun!
Update 9:45 AM EST: Corrected a date typo.
