Star Wars has officially expanded even more with the premiere of The Book of Boba Fett, the story of Boba, and how he plans to take over the Tatooine underworld. This spinoff of The Mandalorian starts where the teaser had left off, fans hope to get some insight into what Tatooine is like without The Empire or Jabba. But more importantly, how Boba Fett survived in the desert for all those years.
The show gets right to it with a flashback as Boba lies in a bacta tank, answering the question fans have been dying to know. How Boba made his grand escape from the Sarlacc pit. It was much quicker than expected, it seemed that Boba did not have any problems with his escape. We also got to see how the Jawas got possession of his gear, due to his exhaustion.
As the camera pans down, in the intestine of the beast is also a stormtrooper, Favreau knows his stuff, so this must be an indication that enough time had passed for the Empire to have investigated the events that happened, considering Luke was involved. That stormtrooper must have fallen in on accident, and Boba must have been unconscious for a while.
Part of Boba’s journey brings him into the hands of some Tusken Raiders, where they get fleshed out even more than in The Mandalorian. Now at the mercy of this nomadic tribe of sand people, Boba must figure out how to survive the aggressive people and the intense sun.
These flashbacks help the fans to understand his journey, the trials he had gone through, and the abilities that Boba has to survive in such a harsh atmosphere.
In the Present
The background, the droids, and the aliens are all great touches to the show. 8D8, Jabba’s old droid, is a nice touch to Boba’s role. The Gamorrean guards are now getting their moment in the spotlight, and this is definitely something to look forward to as they become as fleshed out as the Tusken Raiders. The offering had shown the politics of the underworld, which has always been a major part of Star Wars, especially the prequels.
Boba, the new “Daimyo”, pays homage to George Lucas’ inspiration from Japanese culture and Samurais for the Original Trilogy and the Jedi. The direct connections to Lucas’ Star Wars really reinforces the idea that this show is continuing from his previous work.
The Ortolan piano player was another great touch to the show; the music and the band helped add depth to Tatooine culture and were a nice callback to Max Rebo and the band figures.
A New Target
A new crime lord certainly causes panic among the rest, so assassins were quickly sent to handle Boba and Fennec. The group was no match for the two, along with the Gamorrean guards, and they were able to fight them off and take one captive.
Before we could see the interrogation and find out who the assassins were, Boba was brought back to the bacta tank, where we see more flashbacks. But who could have sent the killers? Is it Crimson Dawn? Was it the mayor to whom Boba did not pay tribute? Or is one of Jabba’s relatives? The Hutt’s are well-established gangsters.
Prisoner to Hero
In the flashbacks, we see that Boba and the Rodian prisoner were forced to hike out into the desert. Their task was to dig for water pods, which look a lot like sea urchins. While they dug, the suck-up Rodian uncovered something that changed Boba’s role in the Tusken Raider’s tribe.
The Rodian uncovered a massive sand monster with four arms and two legs. The beast looked like it stood at least twelve feet tall. It towered over Boba and the rest. Naturally, the monster attacked the Rodian first and went after the Tusken child, who Boba saved.
The excitement of the child, as they returned to the village, was enough to convey how big it is to kill one of these beasts. Surely this beast terrorizes the nomadic people, so knowing that one is dead is a relief, and with that, Boba earned the respect of the Tusken Raider tribe.
I Have Spoken
Overall, the premiere was good in the sense that it was heavily saturated with nostalgia and George Lucas’ Star Wars. The background details, the droids, the aliens, the cantina band, were all fantastic additions that help this show feel alive. There were more flashbacks than I had anticipated, the current events were all exposed in the trailer, so there were really no big surprises with that, aside from the additions and callbacks to the OT.
With this episode mainly being Boba’s flashbacks, it should have been a bit longer, so there is more balance between the past and present. It feels that they had spent too long trying to answer the question of how Boba survived and got to where we saw him in The Mandalorian than it did with him moving in and establishing himself as the new boss of Mos Espa.
The hike through the desert, as magnificent as the shots may have been, could have been shortened, and more time could have gone into his escape from the Sarlacc’s stomach. That event felt rushed and too easily answered. Sure, he torched the thing from the inside, but realistically, how did he know which way was up? A glimpse into his helmet, like a POV of him gathering himself, would have been a great way to show the intensity of that situation. It was a moment some fans had waited 40 years to see, and more could have been done.
This is only the first episode. The present was a nice blend of politics and action. Hopefully, we will see more of the underground life and fewer flashbacks. As pivotal as they may be, his story mustn’t dwell in the past. Boba moving forward and becoming a crime boss is plenty interesting enough.
I still have high hopes for what this show will turn out to be. With a whole season to look forward to, don’t forget to subscribe down below to keep up with the latest news, reviews, and so much more!
Thank you for reading and remember, utinni.
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