It’s been three years sinceThe Book of Boba Fettaired its final episode, but the things that made no sense then still make no sense now.Star Warsis an interesting franchise because our opinions on the variousStar Warsmovies and showscan change radically with time. Fans who initially hated a story can warm up to it after a few years, while other generally well-loved releases no longer hold up.
I hoped it would be the former when I revisitedThe Book of Boba Fett, but honestly, I find its glaring issues more frustrating than when the show premiered. It hurt itself and derailedThe Mandalorian’s next season, forcing us to realize that these live-actionStar WarsTV showscould be disappointing and even downright bad. 10 aspects ofThe Book of Boba Fettstick out to me the most and illustrate why the show often makes no sense.
10Boba Staying With The Tuskens Feels Too Sudden
Giving up his old life should be more gradual
The flashbacks in the first episode end with Boba confidently walking back to the Tusken camp and staying with them of his own free will. The scene is meant to be a triumphant conclusion, but I can only ask why Boba had such a significant change of heart so early on. The Tuskens did save him, butthey also dragged him across the desert, beat him, and forced him to dig for them with no water.
This doesn’t strike me as the ideal time for Boba to see the Tuskens in a different light and decide to stay with them. He was a bounty hunter not that long ago, sohis first instinct should have been to get away from the Tuskens so he could begin searching for his armor. I don’t have a problem with Boba’s arc in these flashbacks, but I don’t buy his first big moment of character development.
9How Many People Actually Work For Boba?
How much of Jabba’s empire did he inherit?
The Book of Boba Fett’s main plot in the present day doesn’t fair much better, as I have many questions about Boba’s criminal empire. As far as I can tell, it basically consists of him and Fennec Shand in episode 1, soit’s hard to believe anyone would take them seriously. I know this is only the beginning of their reign, but did they inherit anything from Bib Fortuna?
Even at the end of the series, Boba’s criminal network feels relatively small.
In theStar Warsoriginal trilogyalone, Jabba the Hutt was wealthy enough to influence every bounty hunter in the galaxy, made a fortune on smuggling spice, and had a well-guarded palace full of criminal associates.Boba worked for Jabba and should at least know these basics, but instead, he starts alone and takes his sweet time building the most basic connections. It’s a miracle he ended up controlling even one city on a backwater planet.
8The Incredibly Slow Speeder Chase
The kind of scene that should be exciting
A more slow-paced crime drama likeThe Book of Boba Fettcan use some excitingStar Warsaction now and then, but we didn’t get it with the speeder bike chase. Boba’s new crew can finally prove themselves and justify their overly colorful speeder bikes by chasing down the mayor’s majordomo. Unfortunately, this chase ends up being one of the least exciting parts of the show.
There’s barely any room to maneuver in the streets of Mos Espa,it’s not filmed to look very fast, and the editing doesn’t compensate with any quick cuts. It feels silly and artificial, as if it’s only there to pad the runtime by adding something resembling action. Boba immediately flies in on his jetpack the moment the chase ends, so why did he even waste time by having his crew chase someone down?
7Boba Constantly Forgets He Has A Jetpack
Why wear it if you won’t use it?
This brings me to another recurring problem inThe Book of Boba Fett… the jetpack he constantly forgets to use. He could have chased down the majordomo way faster than his gang, but he also forgot it at moments when it could have saved his life. When a group of assassins surrounds him and Fennec in the streets of Mos Espa,why doesn’t Boba fly into the air and gun them all down from above?
10 Ways Star Wars Can Redeem Boba Fett, After His TV Show’s Failure
Boba Fett deserved a much better show than The Book of Boba Fett, and Star Wars has several options for a satisfying continuation of his story.
In theStar Warsmovies,the jetpack was a go-to move for Boba and his father when they had room to use it.The only time they wouldn’t use it to attack or distance themselves was when it was damaged, like when Jango Fett’s was destroyed in the Geonosian arena or when Han Solo accidentally hit Boba’s. It doesn’t appear to be damaged at the times when he should have used it throughoutThe Book of Boba Fett.
6Characters Keep Surviving Fatal Blaster Shots
This represents a larger problem with Disney Star Wars
A common criticism of DisneyStar Warsis that too many characters survive fatal lightsaber wounds, and the same seems to apply to blasters inThe Book of Boba Fett. By the time Boba finds Fennec in the desert, she’s been lying there with an abdominal blaster wound for what seems like a full day. Despite this, she somehow survives him carrying her to town and the surgery that fixed the injury with droid parts.
Of course, this was always a problem inThe Mandalorian, butThe Book of Boba Fetthighlights it even more.It doesn’t help that the same thing happens to Cobb Vanth later in the season, who survives long enough to be transferred to Boba’s bacta tank. Even if the shot wasn’t fatal, it makes Cad Bane look incompetent in what’s supposed to be his menacing introduction.
It could have been the story we never got in The Clone Wars
As cool as it was seeing Cad Bane in live-action, he was brought in far too late for it to feel meaningful.I only knew how important it was for Bane to reunite with Boba because I’m a big enoughStar Wars: The Clone Warsfanto be familiar with their canceled arc. Their final showdown is meant to parallel their standoff in that unfinished arc, which many viewers won’t know about.
Sadly, being a longtimeStar Warsfan makes it impossible not to see the wasted potential.
If Bane had been brought in sooner, the show could have fully explained their historyand developed their rivalry in the present. I like what we get in the season finale, with Bane representing what Boba would eventually become if he hadn’t changed his ways throughout the show. Sadly, being a longtimeStar Warsfan makes it impossible not to see the wasted potential.
4Why Did Boba Think His Armor Was In The Sarlacc Pit?
His memory isn’t as good as his dreams imply
Boba nearly gets himself and Fennec killed trying to find his armor in the sarlacc pit, but it doesn’t make sense for him to look there in the first place.Boba climbed out of the pit while wearing his armor, and he woke up when the Jawas were stealing it from him. Even if we cut him some slack for being mentally exhausted, how did he honestly think he got out while leaving his armor behind?
This didn’t need to be Boba’s reason for returning to the sarlacc pit, as the scene would have worked fine without it. Boba had already decided to seek revenge on everyone who wronged him, so there’s no reason that wouldn’t include killing the beast that trapped and scarred him.Having Boba looking for something he should know isn’t there makes him seem stupidand makes the scene feel like a waste of time.
3The Flashback Timeline Doesn’t Add Up
It doesn’t feel like it covers five years
The Mandalorianseason 1 takes place five years afterReturn of the Jedi, so this is when Boba would have found Fennec in the desert. However, I find it hard to believe that the flashbacks really cover five years, and the timeline of events doesn’t seem to support this.Each major development leads right into the next, which implies that only a short amount of time passes between episodes.
So when Boba honors the slain Tuskens and walks off into the desert with his bantha, it seems like the next episode picks up right where it left off. It’s possible Boba could have spent more time alone in the desert before deciding to steal his ship back, but that’s not the impression we’re given. At the very least,the timeline is confusing if the flashbacks happen over five years.
2Boba Isn’t Much Of A “Crime” Lord
He needed to be much more ruthless
The Book of Boba Fettis supposed to chronicle Boba’s transition from bounty hunter to a crime lord, but he doesn’t seem to comprehend the “crime” part. Boba says he wants to rule through respect rather than fear, and the flashbacks show how his time with the Tuskens changed him. Even so,I find it weird to see him go from murdering Bib Fortuna to not doing the basic things expected of a crime boss.
The Mandalorianseason 2 perfectly balanced Boba’s ruthless side and personal code of honor, something I would have liked to see more of here. Boba becoming a better man isn’t the problem, butthis resolution would have been more impactful if he had been a more flawed criminal at the start of the series. Fully focusing on the flashbacks first may also have helped, which some fan edits have done nicely.
1The Show Becomes The Mandalorian Season 2.5
Derailing the entire show in the process
I could forgive most of the other problems withThe Book of Boba Fettif it focused on Boba Fett himself from beginning to end.As flawed as the first four episodes are, I appreciate that they fully recap Boba’s story for newcomers, so it’s simply a bonus if you’ve already seenThe Mandalorian. Then episodes 5 and 6 completely abandon this approach and shift the focus to Din Djarin and Grogu.
This meansthe title character is relegated to the background for nearly 30% of his show, forcing the season finale to rush the rest of his arc. It also hurtThe Mandalorianby featuring crucial developments that should have been saved for season 3, likely confusing viewers who don’t watch everyStar Warsshow. From a creative standpoint, this decision makes no sense and is easily the biggest problem withThe Book of Boba Fett.
