Review - The Book of Boba Fett (2021-2022)

          Hey guys, Chuck here, and we're finally taking a look at The Book of Boba Fett, which aired on Disney+ from December 2021 thru February 2022. The series is the first of a number of spin-offs to The Mandalorian, and it starts Temuera Morrison and Ming-Na Wen, with appearances by Pedro Pascal, Sophie Thatcher, Jennifer Beals, Amy Sedaris, Danny Trejo, Mark Hamill, Rosario Dawson, and Timothy Olyphant, and was developed and produced by Dave Filoni, Jon Favreau, and Robert Rodriguez. 

          So, the series centers on the bounty hunter Boba Fett, and we actually see his time from when he crawled out of the Sarlacc gullet in the Great Pit of Cartoon, where his beskar armor is nabbed by Jawas. Boba is then rescued and nursed by to health by a tribe of Tuskens, who show him their way, eventually leading to him constructing his own gaffi stick. Unfortunately, after helping them carry out a raid against a Spice train run by the Pyke Syndicate, the tribe is killed and Boba goes out for revenge against the Nikto Gang, whom was blamed for the tribe's deaths. 

         The bulk of the series, however, is set after the events of season two of The Mandalorian, and Boba Fett has taken residence in the former palace of Jabba the Hutt, and is making moves as the new Daimyo of Tatooine. However, Boba plans to rule through respect rather than through fear as Jabba did. Unfortunately, two relatives of Jabba, known as the Twins, are seeking to take control of Tatooine. They end up backing off, as another group is taking over the Spice trade in Tatooine: the Pykes. So, Boba father's up allies to aid both him and Fennec Shand, currently his top ally, against the Pykes taking control of Tatooine from him. 

         Among Boba's new allies are a cyborg speeder bike gang led by Drash and Skad, whom Boba hires on after stopping them from stealing water from a water monger named Lortha Peel, and seeing that they need genuine work. Also, a Wookiee named Krrsantan, who was initially just a thug for the Twins, also joins Boba. Oh, and the Twins have left Boba with a gift: a rancor. Yep, Boba has a rancor now. Cool. Anyway, so, with the rancor, Krrsantan, and Drash and Skad and their gang, Boba has enough allies to stand against the Pykes. However, Boba also hopes for the many families of Mos Espa to join him, as well, but they all decide to remain neutral and let things between Boba and the Pykes play out. Now, the families of Mos Espa consist of Trandoshans, Aqualish, and Klatoonians. We'll get back to Boba's story momentarily, as we have some new stuff with Din Djarin/the Mandalorian to get to. 

         Din, now equipped with the Darksaber, has attempted to rejoin the Armorer and the Tribe, who have relocated after the attack against them in Navarro. Unfortunately, Tribe member Paz Vizsla deems Din to be an apostate, as he removed his helmet at the end of season two of The Mandalorian. The Armorer officially exiles Din from the Tribe, but mentions a longshot possibility for redemption: bathe in the Living Waters, located in the beskar mines beneath the surface of Mandalore, which was devastated years ago by the Empire. Din then heads off to Tatooine, where he gets a brand new ship from Pelli Motto: a Naboo N1 Starfighter, equipped to traverse at light speed. Meaning that he now has a ship that is sleeker and faster than his old Razor Crest. Fennec then meets Din, asking for his aide in Boba's pending fight against the Pykes. Din accepts, but has some business to deal with: pay a visit to Grogu and give him a gift of a armor shirt made of beskar melted from the spear taken from Magistrate Elsbeth. 

       Grogu, meanwhile, has been getting Jedi training from Luke Skywalker,who tells him of his own master, Yoda. Ahsoka Tano, however, shows Din around, as Luke's Jedi Temple is still under construction. Ahsoka offers to give Din's gift to Luke and Grogu, as any chance of Grogu seeing Din would disrupt the training. Luke finds it a struggle to train Grogu, but Ahsoka encourages him, leaves the gift behind, and heads off to parts unknown, suggesting that she and Luke might meet again some time in the future. Luke, ultimately give Grogu a choice: accept Din's gift and rejoin him, or take up a lightsaber and stay to be the first student at Luke's Jedi Temple. 

        Back on Tatooine, Din joins up with Boba, and sets off to gather more allies in the form of a people of Mos Pelgo, whom have since renamed the township into Freetown, with Cobb Vanth as the Marshal. Unfortunately, despite Cobb agreeing to hold a town hall meeting to determine any sort of involvement, such plans are cut short when a figure is sent by the Pykes to deter any involvement from Freetown in the conflict to come. Enter Cad Bane, the Duros bounty hunter who is one of the galaxy's most lethal killers. Cad tells Cobb of how Boba Fett is a cold-blooded killer who worked for the Empire, and the Pykes will match Boba's offer, in exchange for Freetown staying out of it. Cad grazes Cobb in the shoulder, kills the deputy, and warns "Tatooine belongs to the Syndicate. As long as the Spice keeps running, everyone will be left alone." Back at Most Espa, Cad and the Pykes destroy a cantina that Boba frequents called Sanctuary. Yeesh. 

       Anyway, the battle commences, and it goes about the way you might expect. The people of Freetown arrive to help, and they pretty easily dispatch the Pykes, who unleash a trio of massive droids with shield generating capability. Boba heads to the palace and returns with the rancor, which is able to weaken the droids' shields, allowing for Din, Boba, Drash, and the others to easily destroy the droids. Pelli reunites Din with Grogu, who was sent to Tatooine after choosing to be with Din as opposed to training as a Jedi with Luke. Boba has a fight with Cad, leaving him almost dead. I say almost because it's unclear if Cad Bane is dead or not. Meanwhile, Fennec disposes of the traitorous leaders of the Trandoshans, Aqualish and Klatoonians, the leader of the Pykes, and the cowardly Mayor of Mos Espa. His control of the city now secure, Boba walks among the citizens of Mos Espa, along with Fennec, Drash, Skad, and Krrsantan. Din and Grogu depart from Tatooine, heading off for further adventures which are being explored in the third season of The Mandalorian. 

        Okay, so this series is pretty good. Not as fantastic as The Mandalorian per se, but still really good. I thoroughly enjoyed both Temuera Morrison and Ming-Na Wen in the front and center of the series as Boba Fett and Fennec Shand. Having Pedro Pascal return as Din Djarin, both to continue his arc from The Mandalorian season two and set up season three, was a nice touch, but it felt almost like little faith was had for the series to stand on its own. I also enjoyed the performances of the likes of Sophie Thatcher as Drash, Jennifer Beals as Garsa Fwip, and Jordan Bolger as Skad. I also am glad that Corey Burton returned to provide the voice of Cad Bane in the iconic bounty hunter's live-action debut. 

         I honestly enjoyed the idea of really fleshing out Mos Espa, as well as the criminal underworld of Tatooine. Outside of what small glimpses we got of such things in The Mandalorian, Solo, and Rebels, the criminal underworld of Star Wars hasn't really gotten to be front and center, and this series does just that. 

       Unfortunately, the overall pacing is a little too uneven for a lot of fans, myself included. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed this series, but I felt that it could do with a little more touching up to help with the pacing so that there's a consistency to it. 

       All in all, I had fun with this series, and I would gladly rewatch it for a third time. I'm giving The Book of Boba Fett a rating of 4.45/5. Alright, so I think I'm gonna sign off for now. But, tune in later today for my review of Mel Brooks' History of the World, Part II.