The Book of Boba Fett gives a predictable and uninspiring story to an intriguing character

The Atlantic

The Disney+ Star Wars series "does nail its big-budget costumes, sets, and explosions, all of which would have once been unfathomable for a mere TV show," says Spencer Kornhaber. But the "classic savior figure" storyline doesn't match one of the most mysterious characters in the galaxy. "For this pitiless mercenary to now act nobly is odd, but the show’s flashbacks promise explanation," says Kornhaber. "After his liberation from the worm’s maw, Boba was captured by Tusken Raiders, the robed figures who bopped Luke Skywalker in the very first Star Wars. The raiders were always meant to be the othered tribe in an outer-space cowboys-versus-Indians tale, and The Book of Boba Fett now diligently rips off Hollywood’s noble-savage fables. As Boba protects the Tuskens’ young, learns their ways, and teaches them to fight off technologically advanced interlopers, viewers will note (unsettling) parallels to Lawrence of Arabia, Dances With Wolves, and Dune. So Boba is reimagined as a redemptive sinner, a civilizing savior, and a spiritual quester—a deluge of archetypes that unfortunately crowd out much fun, surprise, and personality. How deflating for the spotlight to finally fall upon the shadowy figure of Boba Fett, only to reveal the kind of trauma-afflicted protector of the innocent that we’ve already seen take center stage so many times. The character’s previous mystique has been replaced by dutifulness and predictability. By the end of the season, will Boba’s primitive pals help him tame the unruly spaceport? Well, does a Bantha poodoo in the desert? (Maybe not?)"

ALSO: 

• The Book of Boba Fett shows a recurring problem with Dave Filoni's Star Wars projects: "I’m going to be very blunt," says Mike Redmond. "For every truly great Dave Filoni Star Wars episode, there’s 800 hours of filler that preceded it. Never was this problem more evident than with Star Wars: Rebels, which is understandable given that show had 20+ episode seasons. A show like The Mandalorian, however, shouldn’t have the same problem, and yet, there was absolutely dead weight in both of its eight-episode seasons. That’s not good! More importantly, the series dipped heavily into the nostalgia well because, like I said last week, it’s a show that entirely cashed in on the aesthetic coolness of Boba Fett. Granted, that got people in the door so Baby Yoda could hook them — and, boy, did he — but at the end of the day, the show coasted heavily off of milking Boba Fett and aping the feel of the original films. Star Wars didn’t move forward as much as it went back to treading water after Rise of Skywalker nearly sunk everything. If the 'future of the franchise' is nothing more than adding prologues to Return of the Jedi, yikes." Redmond adds: "One of the praises that I’m seeing pretty regularly is that, finally, Star Wars is fleshing out Boba Fett and developing him as a character. Except what is Book of Boba Fett really telling us about him that wasn’t already communicated through him being a sick looking bounty hunter? In every situation in this episode, Boba Fett does the exact same thing: Effortlessly solves every problem he encounters just by virtue of being badass. That’s not character development. For all the talk of Rey being a Mary Sue, Boba Fett is the ultimate Marty Sue. He literally just strolls into any situation, beats the shit out of everybody, and gets what he wants."
• The Book of Boba Fett has found the perfect way to approach the Boba Fett character: "For decades, the thing that so many fans of the original trilogy loved about Boba Fett was the air of mystery around him," says Alan Sepinwall. "In fact, I’ve heard some concerns that giving him his own show would ruin that element of the character. So far, though, The Book of Boba Fett has been less interested in stripping away Boba’s mystique than in using him to get to know another classic set of Star Wars characters with memorable headgear. If the remaining episodes are as strong as this one, that’ll do just fine, thank you."
• Temuera Morrison and Ming-Na Wen discuss filming the first two episodes: "I just wanted to be better and do the best work I could ever possibly imagine and bring everything I can," says Morrison. "I think back in the day, I didn't know what I was doing. It was 20 years ago when I was doing Jango Fett. I got carried away with wearing the armor, and I was having so much fun getting to work with George Lucas and these ginormous sets. I think I had too much fun. So this time, (I was) a little bit more experienced. Ming-Na and I both, we've both done a little bit of work with television and films here and there, so this was a great opportunity to combine everything and feed off people like (executive producer) Dave Filoni and understand these story lines better, understand a little bit more about Boba Fett's history. I had to draw a lot on our crew who were Star Wars nerds and know all about the history." Wen says of geeking out on the set of Jabba's palace: "First of all, the details were impeccable=. There are just these little Easter eggs they put in. Suddenly your imagination in your bedroom as a kid, playing with your toys, is now the real deal. The throne room moves like it's supposed to. There is a trapdoor. There are all these creatures and characters that have come back from the past."
• 61-year-old Morrison and 58-year-old Wen are glad to be kicking a** at their age: "You know how you look at some fruit or some food at the supermarket and it’s got a 'use by' date on it?" says Morrison. "Well, that was very much my career. So thank Christ someone had a meeting and said, 'Well, Boba’s gotta look like Jango. He’s a cloned son!' Thank Christ I played the father, that’s all I want to say. Yeah, it’s been great." Wen adds: "Tem and I both come from that old school in a way, which is a good thing, because we work our butts off. We know that we have this responsibility to the show, to Jon (Favreau), to the Star Wars fans, to Dave (Filoni) and Robert, to really bring our A-game. (Tem) was like training on set. I’m training with my trainer all the time, and we’re showing that there’s no expiration date."
• Did Patton Oswalt's Parks and Recreation Star Wars speech influence The Book of Boba Fett?
• Boba Fett creator Joe Johnston recounts the character's origins and evolution