After the really well received Star Wars Disney Plus show The Mandalorian, that show is taking a year off and this year we’re getting The Book of Boba Fett. The same team that were behind the Mandalorian have continued the story of everyone’s favourite Bounty hunter that was first picked up on in series 2 of the Mandalorian.
This is the biggest way the character has had their story continued and built upon in the live action Star Wars Universe. Yes, there are loads of ways the character has been explored in books, games etc, but anything pre Disney doesn’t count as canon any more, so this is how the Boba Fett saga will continue.
One unexpected thing was how this show would take us back in time and show flashbacks of Boba’s past and shows how he escaped being eaten by the Sarlacc. It’s interesting to see how much of this episode would spend in the past. I think we can expect this trend to continue throughout the whole run of the show, and will be used as an opportunity to flesh out the history of the character whilst still continuing the current settings and universe as set up for the Mandalorian shows.
Mostly in the past it shows Boba being captured by Tusken Raiders, and his attempts to escape, and being sold out by a fellow captive, who is from the Rodian species. The show flip shows back and forth to the present day where we see Boba and Fennec Shand who was with him when he took control of the criminal empire once rules by Jabba the Hutt on Tatooine at the end of Mandalorian season 2.
The contrast throughout the episode of the two time periods show a contrast of Boba at his lowest and then arguably at his highest as he has now taken Jabba’s throne. Of course, things in the present aren’t that simple, and other than Fennec, Boba has no back up until two Gamorrean guards offer their loyalty. Naturally Boba comes under attack and it was good to see that the Gamorreans proved their worth and weren’t just killed as cannon fodder straight away. I’d bet that they won’t survive the whole run of the show, but time will tell, and we’ll see how many join Boba’s team throughout.
The show sets up that not everyone is going to play ball with Boba in charge and we get some nice fight sequences which feel gritty and brutal just as they did in the Mandalorian. Boba’s approach to rule through respect rather than intimidation may not last and he’ll have to show his might to keep the scum bags in line.
Back in the flashbacks we see Boba and the Rodian being used like slaves to dig through sand for pouches of water when they are attacked by some huge sand dwelling beast. The Rodian doesn’t survive, but Boba Fett takes care of the monster and gains new respect from his captors to be treated as something more of an equal.
In the present, Boba is injured when attacked by would be assassins, and the Gamorreans help take Boba back to receive treatment whilst Fennec pursues the surviving assassins to get info. Obviously we’ll learn more of who is the main threat and big bad of the show in the coming weeks.
Conclusion
The show, as the Mandalorian did, only runs for just around half an hour and feels to be over a bit too quickly. And it’s amazing how the shorter run time compared to most other shows really makes things breeze past. Despite the shorter run time, the show doesn’t rush things and although it doesn’t feel like tons and tons happens, there is plenty to get your teeth into and we can see how they have mastered the art of giving enough to keep you coming back without making Star Wars feel rushed in the short form format. If anything, the slower pace shows the confidence they’ve gained in being able to bring out the story in a multi part weekly format.
This episode didn’t blow any minds, but was a solid first chapter in what is bound to be an exciting ride!
Support all the Xstreamed shows and content: If you can please consider making a donation to the Extreme Improv Xstreamed Ko-Fi page to help support all the great weekly content including live comedy shows, streaming shows, articles, podcasts and more!
