Wednesday 16 February 2022

The Scrapbook of Boba Fett



The Book of Boba Fett has concluded on Disney+ and I've enjoyed my Star Wars Weekly fix as we wait for Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi and the third season of The Mandalorian later this year. There are going to be spicy spoilers.

Once Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) escaped the Sarlacc pit, and the dopamine nostalgia hit wore off, too much time was spent in flashback with the Tusken Raiders (replete with knowing nods to Solo: A Star Wars Story and Dune) to the series' detriment and character development (looking at you Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen)).

This is typified when Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) arrives and steals the show - with his dangerous Darksaber - as Boba Fett naps in a bacta tank. If you snooze, you lose in this galaxy.

Not for the first time, executive producers Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni make the prequels cool with thrilling callbacks as Din Djarin searches for a new starship to replace the Razor Crest with the aid of Peli Motto (Amy Sedaris), her derp-droids and Jawa allies. Lucasfilm, give Peli Motto her own spin-off series.

When Din Djarin tells Fennec Shand that he has to see a small friend (Grogu) before battling the Pyke Syndicate for control of Tatooine, I assumed we wouldn’t see him again until the season finale of The Book of Boba Fett. Wrong, was I.

The Force moves in mysterious ways.

On an enigmatic forest planet, R2-D2 greets Din Djarin and I’m an ugly mess. Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni bring a young Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) back after his surprise cameo in The Mandalorian second season finale. Jedi Masters aren't just for Christmas.

Seeing Luke Skywalker teaching Grogu the ways of the Force, in a reprise of the training scenes in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, is overwhelming. How I wished my mum was alive to see it, she would have adored Baby Yoda. Not only does Luke Skywalker return but Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson), too. Seeing the fan-favourites side-by-side is the stuff of sword and sorcery.

The arrival of Jabba the Hutt's twin cousins promised a fun clash with the titular bounty hunter only for the spice-hungry duo to hastily leave Tatooine due to the Pyke Syndicate. These Hutts aren't galactic gangsters worthy of Jabba's family tree.

In the original Star Wars trilogy, Boba Fett would have gunned down the teenage Tatooine biker gang instead of enlisting them as nothing beats a pet rancor, a parting gift from the retreating Hutt twins, channelling King Kong! The cringeworthy Power Ranger rejects added nothing beyond the slowest speeder chase in the franchise's storied history and Marty McFly would have had no problem outrunning them in Back to the Future.

Grogu forsakes Jedi training. As Din Djarin and Grogu fly into an uncertain future aboard a customised Naboo Starfighter, there's a sense of impending tragedy for the survivor of Order 66 and his father figure.

The Book of Boba Fett, dog-eared and frayed around the edges like any well-read comic book should be, begins to weave the connective tissue together. Despite being a scrappier version of The Mandalorian, it was a love letter to fans of George Lucas' space opera on the big and small screen. If you've seen the Skywalker Saga, Star Wars: The Clones Wars, Star Wars Rebels and Star Wars: The Bad Batch, you were in seventh heaven. I know I was.

Deepfake technology is making such rapid progress, a live-action adaptation of Star Wars: Dark Empire feels closer, but may never be. Because reasons.

In a few weeks, we’ll be back on Tatooine for Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney+. I'm ready to spend more time in a galaxy far, far away… Are you? Let me know in the comments below.

3 comments:

  1. Valid Thoughts as always. Me, not having seen ALL SW properties (but then again, who has) was torn between bored and annoyed until Mando showed up. My perspective is now: Disney is building a huge box of story Lego-Blocks, and one day, a fan director will put the lego blocks together into an absolutely mind boggling 20 hour series that will finally deliver the story telling this universe deserves, and by cutting out the massive chunk of blubber created over 50 years

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    1. Thank you! All that was missing were my vintage Palitoy action figures for full immersion.

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  2. It is a shame, Boba got relegated to second place in his own show but extra Grogu is always welcome. I rather liked the biker gang (especially the Jacob Anderson lookalike and the guy in the 13th Doctor's coat). The battle finale was thrilling and I rather enjoyed the flashbacks to Boba's time with the Tusken raiders. And Fennec Shan is bad ass.

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