“The Book of Boba Fett,” or should I say, “The Mandalorian” season 2.5, is Disney+’s latest installment in the “Star Wars” universe. It follows bounty hunter Boba Fett after Luke Skywalker forces him into a Sarlacc pit. 

Lucasfilm, the people who make and produce “Star Wars” content, decided to bring him back in a move that struck me as very similar to how they brought back Darth Maul. Fett originally made his reappearance in the Star Wars franchise during season two of “The Mandalorian”. This bugged me; it seemed ridiculous for them to bring back a character who was not killed on screen but originally heavily implied that they were. Which brings another example to mind of someone who was brought back in the Skywalker Saga, Palpatine. But, let’s not get into what a terrible move that was. However, Boba Fett’s return was slightly more believable, so I shouldered it. What I did not anticipate was Fett getting his own series. This is a move by Disney that shoves more “Star Wars” content down our throats until our pockets are empty from all the baby Yoda plushies we bought. More content can be a good thing, but they run the risk of oversaturation, which is something “Star Wars” has already struggled with. To me Fett did not, and still does not, merit a series about him. I do not hate the character, but he has a screen time of six minutes and 22 seconds in the original trilogy, and those are not full of interesting character hooks to intrigue me about him. The prequels do add some depth to the character, but knowing where Fett ends up in the original trilogy counteracts those interesting character traits. In short, this series had some problems going into its release. 

Warning: mild spoilers for the “Book of Boba Fett” series.

Summary:

The series starts with Fett in the present day (after his appearance in Mandalorian Season 2), where he is trying to run Jabba the Hutt’s territory. The series also utilizes flashbacks to show us how he escaped certain death in the Sarlacc pit and how he ended up head of Jabba’s palace. In the flashback storyline, Fett gets taken prisoner by Tusken Raiders and eventually becomes a respected member of their tribe. After this, Fett does his best to improve their lives. When he goes too far, he gets the entire tribe killed. 

In the present day plot, Fett is trying to manage Hutt’s estate. He finds it difficult because crime bosses have been able to have free rein over Hutt’s territory in his absence. Fett eventually discovers that the Pike Syndicate, an intergalactic criminal organization, is planning to run spice (drugs) in Fett’s territory. The final episode produces a city wide fight between Fett’s allies and the syndicate. 

Review:

The best part of the series is when Fett is not even in it. Episodes five and six completely steer away from the main plot of the series and dive into Din Djarin’s (The Mandalorian) and Grogu’s (The Child) story. I enjoyed these episodes the most, even though it veered from the plot and focused on completely different characters. I found it much more interesting and engaging than the rest of the series. The main gripe I have with these is every scene Luke Skywalker was in, the dialogue was cringeworthy. It will always be tough for a CGI Luke Skywalker and a non-talking alien to communicate, but, boy, was it tough listening to that generic Jedi master talk. These episodes were so different from Fett’s plot that I am not including it in my final review. For those curious I would give this part of the series a 9/10, with episode five being my favorite out of the entire series. 

The portion of Fett’s story told in the present day is the worst part of the series. It is bland and feels like a generic and boring “Star Wars” story. It has little at stake in the “Star Wars” franchise and does not get me invested in Fett’s motivations beforehand. This portion needed more screen time that would help the viewer want Fett to accomplish his goal. 

On the flip side, I found the flashback plot interesting. We get to see Fett as an actual character as opposed to a Bounty Hunter behind a mask. I also like how it ties into the present day plot. However, I will admit that it still lacks depth and has a predictable conclusion. 

My last gripe with “The Book of Boba Fett” deals with the cyborg biker gang. They were useless in the plot, were not fun to watch and the short amount of time dedicated to them in the series was still too much. 

That being said, I give the “Book of Boba Fett” a 6/10. It is just more content for people who want to see “Star Wars” characters do “Star Wars” stuff. If the “Obi-Wan Kenobi” series, coming out on May 25, is on par with this, I will be deeply disappointed.