8 Lessons From The Mandalorian’s Boba Fett Debut That Lucasfilm Sadly Forgot For His Own Show

3 years ago today, Temuera Morrison’s Boba Fett fully stepped into the story of The Mandalorian season 2, and the anniversary calls for reflection upon many lessons Lucasfilm sadly forgot to apply to The Book of Boba Fett. Decades of audience theories and Star Wars Legends stories led up to Morrison’s brief cameo as Boba at the end of The Mandalorian season 2 premiere, and the quick glimpse was enough to spark anticipation that built into an epic culmination in season 2, episode 6 “Chapter 14: The Tragedy.” Despite the misfortunes of Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin in this episode, Boba was able to truly shine for the first time ever, engaging in a fight still often renowned as one of the franchise’s most brutal and memorable.

This is the Boba viewers also anticipated for The Book of Boba Fett, which was announced in a post-credits scene of The Mandalorian season 2. The show, however, favored an entirely different characterization of Boba, a man who took over Jabba the Hutt’s criminal empire but intended on using his influence to make Mos Espa and Tatooine a better place. Audiences felt disillusioned by the changes in Boba’s character, from his increased weakness to his lack of desire to truly seize the life of a crime boss. There are many lessons The Mandalorian season 2 set up for Boba that his own show failed to follow through on, and here are 8 of them.

Related

Book of Boba Fett Ending Explained: What’s Next For Each Character

The Book of Boba Fett ends on a triumphant note, transforming Tatooine – but what’s next for Boba, Din Djarin, Grogu, and the other characters?

8 Boba Fett’s Close Ties To Jango Fett

One of Boba’s very first lines in The Mandalorian echoes his father, Jango Fett: “I’m a simple man making his way through the galaxy. Like my father before me.” After getting his armor back, Boba even shows Din his chain code embedded within it, pointing out the fact Jango was a foundling. This all proves Boba’s close ties to his father, something that’s only brushed upon in his own show. Brief flashbacks of Boba on Kamino and Geonosis are featured, along with Cad Bane mentioning Boba’s father, but otherwise, any close ties Boba might have to his father are simply glazed over – despite the opportunity to truly build on Boba’s grown-up view of Jango.

7 The Mysteriousness Of Boba Fett

Boba is somewhat mysterious when he confronts Din, to the point where Din even asks Boba if he’s a Jedi. This truly adds to the epic charm of Boba in The Mandalorian season 2, as it truly emphasizes the shock of a man ever surviving the Sarlacc pit. In The Book of Boba Fett, any edge of mystery vanishes, mostly due to the fact Boba sits upon Jabba’s throne. Still, he makes no move to truly add such an intimidating mystery to himself, instead removing his helmet much more than he does in both the original trilogy and The Mandalorian season 2 itself.

6 Boba’s Full Brutality In Fighting

Easily one of the biggest misses of The Book of Boba Fett was reducing the brutality with which Boba fights in The Mandalorian. Even before he uses his armor, Boba’s fight against the stormtroopers with his gaffi stick is some of Star Wars’ most violent and riveting action thus far. This is what made many viewers look forward to Boba’s spin-off show, but instead, Boba never truly gains the upper hand in any of his fights. He barely beats Cad Bane in their rematch, and after almost every fight, Boba’s sent to his bacta tank to heal. Aside from one epic sequence against the Nikto speeder bike gang in The Book of Boba Fett, Boba’s fights simply aren’t the same as they were in “Chapter 14: The Tragedy.”

5 Boba’s Disbelief Of The Empire’s Return

One of the most curious lines Boba has in The Mandalorian deals with him spotting Moff Gideon’s light cruiser. He stares and says in disbelief, “They’re back.” This pure shock of the Empire’s supposed return shows Boba’s feelings about the Empire as a whole may have more animosity than they used to in The Empire Strikes Back. This would have been a fascinating thing to explore in The Book of Boba Fett, but instead, Boba’s focus was set on the Pyke Syndicate and the Tatooine spice trade. This moment, then, has reaped no reward, though Star Wars still has time to do so in the future.

Related

The Mandalorian Cast & Characters Guide

The Mandalorian has created a long list of new Star Wars characters and brought back some familiar ones, with an incredible cast to match.

4 The Fear Boba Fett Evokes

It was evident in the stormtroopers’ behavior that Boba Fett was a man to be feared, especially once he put his iconic armor back on. Boba alone caused the stormtroopers to retreat off Tython, just for Boba to destroy them anyway with his rocket. In comparison, it’s admitted to Boba in his spin-off show that no one respects him, much less fears him. Maintaining Boba’s ability to spark fear in others would have made The Book of Boba Fett even more intense, rather than making Boba look like someone who was trying too hard to earn their place.

3 The Focus On Boba Fett’s Iconic Ship

The Mandalorian is the first time the interior of Boba Fett’s Firespray gunship is shown, and even the quick glimpse of its exterior upon Boba’s arrival to Tython is enough to make viewers go wild. The gunship becomes an important part of the final episodes of The Mandalorian season 2, but when the time came for The Book of Boba Fett, the gunship’s nowhere to be found. Only one episode features the Firespray gunship, when Boba recruits Fennec Shand to help him steal it back and seek some revenge. The Mandalorian, then, featured Boba’s ship more than his own show did, a true let-down for those who were hoping to see more of the Firespray.

2 Boba’s Ability To Make Tough Deals

Boba is able to intimidate and persuade a Mandalorian as strong-willed and intelligent as Din in The Mandalorian with the deal he makes for both his armor and a ceasefire, mostly due to his willingness to be more ruthless in his deal-making. He has no shame in having Fennec aim straight for a child to get Din to do what he wants, whereas in The Book of Boba Fett, he lacks the ability to make both the Tatooine gotras and the Mayor and the Pykes agree to such tough deals. Instead, all three gotras turn on Boba, proving how he went from someone who was able to intimidate a Mandalorian to someone who couldn’t intimidate local rulers.

1 The Full Arsenal Of Boba’s Weapons

Every single thing Boba has on hand, it seems, goes into his fight in The Mandalorian season 2 against the stormtroopers, from the debut of his knee rocket launchers to the larger rocket upon his jetpack. In comparison, Boba doesn’t truly have the chance to show off his arsenal of weapons in his spin-off show, aside from the Battle of Mos Espa. Even then, the way Boba equips these weapons doesn’t feel as seamless as it is in The Mandalorian, when he was confident and ready with each move. For someone who was without their armor, it would make sense for Boba to perhaps forget what he truly had on hand, but The Mandalorian proves this wasn’t the case – and thus it becomes a missed opportunity for The Book of Boba Fett.