One Simple Din Djarin Change Could Have Saved The Book Of Boba Fett

One simple change involving Din Djarin would have improved The Book of Boba Fett immensely. Though The Book of Boba Fett set out to tell an interesting story, it unfortunately lost its way under the weight of The Mandalorian’s legacy and its need to set up an upcoming season. Having Boba become the protector and guardian of Mos Eisley after being saved by the Tusken Raiders was an undeniably compelling story, but because of Din Djarin’s episodes and Boba’s two separate timelines, none of the show’s storylines got the attention they deserved.

Many ideas have circulated about how the show could have been improved. Some speculated it should have been a movie instead so that the story could be streamlined, told chronologically, and given Boba and Fennec Shand the screen time they had earned. But there is one other way The Book of Boba Fett could have better succeeded in telling the story it set out to – one that would have made Din Djarin’s sudden appearance less jarring.

Boba Fett’s Arc In His Spin-Off Is The Same As Din Djarin’s

One of the reasons Din Djarin’s and Boba Fett’s characters complement each other so well is because their arcs are very similar. Both go from being lone, simple bounty hunters – or at least, they are regarded as such – to becoming guardians of others. Din Djarin finds Grogu and takes him on as his foundling, and Boba Fett strikes up a partnership with Fennec and protects Mos Eisley from the Pyke Syndicate. It is no wonder that they would become friends, of sorts, bonded by their armor and their desire to, ultimately, do the right thing. They both find a selfless purpose. Their stories could easily intertwine, but The Book of Boba Fett went about it the wrong way.

Weaving In Din’s Story Earlier Would Have Made It Less Jarring

Din Djarin’s dominating appearance in The Book of Boba Fett threw off the show’s pacing entirely. While both the Din Djarin and Grogu-focused episodes were undeniably important for setting up The Mandalorian season 3, they shouldn’t have been part of The Book of Boba Fett – at least, not in this way. The focus suddenly shifted from the title character, and audiences who watched The Mandalorian but not The Book of Boba Fett were left in the dark about Din and Grogu’s reunion. All in all, it was an unfortunate way of including Din’s story in Boba’s show. Perhaps if his appearance hadn’t been so sudden and domineering, it would have been much less jarring.

Instead of bringing Din in near the tail end of the show, it would have made more sense to have Din as part of the story from the first episode. Since Din and Boba’s arcs are thematically similar, interweaving their respective narratives would have made sense and audiences would have been a lot less critical. That way, one character could never overshadow the other. Additionally, more time with Din in the show, finding his footing after parting ways with Grogu, would probably have meant that Din and Grogu’s reunion would have taken place in The Mandalorian season 3 instead – which is arguably where it should have taken place all along.

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The emotional weight of Din and Grogu’s farewell was undercut by their swift reunion. Din needed time to process and be a person on his own again before finding Grogu once more. If he’d been the second main character in The Book of Boba Fett since the first episode, that time and space would have been provided organically without undermining The Mandalorian and its core relationship.

Changing The Show’s Title Could Have Saved The Expectations

Din Djarin’s prominent role in the series was so surprising because of the title. When a series is named The Book of Boba Fett, one might expect Boba Fett to be the most important character. Instead, when Din Djarin showed up, and an entire episode was dedicated to him and him alone, the show lost some of its credibility. How can this be Boba Fett’s “book” if two chapters of it have nothing to do with him? If the show had involved Din in the story sooner, splitting the narrative load between the two characters, the entire thing would have been much more balanced.

If the series had been given a different title, the show might not have suffered so much under the weight of prior expectations. Perhaps something like “The Book of Bounty Hunters,” as a rudimentary example, would have worked better. That way, it would have been clear from the start that this was a show that would continue the stories of both Boba Fett and Din Djarin, as opposed to just one of them. On the whole, The Book of Boba Fett had a lot of potential, but it was let down by unnecessarily messy narrative planning.