Warning! SPOILERS for The Book of Boba Fett season 1.
The conclusion of The Book of Boba Fett shows that the Disney+ series’ final three episodes failed to make up for its disappointing start. Marketed as a more in-depth exploration of the famed bounty hunter while additionally tying in with The Mandalorian‘s timeline, The Book of Boba Fett initially set its narrative on Boba Fett’s escape from the sarlacc pit he memorably fell into in Return of the Jedi, his recovery, and rebirth with a Tusken Raider tribe, and his subsequent rise as a crime lord in Mos Espa. The Book of Boba Fett episodes 5 and 6 completely shifted the show’s story by following The Mandalorian‘s central character Din Djarin and featuring an onslaught of cameos from the Star Wars universe. While The Book of Boba Fett’s action-packed finale attempted to recenter Boba Fett, it could not make up for the series’ inconsistent pacing, which thwarted its improved, yet disjointed final three episodes.
While The Book of Boba Fett episodes 1 through 4 came across as underwhelming due to their slow and rather uninspiring progression, the Disney+ series thrilled Star Wars fans by introducing the likes of Luke Skywalker, Grogu, Ashoka Tano, Cobb Vanth, and for the first time in live-action, Cad Bane. Teasing what’s to come in The Mandalorian season 3, the show detailed Din’s handling of the Darksaber, Grogu’s training under Luke, and much more. However, Boba Fett was almost entirely absent from this portion.
The Book of Boba Fett‘s last three episodes constituted a significant improvement over its first four. However, the show’s dramatic story change did not address – nor redeem – the issues of the season’s opening half. Instead, episodes 5 and 6 excluded Boba Fett and became a different show more purposed toward fan service through surprise cameos rather than establishing the worth of a previously forgotten character. The Book of Boba Fett finale’s half-baked return to Boba Fett proved that the series’ best moments arrived when it strayed from its marketed purpose and its final three episodes could not redeem the overall convoluted Star Wars TV series.
The overarching issue of The Book of Boba Fett‘s first four episodes was that they failed to adequately develop Boba Fett after his shallow characterization and quick death in the original Star Wars original trilogy. Erasing Fett him from his own show and focusing on different characters and storylines may have pleased viewers, but it didn’t fix the show’s core problem. Circling back to Boba’s main conflict in Mos Espa in the finale made the show even more disjointed.
Even though The Book of Boba Fett was meant to align with The Mandalorian and the greater Star Wars universe, The Book of Boba Fett exhibits an inconsistently paced, incoherent narrative that feels lopsided and sees its central character completely overshadowed to the point where he doesn’t even feel important. Din’s storyline further justified the notion that he is, in fact, the lethal bounty hunter that Boba Fett was always supposed to be, which paints a weak picture of The Book of Boba Fett‘s main character. Star Wars should have depicted Grogu’s time with Luke in The Mandalorian season 3, given its irrelevance to The Book of Boba Fett‘s plot.
All in all, the last three episodes did not entirely redeem the show. They were generally more enjoyable than the first four, but, as a whole, The Book of Boba Fett must be deemed a failure on Disney’s part, as it undermined its marketed purpose of finally doing justice to Boba Fett’s character. Fortunately, the opportunity to revisit Fett’s past or continue his story in the future is always there should Disney decide to take a second stab at it.
