The Book of Boba Fett or The Book of the Mandalorian?

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GQ.com

FROM BOUNTY HUNTER TO CRIME LORD: Boba Fett reigns over the people of Tatooine.

Matthew Dimaandal, Photo Editor

“The Book of Boba Fett” appeared to give “Star Wars” fans what they’ve been anticipating for years—the story of a cold, ruthless bounty hunter making his way through the galaxy. Except, Din Jarin (Pedro Pascal), the titular Mandalorian from “The Mandalorian,” outshines Boba Fett when he arrives in later episodes. By bringing Jarin into the plot, the show loses focus from developing  Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) and his adventures after the Sarlac. Despite this misstep, it’s a worthwhile and exciting watch for hardcore Star Wars fans who want to get in on all the lore. 

Boba Fett establishes himself as the newest daimyo of Mos Espa with his right-hand Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) and works to keep hold of their power in the vacuum left after the death of Jabba  With a ragtag group of soldiers consisting of a Wookie, a cybernetic biker gang and Gammoreans, green pig-like humanoids fans will remember as guards for Jabba’s palace, they take on corruption in their city and a powerful spice syndicate. 

 Though the plot often felt stalled by the use of flashbacks in early episodes, they developed Boba Fett from a hardened killer, to a person who values community and respect. One memorable flashback sequence involved Fett living alongside Tusken Raiders and paid off in a satisfying way near the season conclusion. 

The first few episodes focused on monotonous world-building and the political climate of Tatooine, but the return of Din Jarin in episode five shifted from boring space politics to practically a love letter to “Star Wars” fans. Beginning with a fight scene where Din Djarin attempts to use the dark saber, everything within the episode reinvented parts of “Star Wars” that people already loved to create exciting moments for fans. 

It was exciting to see lesser-known characters like Black Krrsantan and beloved characters from the animated “Clone Wars” show like Cad-Bane (Corey Burton) and Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) make their live-action debut and interact with well-established characters like Luke Skywalker and Din Djarin. There was even a reference to Jedi Fallen Order with a BD Droid unit. 

“The Book of Boba Fett” wobbles through uneven story progression and overreliance on beloved “Star Wars” characters to engage the audience but makes for a satisfying binge watch. Cobb Vanth (Timothy Olyphant) and Garsa Fwip (Jennifer Beals) were woefully underused side characters with the potential to develop a rich story around, but the writers instead chose to focus on writing what was really “The Mandalorian” season three.

While future seasons have not yet been announced, Disney would do well to focus on developing new characters and stories instead of revisiting old ones.