The series had its moments of wonder fans of Star Wars have come to expect from this universe, but I found myself being, at times, uninterested when the series focused on Boba Fett and his story. Maybe the legendary bounty hunter was a better character when he was mostly a mystery.

I don’t hate the most recent Disney Star Wars trilogy compared to most people. I mean, The Rise of Skywalker was overly rushed and ultimately disappointing, but I thoroughly enjoyed The Force Awakens, while The Last Jedi, in my opinion, is one of the best Star Wars films ever made. But, I think we can all agree the original trilogy is the best Star Wars has ever been, and I do love Rogue One, all things considered. In fact, it’s the best prequel, and it’s far superior to the boring and cheesy prequel trilogy. With this universe making its way to the small screen via Disney+, I think many fans are all in agreement that Star Wars is in the best place its been in a very long time. The Mandalorian is simply fantastic and I’m incredibly hyped for season three. I was hoping The Book of Boba Fett would deliver the same kind of excitement and quality, and in some ways, it did. I loved the character’s introduction in season two of The Mandalorian and was intrigued by the prospects of learning more about him and what happened to him in the Sarlacc pit when he was sent into it in Return of the Jedi. I don’t know what it is, but I expected a bit more and it doesn’t deliver the same kind of enthralling story-telling The Mandalorian does. Before I dig a bit deeper, I will be going into detail about the series, which may contain some spoilers. If you haven’t seen this series yet, this may be your time to stop reading.

The Book of Boba Fett picks up right where season two of The Mandalorian ends, where we get a post-credits scene of Boba Fett returning to Mos Espa in Tatooine with Fennec Shand and declaring himself the “Daimyo,” which was a position once held by Jabba the Hutt. In a way, he intends to rule with respect and dignity, rather than being a tyrant and a vicious dictator-like savage like Jabba the Hutt. Although this takes place in the present, at least in the setting of the show, The Book of Boba Fett also jumps back in time to show how he escapes the Sarlacc pit and what he was up to until we see him again in The Mandalorian. Surprisingly, the parts where the show goes back into the past is probably my favorite aspect of the show, until, of course, someone else is introduced, but I’ll discuss that in greater detail a bit later.

When Boba Fett encounters the tribe of Tusken Raiders, I really enjoyed that specific dynamic. They treat him like a slave at first, but he quickly earns his keep and, in many ways, finds himself a family, which is something he hasn’t had for a very long time. Being a bounty hunter can be a lonely profession, and it’s obvious he’s at an all time low when he’s out of the pit. Unfortunately, this is probably the only plot development, at least out of the ones that take place in the past, that I actually enjoyed. Just about everything else was a bit uninteresting. I won’t say it’s bad, but mostly a bit disappointing, which is a shame since it could’ve been so much more.

First of all, in some ways, I understand Boba’s intentions and motivations to wanting to be the Daimyo of Mos Espa. He’s had his run-ins with Jabba the Hutt in the past and he knows the kind of savage he was. He knows what he did to the people there and ultimately, he wants the town to thrive and be free of any kind of dictatorship and corruption. At the same time though, there really isn’t any kind of explanation as to why he’s choosing to live this kind of lifestyle now. At the end of the day, he is and always was a bounty hunter. I guess some of his life experiences have changed his tune a bit, but then again, most of the other stories in other films and TV series, unless you’ve read some of the Star Wars novelization, don’t really give you an idea of who Boba Fett is. I’ve never understood the fascination some fans have with Boba Fett either, considering we barely see him at all. You can say it’s unfair to have some preconceived notion about who he is then since there really isn’t anything set in stone about him. The writers, in a sense, had complete freedom to craft a story about him and really show us the kind of person Boba Fett is for the very first time, so I do have to give them credit for that. However, based on what I’ve come to expect from bounty hunters in the Star Wars universe, I found Boba Fett’s story in this series to be borderline uninteresting. In terms of what a bounty hunter is, it also isn’t fair to judge Boba Fett based on that criteria since others, such as Din Djarin, Bo Katan, and many others are all different in their own ways. In a way, it’s a good thing to differentiate them since not everyone is the same. My point still stands though, at least with what’s transpiring in Mos Espa.

I didn’t find myself being much of a fan of any of the new characters either. The saddest, but also the best, thing about this series is it’s at its best when it’s focusing more on The Mandalorian’s stories to come. You can see just how much more entertaining The Book of Boba Fett is when Din Djarin makes his return and is the main focus for two whole episodes. In fact, Boba Fett is completely MIA for two episodes, and it pains me to say this, but I didn’t really miss him. The stories told about him in this series, other than the flashback sequences, didn’t really resonate with me and didn’t make me want to see more of him. I’m starting to think maybe Boba Fett was never meant to be the star of any kind of Star Wars media. It may be a controversial opinion, but what made Boba Fett so appealing is how mysterious he was. There isn’t much on him, as mentioned, so it was always fun to experiment about a bounty hunter in this universe, especially one who has such a cool outward appearance. If anything, I think he’s much better off as a side character who continues to help out others with missions and is involved in dynamic action scenes. When he’s the main focus however, he’s pretty weak as a whole.

To reiterate, the series really took a turn for the better when we see Din Djarin again. He now holds the Darksaber, which is proving to be more complex than I thought since it isn’t as simple as wielding it like any other weapon. You can see him struggling to use it, which opens a pathway for an interesting plot line to come in the future. With his return, we also get some familiar faces, including Luke Skywalker’s return, as well as Ahsoka Tano. And yes, the main attraction, Grogu is back. He’s still as charming as when we last saw him, and the episode where he’s being trained by Luke is my favorite episode in the entire series. I mean, it truly exemplifies what Star Wars is all about, at least to me. It also only further proves my point about why I felt the majority of the series leading up to this point was weak. Another point here, which I feel many people aren’t pointing out, is how this episode shows the greatness of The Last Jedi. However, that’s another topic for some other time. I’m very much looking forward to seeing more of these characters in future projects, especially the Ahsoka series.

Timothy Olyphant’s The Marshall also returns, and he was one of my favorite characters in season two of The Mandalorian. His intro only leads to another highly anticipated introduction, which is Cad Bane. In the Star Wars universe, Cad Bane is considered the deadliest and most ruthless bounty hunter in the galaxy. His appearance gave plenty of old-school western vibes, and his inevitable showdown with Boba Fett in the season finale is spectacular. Speaking more on the season finale, it was a bit over the top, and I understand some of the cheesiness and cringe-worthy moments the fans are complaining about, but I found it to be mostly entertaining and didn’t have many problems with it.

As a whole, I still enjoyed the first season of The Book of Boba Fett, but not for the reasons I hoped. When it focuses on Boba Fett, it’s hit or miss. However, when it digs into the broader aspects of the universe that’s already established, it’s some of the best Star Wars available to watch. For what it’s worth, I don’t agree with the fans who are angry and annoyed about Boba Fett taking a backseat in his own series to Din Djarin. I mean, let’s be honest; this was the best part of the show. If you really think about it, the series is called the “Book” of Boba Fett. I never really saw it as a standalone entirely about the bounty hunter. In many ways, it’s only an extension/chapter of what The Mandalorian already is. I’m not sure if there will be a season two, but if there is, I hope they craft some better stories I can get behind. I still enjoy this character and I think there’s more that can be done with him, but I’m not sure he’s the right character to carry a show entirely on his own. Let’s see if I’m proven wrong in the future.

Score: C+