The Book of Boba Fett, Chapter One Review (4.5/5)

Full disclosure, I watched the episode twice before writing this review. The first viewing I was way too hype afterwards, and I needed a moment to calm down before doing an immediate rewatch and then writing this out. I do believe that while there was less main plotline of the series than I think a lot of people were expecting, it did set a very strong stage for the main series plot, which is very good. I really enjoyed finding out about that gap of about 5 years or so between Return of the Jedi and The Mandalorian where Boba was just in the Sarrlacc pit. I do think that the series opener could have been longer, with maybe a bit more time with Boba and Fennec in the main timeline, but the place where it stopped was a good one. Other than that, I have no real criticisms and give it a 4.5/5. As far as series premiere goes, I did prefer this one to the beginning of The Mandalorian, and Robert Rodriguez did a great job directing this, and I am very much looking forward to more next week.

From the get-go of the episode, I was transfixed. The flashbacks to my favourite Star Wars film, Attack of the Clones (controversial, I know, but I don’t care) with Kamino and the arena part with Boba lifting Jango’s (now his) helmet had me in a chokehold. I was hoping that we were going to get flashbacks to his past, but I thought I was over what happened to Kamino in The Bad Batch finale. It turns out that I was not. The music… Ludwig Goransson outdid himself, just like with the music from The Mandalorian. It grabbed me and didn’t let go. Furthermore, I did like that there were no big cameos in this episode. I hope that we get some really cool big cameos in the future, I enjoy seeing Star Wars characters pop-up and show how awesome the galaxy is, and how sometimes people just show up in places. We got Max Rebo and a dope remix of “Cantina Band” which was awesome, and all I needed in the way of cameos. Is it a cameo if he didn’t say anything? Maybe. Does he ever actually say anything? I don’t know, he wasn’t a super major plot point so I’m not properly counting him. Once he has a bigger role to play, I will count him.

With the lack of dialogue in the first bit of the show, which really does work for me, I was more able to focus on the visuals and the music, both of which were fantastic. Given that there is a theme of Boba note wanting to rule with fear, but with respect, I think it is significant that the first line of dialogue (aside from Jawaese and Tusken) is Boba offering assistance to help the Rodian prisoner escape with him. That was really impactful, and the lack of dialogue in the beginning allowed for the story to be built around Boba without him able to actually impact it because even when he did speak in the Tusken camp, he couldn’t understand the Rodian or the Tuskens, and they didn’t really understand him either. Language is incredibly important to identity, as is having a voice. One of the most important things about the Clones in Star Wars media is their building of identity and how this impacts them. As a clone, Boba has had more of a solid and individual identity than many of the other clones that we know, but losing any ability to have that identity would be very hard for him. I also really enjoy the establishment of his identity as a leader and how he spared the Gamorreans, despite Fennec’s council. He wants to stand out as a leader by ruling with respect, showing mercy where he can, and the Gamorreans fought hard for him when the would-be assassins came along, which shows the value of his mercy. I don’t know if Gamorreans have a culture where a life debt is an important thing to them, but if so, that would be really amazing and would build Gamorreans up to be so much more than we have seen them be previous Star Wars stories.

Now to the Tuskens. I am very glad that the Tuskens seem to be playing a crucial role, as it is set on their home planet of Tatooine. I was scared at the beginning that the Tuskens were going to be built up as bad because that’s a thing with classic Star Wars, but no. The small Tusken child and the ending really did go a long way, and the humanization of the Tuskens that has been happening in more recent stories is very important to me. Boba building a strong relationship with the Indigenous people of Tatooine is probably going to be really important to the story and how he intends to rule with respect. I hope that The Book of Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi continue to build a better image of the Tuskens in Star Wars. I did enjoy  the single combat between Boba and the Tusken Clan leader though, because it reminded me very much of the Kenobi Legends novel. The Tusken child is probably my new favourite character, and I hope that nothing bad happens to them. When I tell you I was terrified that the horrible giant monster would eat them, it’s legit.

Quick recap of the other things that I very much enjoyed. The suit up scene was fantastic. I would watch several hours of Mandalorians of all types putting on their Beskar like that. It was beautiful, and something that I’ve always wanted to see. No more Superheroes suiting up, only Boba Fett suiting up. Temuera Morrison in the bacta tank, shirtless, was also very much a highlight. He is a very handsome man, and myself and my friends very much enjoyed it. The battle with the would-be assassins where Boba was taking them out? Yes. Very, very much held me captive to the screen. It was a lot of thirst trap moments, which I deeply appreciate. The male Twi’lek in the cantina… with the ear cones. Another trans Twi’lek to add to my list. Thank you very much for that, Book of Boba Fett. I hope to see my new trans king again soon. Please. Again, in the cantina, Madam Garsa and the way she talked to Boba, you cannot convince me that she didn’t want a little bit of action from Boba and Fennec. Why else would she only offer to have the Gamorreans serviced while they were, ahem, ‘sequestered away’? I hope that it goes somewhere, maybe not in the way that I’m thinking, but it would be nice.

Some questions that I had during the episode that I would like to see answered: Was that the Skywalker-Lars homestead? How did that Stormtrooper end up in the Sarrlacc pit? When will I see the beautiful Twi’lek, Madam Garsa, again? Who were those would-be assassins? Also, what was that sand creature that Boba killed? I have a feeling that a couple of these might not be answered, and that is okay with me, but we’re probably going to get the answer to the question about the assassins, now that Fennec has captured one of them. I do love that she kicked the other one off the building though, that was nice. She should be allowed to do one killing per episode, at least.

In conclusion, I enjoyed this premiere episode so very much, cannot wait for next week. You probably shouldn’t have read this review if you haven’t watched the episode, but if you did, go watch the episode. And for those of you that read this after watching, go watch it again. It’s so good. I’m just going to wait until an appropriate amount of time passes before watching it for a third time.