'The Book of Boba Fett takes place immediately after the events of The Mandalorian season two finale; Boba and Fennec have solidified their position as the new daimyo of Mos Espa after killing Jabba the Hutt. Boba spends long hours in the Bacta tank recovering from battle damage while spending limited time showing face and solidifying relationships throughout Mos Espa. While in the Bacta tank, we are shown many flashback moments that fill in the blanks and tell us what Boba was up to for the five years after the Sarlacc pit. Without his armor and his ship, Boba lived with the Tuskans, trained with them and learned to live a new life without being the galaxy's greatest bounty hunter. This backstory was crucial to understanding who Boba is right now, a man who very rarely wears his helmet. After the death of the Tuskans, he reverted to his past self to seek out revenge but then was left a man with an identity crisis. After living a new life for five years, you can not blame Boba for wanting to live a different life. This new Boba who does not want to work for anyone or wear his helmet and most importantly, willing to show mercy.
When not in the Bacta tank, Boba is slowly building his team to fight against the Pyke syndicate. The Pykes have been invading Tatooine for years and smuggling spice through the planet. After a few episodes of healing and building a backstory for Boba and the Pykes, Boba is ready to fight the Pykes head on. He recruits the Mods of Mos Espa, Krrsantan and Din Djarin to fight against the Pyke Syndicate and Cade Bane.
The first half of the season was well written, paced perfectly and built up the story against the Pykes really well but the show took an interesting turn half way through. Din Djarin's return to the screen did not just come in the form of help right away, the show dedicated almost two full episodes to the fan favorite Mandalorian. Yes, These two episodes were absolutely incredible Star Wars stories and the best episodes of the season but DIn stole the spotlight from Boba mid story and completely derailed the threat of the Pykes as his quest took priority. When Fennec appears asking Din for help, he says he will help Boba for free but he needs to do something first. This lack of urgency from Fennec lowers the overall threat level. This is not me being ungrateful because as a Star Wars fan, I am grateful for the Incredible episodes but from a storytelling perspective, they could have saved the Luke & Grogu scenes for the first episode of Mandalorian season Three. Din did play an integral part of the battle and is in a very similar position to Boba. Din and Boba are both having their own identity crises; both want a different life but are conflicted with what the galaxy has in store for them.
The show has one other issue and that is a lack of a main adversary. The leader of the Pyke Syndicate does not look to be a physical threat to Boba so he does not bring enough weight to the final battle as the plot develops. Cade Bane shows up in the form of that direct threat but his presence only serves as a filler and fan service. He should have been teased much earlier in the season to build up the eventual finale.
The first season of The Book of Boba Fett was a fantastic addition to the expanded Star Wars live action universe. After so many years, it gave us a much needed backstory to the fan favorite character. It also furthered the story of Din and Grogu that we will see continue in season three of the Mandalorian.
Overall: 3.5 out of 5
Review Contributor: Stefano Bove