This article contains spoilers for The Book of Boba Fett episode 6.
Boba Fett has completely lost his own Star Wars story in a stream of cameos in The Book of Boba Fett. Introduced in The Empire Strikes Back as one of the galaxy's foremost bounty hunters, Boba Fett was presented as a true force to be reckoned with. For all that's the case, though, he didn't exactly fare well in Return of the Jedi when George Lucas decided to wrap up the original trilogy and kill Boba Fett off in the least spectacular fashion imaginable.
Lucasfilm has brought the bounty hunter back, revealing Boba Fett escaped the Sarlacc. Disney+'s TV show The Book of Boba Fett has revealed how he survived that grim fate, and it has seen Boba attempt to reinvent himself as a crime boss - tired of working for power-hungry men who would waste his life on absurd quests, eager to gain some independence in the criminal underworld. In theory the story should be a compelling one, a tale of transformation in which Boba Fett restructures the sprawling criminal empire that once belonged to Jabba the Hutt. And yet, for all that's the case, The Book of Boba Fett isn't quite pulling it off.
In truth, the problems have been there from the beginning. A series like The Book of Boba Fett requires a laserlike focus, and that's been absent from the show ever since the first episode. The problems have been compounded over episodes 5 and 6, as the show has drifted away from its ostensible star. Now, Boba Fett has effectively become a cameo in his own Disney+ TV series.
It's first necessary to acknowledge that The Book of Boba Fett has never really committed to Boba Fett's story. The first four episodes were far more interested in flashbacks explaining his past growth as a character; how he survived the Sarlacc, was taken in by the Tuskens, and learned he needed to have a clan of his own. It's true the narrative was compelling, fleshing out Tusken culture and society in a remarkable way; but the focus on this past story meant Boba Fett's present day was never explored. When Boba Fett killed Bib Fortuna, he supposedly took over a vast criminal empire; and yet he seems to have only inherited two Gamorreans as muscle, and a single major credit-making business (that, as of episode 6, has been destroyed). The former bounty hunter was forced to recruit a random group of swoop racers to work for him, while episode 6 clearly set up the citizens of Freetown coming to Boba's rescue in his war with the Pyke Syndicate. Frankly, it's still unclear what Boba Fett actually does as a crime boss in the first place; he seems to sit on a throne, receiving occasional tributes and going for strolls every now and again. It's as though The Book of Boba Fett just isn't particularly interested in Boba Fett's new status quo.
Boba Fett didn't even appear in episode 5, which was instead dedicated entirely to Din Djarin and explored the consequences of The Mandalorian season 2. Viewers had expected a cameo from Mando, but instead he effectively became the lead, as he was banished from the Mandalorian sect he had grown up in and returned to Tatooine to get a new spaceship. While it is true there are thematic parallels between Din Djarin's story and Boba Fett's, these were underdeveloped, and it led to the feeling that episode 5 was something of a tangent - one rather more interesting than the main story, featuring a more compelling lead. Unfortunately it felt as though the writers and showrunners agreed.
The end of The Book of Boba Fett episode 5 sent Din Djarin back to Luke Skywalker, with Mando hoping to give Grogu a gift of Beskar armor. Remarkably, episode 6 continued on this tangent - and went even further with it, devoting a large amount of time to Luke Skywalker's training of Grogu and his reflections on whether the diminutive Force-sensitive was truly committed to the ways of the Jedi. Again, it was exciting viewing, appealing to nostalgia by inverting Yoda's training of Luke in The Empire Strikes Back while playing fan-service with the construction of Luke Skywalker's ill-fated Jedi Temple. Critics of Luke's portrayal in Star Wars: The Last Jedi are especially enthused, because they finally get to see Luke at the height of his powers. And yet, as enjoyable as episode 6 may have, the bulk of it was fan-service that contributed nothing to Boba Fett's story. Not only did the main character not appear in episode 5 - he only had a cameo in episode 6.
It doesn't help that The Book of Boba Fett episode 6 was packed with other cameos. Timothy Olyphant reprised the role of Cobb Vanth, the Marshal of Mos Pelgo - now renamed Freetown - who had worn Boba Fett's armor for a time. Pedro Pascal's Din Djarin and the puppet Grogu played major roles. Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker got the star treatment, with the (unnecessary) addition of Rosario Dawson's Ahsoka added in as a bit of fan-service - and denying viewers the opportunity to see the first meeting between Luke and his father's old Padawan, an almost unforgivable storytelling choice that will surely be corrected in flashbacks in the upcoming Ahsoka series. All these cameos created the sense The Book of Boba Fett has become about continuing the story of the post-Return of the Jedi galaxy, with Boba only serving as one of the key players.
Boba Fett has seldom been portrayed as the deepest character in the Star Wars galaxy. Ironically, that should have meant The Book of Boba Fett was an opportunity for Lucasfilm to flesh him out, exploring his hidden depths and showing viewers what makes the fearsome ex-bounty-hunter tick. There's an interesting idea in his new status quo, the former gun-for-hire trying to reinvent himself as a crime lord, but Lucasfilm don't seem willing to commit to that character and that story. Instead, they're far more interested in the cameos, who are increasingly dominating the series; Din Djarin and Grogu are having more notable character arcs in the present day than Boba Fett himself, and Boba increasingly lacks agency in his war against the Pykes.
The Cad Bane cameo at the end of episode 6 hopefully means there'll be something for Boba Fett to do in the finale of his own Disney+ TV series; Cad Bane is Boba Fett's old mentor, so they're presumably going to have a showdown. But even this is unsatisfying, because only viewers who are familiar with the history between the two will care about it. This is even more frustrating given The Book of Boba Fett has spent so much time on flashbacks - meaning that, in narrative terms, the show could have actually set up the dynamic between Cad Bane and Boba Fett by showing how Boba began.
Something has clearly gone wrong with The Book of Boba Fett. At heart, the issue is one of focus; the writers simply aren't engaged with Boba Fett's new status quo, spending the first half of the series exploring Tusken culture and society and the second half revealing what's going on with other characters. Episode 6 illustrated the problem perfectly, attempting to use fan-service to obscure its lack of focus. In narrative terms, it means Boba Fett himself doesn't feel like a power-player, but rather like a secondary character in other people's stories. It's ironic that this is exactly what he was in The Empire Strikes Back - but not what The Book of Boba Fett was supposed to treat him as. At the moment, the main arc appears to belong to Din Djarin and Grogu, upending The Mandalorian season 2 by bringing them back together so season 3 can maintain its core dynamic. Sadly, this leaves The Book of Boba Fett's second half increasing feeling like The Mandalorian season 2.5.
The Book of Boba Fett finale releases Wednesday 9 February, 2022 on Disney+.
