by Alex Braun ‘23

After Season 2 of the Disney+ show The Mandalorian, many viewers, including myself, were left wanting more. To the viewer’s apparent misfortune, the season ended in a way that made it seem like the series finale: Grogu was going to be trained by Luke Skywalker, Mando (Pedro Pascal) had the Darksaber, and they were parting ways. Although it seemed like a resolution, luckily, it wasn’t, and an announcement of The Book of Boba Fett coming in 2021, was placed in the finale’s credits.

I approached the show not sure what to expect. I didn’t know whether it would be a separate show all together or a 3rd season of The Mandalorian, just under a different name. It turned out to be a mixture of both. The Book of Boba Fett  shares the same amazing cinematography, action, and entertaining storylines as the show’s predecessor, but is now centered around an entirely different set of characters. Rather than following Din Djarin- known by fans as The Mandalorian- and Grogu – known by fans as Baby Yoda-  the show follows Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) and his right hand woman Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen). 

The Book of Boba Fett follows Boba Fett as the new crime boss of a city on Tatooine called Mos Espa. In each episode he encounters some sort of antagonist that aims to take away his power. Although this may seem formulaic, it is never boring and each episode keeps the viewer entertained. Characters that fans may already know and love appear, and the story is always moving with barely any objectively “boring” parts. While facing these conflicts, the viewer does get a glimpse into the Backstory of Boba Fett through flashbacks, including revealing what happened after Star Wars: Return of the Jedi when he was thought to have died.

Starting at episode 4, characters from The Mandalorian start to come back into the story. Mando develops his own storyline and viewers are treated to scenes of Grogu training to be a Jedi. Overall, the spin-off series ends up essentially setting up a 3rd season of The Mandalorian, and I could not be happier. This season lacked some elements that made the originaln series so enjoyable like the lighthearted and humorous interactions between Mando and Grogu.

As was the case with The Mandalorian, the score for The Book of Boba Fett was excellently composed and instantly recognizable to anyone who has watched even just one episode of the show. Overall, the spin-off series  achieves its  two main goals: to give  backstory and character development to Boba Fett and to set up a 3rd season of The Mandalorian. It surely succeeded in getting me excited for what comes next in the overlapping storylines of the two shows. 

Grade: B+