WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Episode 7 of The Book of Boba Fett “Chapter 7: In The Name of Honor,” streaming now on Disney+.
With the first season now in the rear view mirror it is clear that the two best episodes of the initial seven were “Chapter 5: Return of the Mandalorian” and “Chapter 6: From the Desert Comes a Stranger.” Encompassing a brutal decapitation, training with the Darksaber, again, a cinematic halo ring world, a customized new starfighter, the building of a new Jedi temple, Padawan training and cameos galore, those two chapters felt situated as The Mandalorian season three prequels rather than an exploration of Mos Espa and the power vacuum dynamics of Tatooine.
The most resonant problem however with these two incredible episodes is that Boba Fett was only present for a combined 60 seconds between the two and had zero lines of dialogue, falling back on the scarcity that made him so popular in the first place. The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi weren’t based around him specifically and so his role didn’t need to do anymore than rely on his exceedingly cool armor and quiet mystery. The fanbase has always clamored for additional opportunities to see the bounty hunter in action, especially in a live action format, but in his case the adage less is more certainly rings true.
As the final season ends Boba Fett seems to have come to the conclusion that neither he nor Shand are suited to the life of a regional governor with ties to the underworld and the line could easily be deployed as a synopsis of the role he plays within his own show. Fett sits on a throne usurped from his predecessor Bib Fortuna but from the very beginning he seemed to only be interested in it because it was in his line of sight. After recovering his ship there seemed to be very little that would keep the former bounty hunter tethered to Tattooine, especially since the destruction of his adopted Tusken family. After donning the role he couldn’t collect his tribute efficiently, he was told to his face that he had not earned the respect of those who should fear him and he was entirely unaware of the players that made up the Mos Espan power brokerage.
In general the show gives him very little to do and no agency to accomplish anything worthwhile. None of the stratagems are his and they don’t seem to fulfill anything he actually desires. Fett is continually led by the nose attempting to traverse one hurdle after another in a game of small stakes. The surrounding community that he enforces carries very little weight in regards to the overall narrative so there is no place to store sympathies and little to cheer lead. Even the Hutts who have a claim to the palace and the associated deference of daimyo lose interest quickly and decide early on that the place holds no value for them given the Pikes and their protectorate securing spice routes and clientele.
As a result any time spent on screen, by any character who is working toward a goal they seem invested in, automatically trumps whatever Fett is contemplating to do later. Fennec Shand is the one who takes out the Pike leadership and the heads of the three families, earning her street cred as the master of master assassins. Despite his braggadocio of vast wealth Fett seems entirely incapable of purchasing a mercenary force of any kind to help defend the city or bribe for his own set of betrayals. It is the Marshall of Freetown’s sacrifice and Din Djarin’s relationships that even allow for foot soldiers of any kind. He is caught completely off guard when the negotiated truce, made by criminals who were transparent in that they did not recognize any fealty to him, disintegrates before his eyes with everything on the line. No contingency is ever planned for and even routine tasks feel cumbersome to a man with a deadly reputation who seems to have lost more than a step.
During the final showdown between him and Cad Bane it is clear that Bane is the superior in every way. Bane isn’t defeated by Fett as much as he is bested by the age old trope of speechifying while in point blank range of your opponent. There is no buoyancy to the final kill, no pent up joy or relish in Fett’s awkward victory. Only a vague lingering disappointment that this is the end of Cad Bane’s story after so much exhilaration generated by his live action debut. Many of these scene stealers are living up to the expectations rooted in the emotional reservoir deposited amongst them for so many years, in some cases decades and Fett is unique in that he does not rise to the occasion. In part because although The Book of Boba Fett is more graphic in its violence than some of its predecessors, Fett himself comes across as indecisively milquetoast.
Boba subverts at every turn the obligations that have been laid at his feet by fans who never had much to base their fandom on. There is no killer that must be restrained from using disintegration rays, nor is there someone savvy enough to camouflage his ship in the flotsam dump of another so that when its prey expectantly uses it as a means of escape he is right there angling for the kill. There is only a tired old man who is willing to be told what to do and how to do it and doesn’t accomplish either with any remarkable skill or memorable style. The galaxy seems to have passed him by and even when given the tribute of his own dedicated platform, one simply waits for the real star to saunter past and soak up the adulation that should be his by right, but is actually anyone other than him.
To see Boba Fett get lost among the crowd, The Book of Boba Fett season one is streaming now on Disney+.
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