YMMV / The Book of Boba Fett

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• Alternative Character Interpretation:
  • Boba Fett's motivations could be that he's trying to be a Reasonable Authority Figure after having gone through the experience of getting eaten as well as enslaved (in that order) due to the stupidity of Jabba, and wants to provide a place for himself and people like him on Tatooine. He may also be motivated by Pragmatic Villainy, as his body was utterly wrecked by his experiences, and he's not at the top of his game anymore. While still badass, he may be becoming a crime lord as a way to provide himself a retirement plan when he previously didn't have one.
    • This article posits that Boba is an incompetent Villain Protagonist who succeeds thanks to his cooler allies and sheer dumb luck. He doesn’t really care about the people of Mos Espa, only using them as justification for what he’s doing.
    • Or alternatively, it's less that Boba has suffered Badass Decay, but that he's simply out of his element; while he has been involved with crime syndicates before, it was always as a hired gun, not as the one calling the shots. While he has led others before, they were always small teams of fellow bounty hunters and mercenaries that he was working directly with, not sent after people while he stayed in his palace like Jabba and the Pykes did. Not helping matters is that for his whole childhood, he was trained specifically to be a hired gun by his father and other bounty hunters instead of anything bigger, and most of the help he gets as Daimyo are either fellow bounty hunters, street thugs, or former underlings and subservient droids, who would likely all be as inexperienced in running a criminal enterprise as he is. So while he's shown to have a surprising knack for it, considering how his approach earns him the Undying Loyalty of his subordinates and he ultimately claims Mos Espa as his territory, it's very likely that he's hindered by the steep learning curve his new ambition has sent his way.
  • Just how loyal is Fennec? Is she motivated by an Undying Loyalty to Fett for saving her life, a Pragmatic Villainy with the realization that she has nowhere else to go following the Empire's destruction (and a bounty on her head), or perhaps something more?
    • "The Gathering Storm" reveals that Fennec is technically no longer in Boba's debt, as Boba agreed to let her go once she helped him recover his ship from Jabba's Palace. After he asked where she wanted to be dropped off, she told him she'll "go along for the ride", and later accepted Boba's job offer when he declared he wanted to start his own house, despite saying that she prefers her freedom. She's staying with him by choice, but her motivations are still somewhat clouded.
  • Many have inferred that Cad Bane has now become a Death Seeker deliberately, wanting to go out in one last blaze of glory. This is theorized due to him still being in a highly lethal business at such an advanced age, (which is lampshaded by Boba, who bluntly calls him an old man, and, canonically-speaking, Cad is pushing 70 at this point, which for his species is the equivalent of a human being 90-100 years old). Furthermore, he's constantly prodding towards Boba, refuses to go for a kill-shot when it would be the most logical thing to do, and shows only mild irritation when facing down a Rancor of all things.
  • This article suggests that Luke planned for Grogu to reject Jedi training with his ultimatum, citing Grogu's speculated PTSD as a major roadblock that won't let him commit to it fully, and bringing up how Luke would be Taught by Experience that the traditional Jedi ways aren't wholly necessary to become a capable Jedi, allowing Grogu to discover his own way to becoming a Jedi.
• Ass Pull: Cobb Vanth's survival has been seen like this. Despite killing off Bane, the show still couldn't pass up a fake-out death of a popular character.
• Badass Decay: Despite still having a few awesome moments, some fans criticized Boba Fett for being weaker and less intelligent than usual. Despite The Mandalorian appearing to defy the notion that the One-Man Army suffered severe physical and mental damage after falling into the Sarlacc, he leaves the brains of his criminal empire to Fennec while also leaving the brawn to Fennec, the Mods, and Black Krrsantan, leaving Boba himself seeming woefully inadequate next to his companions.
• Broken Base:
  • Whether the Mandalorian and Grogu should have been included in the series or not. Their episodes are generally considered the best of the series; however this series it is called The Book of Boba Fett. As such there are some who feel that the focus should have remained on Boba Fett, which would have given more time and attention to develop his crew and conflict with the Pykes. Instead they all end up sidelined by what is essentially The Mandalorian Season 2.5, which also creates a Continuity Lockout for Mandalorian fans as they will now be forced to watch Book of Boba Fett in order to see the reunion of Mando and Grogu. Another camp believes they would've felt fine with Mando appearing in Boba Fett if he and Grogu didn't steal Boba's spotlight so often, and remained separated until The Mandalorian Season 3, especially since some of the stories ultimately chosen for the latter don't give the clan much focus or character development.
  • Whether or not the N-1 Starfighter provides a worthy successor to the Razor Crest. Since the former is smaller, some viewers lament that it feels less homey than the Razor Crest, and point out that Mando can't fit as many bounties on it. Others like its slick design and "wizard" speed, and suggest that since Mando has learned that there's more to life than bounty hunting, he doesn't need room for bounties on his ship anymore.
  • The moment in which Luke makes Grogu choose between him and the Mandalorian earned some praise for letting the Child choose his own future, considering both he and Mando both seemed to regard Jedi Training as something Grogu must do, rather than something he would like to do. On the other side of the base, viewers who find it unwise of Anakin's teachers to treat attachments as harmful disagree with Luke requiring Grogu to sever his ties with Mando in order to continue training.
• Catharsis Factor: After getting away with mass murder, torture, and child kidnapping, Cad Bane dying to Boba in a final duel brought nothing short of much relief for many longtime fans. Even better is that he died to a Jango Fett clone after spending years killing clones.
• Continuity Lockout:
  • Not very prevalent at first (though you might want to have first watched Return of the Jedi at some point), but starting at Chapter 5 and onward, the series assumes you have at least watched the first two seasons of The Mandalorian.
  • Cad Bane's name isn't spoken in Chapter 6, and in Chapter 7, it is only mentioned once by Boba in an offhand manor. In fact, his appearance comes completely out of nowhere and his supposed past history with Boba is not elaborated on much. It seems that the writers assumed that most viewers have seen Star Wars: The Clone Wars (including unfinished scenes showing Bane mentoring a young Boba) and/or Star Wars: The Bad Batch, where the character properly introduced himself to Omega.
• Ensemble Dark Horse:
  • Despite not having any dialogue or even names, Boba's two Gamorrean bodyguards were a big hit with fans for their Undying Loyalty and saving Boba's skin on multiple occasions. Many viewers were saddened by their deaths in the season finale.
  • A lot of fans love Boba Fett's Bantha, being a cool practical effect and bringing a kinder side to Boba.
• Epileptic Trees: Concerning which characters from other Star Wars works might make a guest-star appearance. Unlike The Mandalorian Season 2's guest stars, Lucasfilm did a very good job preventing them from leaking out.
  • Bossk and Dengar came up in hypothetical explanations for Boba Fett's escape from the Sarlacc Pit; Bossk due to befriending Boba in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and Dengar due to rescuing Boba in the Star Wars Legends continuity.
  • Omega became a candidate after Star Wars: The Bad Batch revealed her as both Jango Fett's only other genetically unaltered clone, and a recurring target of Fennec Shand.
  • Leaks from August 2021 teased Cad Bane, who dueled Boba in a deleted scene from The Clone Wars Season 7, and fought Fennec in The Bad Batch episode #9. Confirmed as of Chapter 6.
  • Lucasfilm treating this series as "The Mandalorian Season 2.5" got hopes rising that Mandalorian protagonist Din Djarin would appear, which Chapter 5 would ultimately fulfill. In the meantime, Pedro Pascal and especially his stuntman Lateef Crowder added fuel to the fire by liking and/or sharing Boba Fett news online, and the end of Chapter 4 was a very strong hint:
    Fennec Shand: Credits can buy muscle, if you know where to look... (cue the Mandalorian leitmotif)
  • Several of Pedro Pascal's fans, including Total Film reporter Jordan Farley, claim to have heard him in the trailer, stating, "I know that you sit on the throne of your former employer." However, Robert Rodriguez took credit for the line instead. Ironically, Din does say the words "your former employer" in Chapter 5^note "If you do me the honor of letting me pass, you all can help yourselves to whatever you think you deserve from your former employer.", leaving some fans to guess that the trailer spliced two characters' lines together.
  • Cobb Vanth seemed possible after Timothy Olyphant appeared on Conan in May 2021, while Boba Fett was still filming, sporting the same hairstyle as when he played Vanth in The Mandalorian Chapter 9. He does return in Chapter 6, but is sadly wounded by Cad Bane.
  • After his cameo in the second season of The Mandalorian, some fans were hoping for another appearance by Luke Skywalker himself. He appears in From the Desert Comes a Stranger, in the midst of training Grogu in the ways of the Force.
  • Rumors began to swirl that Harrison Ford might reprise his role as Han Solo. He did not.
  • Rumours of Emilia Clarke reprising her role of Qi'ra from Solo had been circulating since the Pykes started to make prominent appearances in the series. She didn't make an appearance either.
  • A non-cameo related one, but a few fans like to theorize or outright believe that the N-1 Naboo Starfighter that Peli acquires, and then fixes up with the help of Din, is the same one Anakin used from way back in The Phantom Menace. Further increasing fans' belief in this is the fact that Din's test run of the Starfighter has him going through Beggar's Canyon, which was the very same canyon Anakin Skywalker went through in the Boonta Eve Classic Podrace. Although, with closer examination, the registry on the cockpit isn't the same, so this seems unlikely.
• Fanfic Fuel: Cad Bane being shown to be active well after the fall of the Empire opened the door for fic writers to depict what he’s been up to since his last canonical appearance in The Bad Batch — such as his whereabouts when Vader summoned the best bounty hunters in the galaxy to hunt the Millennium Falcon.
• Fan Nickname:
  • Following the reveal of Jabba's kitchen droid in Chapter 4, the droid almost immediately became known as "Kitchen Grievous" or "Chef Cleavus" after it spun its many knives around like Grievous did his lightsabers.
  • Some fans affectionately refer to the Tusken Warrior woman as "Mama Tusken".
  • Chapter 5 is often referred to as "The Book of The Mandalorian" due to the episode focusing on Din Djarin and Boba not appearing at all, feeling more like an episode of The Mandalorian. Chapter 6 is similarly referred to as "The Book of Everyone But Boba Fett".
• Fandom-Specific Plot: Pre-release speculation about Din teaming up with Boba again inspired stories and fanart of Din suffering the equivalent of Empty Nest syndrome after parting ways with Grogu, resulting in him experiencing nervous breakdowns while attempting to help out Boba's gang, and/or Boba lending his palace as a place for Din to cry out all of his stress.
• Harsher in Hindsight: Any instance of this show freezing Boba Fett's arc to set up the chance of Din Djarin reluctantly ruling Mandalore feels even more awkward after The Mandalorian Season 3 repeatedly let other characters steal the spotlight from Din and Grogu, in episodes less-acclaimed than "Return of the Mandalorian". Also, Din never takes over Mandalore, after losing the Darksaber.
• He's Just Hiding:
  • In Chapter 3, Boba doesn't find the Tusken Warrior among the bodies left behind after an attack by the Kintan Striders, leaving some of the show's more optimistic viewers to ponder if she escaped.
  • Despite being impaled through the chest by Boba's gaffi stick on-screen, some refuse to believe that Cad Bane is really dead, especially since the lights on his cybernetics are still flashing after he dies, and Star Wars has a habit of bringing characters back after their supposed deaths, including the series' own protagonist.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: Peli echoes "Baby Yoda" fans' sentiments when she exclaims that Grogu has "a terrible name", then refuses to ever say it again. After The Mandalorian Season 3, this also resonates with fans who refuse to call the Child, "Din Grogu".
• Ho Yay:
  • Once again, Din Djarin and Cobb Vanth have conversations that sound flirtatious out of context. Pedro Pascal acknowledged this on Valentine's Day 2022 — less than a week after Season 1 ended — by sharing some romantic Dincobb fanart in an Instagram story.
    Vanth: See, that's what I like about you, Mando. That big smile of yours lets you get away with anything.
  • Drash's admiring smile after Fennec saves her life and Fennec's flirty-sounding response can feel like the beginning of a Rescue Romance.
    Drash: Thank you.
    Fennec: Manners! I like that. You're welcome. [rides off]
  • Later on, Drash also has some sparks with Jo, a young woman from Freetown, who joins her on a sniping mission.
• I Knew It!:
  • Fans correctly guessed that Din Djarin would appear in this series, as would Cad Bane, Cobb Vanth, and Luke Skywalker.
  • Almost no one bought the explanation that the Tuskens that Boba lived with were killed by a lowly speed biker gang like the Kintan Striders. Many believed that it was the Pykes who did it, because they had both the resources and the motive to kill this particular tribe of Tuskens. Sure enough, in the season finale, the Pyke leader reveals this to be the case to Cad Bane.
  • Many correctly predicted that Cad Bane's appearance in this series meant that this would be his last adventure, and that he would be killed by Boba Fett as promised in an unfinished episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, symbolically to Boba's gaffi stick rather than his blasters.
  • Many fans also correctly predicted that the empty astromech port would be Grogu's seat on Din's N-1.
• Improved Second Attempt:
  • The depiction of the Trandoshans in the second episode of The Mandalorian was panned due to them clearly being actors wearing makeup and minor prosthetics, barely looking like distinctly alien reptiles. This series depicts Trandoshans with extensive masks that restores their natural appearance and are amplified with CGI for when they emote and speak.
  • When the Pykes were depicted in live-action for the first time in Solo, some felt that their designs were too unrecognizable from the Pykes seen in The Clone Wars (even accounting for necessary live-action design differences), with only Quay Tolsite having a design that was somewhat recognizable (and concept art for what he looked like under his suit had him looking even closer to the Pyke species' animated appearances). The Book of Boba Fett addresses this by referencing the Solo concept art, giving them designs more recognizable to fans of the cartoons (albeit with notable differences), while accounting for having to be played by live actors and be practical for stuntwork.
  • Some fans weren't fond of the Sarlacc having a beak digitally-added to it in the 1997 Special Edition of Return of the Jedi, if only because the addition felt like a superfluous attempt at making it seem more alive. This series finds a compromise between its original and current design by keeping its beak retracted while dormant, making it look like the original design at first. In the fourth episode, it reveals the beak as part of a Jump Scare and is used in a more immediately intimidating fashion.
  • While many fans were happy to see Luke return in The Mandalorian, it was agreed that the de-aging CG technology was... lacking. Now, Luke shows up here, and, while still not perfect, the CGI has improved significantly to the point where he's able to carry most of the episode, instead of being restricted to a small cameo.
  • Chapter 6 also features the second live-action appearance of Ahsoka Tano, whose debut in The Mandalorian — while awesome — got some mixed reactions due to the questionable prosthetic quality, as well as being portrayed by Rosario Dawson instead of Ashley Eckstein. Her lekku and montrals, while still a bit stiff, look more natural this time around, and Dawson's body language and vocal delivery are closer to Ahsoka's portrayal in the animated shows.
• It's Short, So It Sucks!: Book of Boba Fett Season 1 has only 7 episodes, whereas The Mandalorian Season 1 had 8. Subsequently, there was less time devoted to character development and world-building in The Book of Boba Fett. It also doesn't help that 2 of the 7 episodes detour into being season 2.5 of The Mandalorian, affording the show even less screen time to focus on Boba.
• Just Here for Godzilla: Some of the viewers who found Season 1's main plot too slow-paced and under-developed instead found themselves drawn to the show by the return of the Mandalorian and/or Fennec Shand to Disney+.
• Like You Would Really Do It: Considering how popular he had become, as well as their relationship being the driving force of his show, it was unlikely Grogu and Din would be kept apart for long, especially considering what happens to Luke's Jedi order in the sequel trilogy. Sure enough, Season 1 ends with Grogu deciding to go back to him, and the two of them fly off towards new adventures.
• Lost in Medias Res:
  • It was clear from Ahsoka Tano's conversation with Din Djarin in The Mandalorian episode "The Jedi" that she was not acquainted with Luke Skywalker. In this series, she is acquainted with him, and knows all about his Jedi Academy.
  • A similar problem pops up with Cad Bane's relationship with Boba. The two characters have never actually interacted onscreen because the Cad/Boba arc was planned for the original and unmade seventh season of The Clone Wars. The "storied rivalry" they have with each other is entirely Word of God.
• Magnificent Bastard: See here.
• Memetic Badass: Fennec Shand is, not entirely inaccurately, reputed in the fandom as Boba's Hypercompetent Sidekick and 99% of his organization's entire fighting power.
• Memetic Loser: Boba Fett himself in the eyes of some fans, due to his seemingly being overshadowed by others, and the fact that he becomes Out of Focus in two episodes of his own show. Notably, the show, along with Boba's appearance in The Mandalorian before it, was supposed to undo the Memetic Loser status Boba gained from his ignominous "death" in Return of the Jedi, but whether it succeeded is up for debate.
• Memetic Mutation: Has its own page.
• Moral Event Horizon:
  • In Chapter 7, it's revealed that the Pykes were the real culprits behind the Tusken massacre, and they framed the Kintan Striders just to throw Boba Fett off their trail. Not only did the Pyke Syndicate commit an act of genocide, but they did it behind Boba's back after they promised to give protection money to the Tuskens, and then tricked Boba into murdering relatively "innocent" people. When Boba Fett is told of this by Cad Bane, he becomes so enraged that he swears to fertilize the soil of Tatooine with the blood of every Pyke on this planet.
  • The crime families of Mos Espa cross this by attacking Boba Fett and his forces despite promising to stay neutral in a conflict that concerns the Pykes and Boba alone. One particular attack sees the violent death of the two brave and loyal Gammorean guards that Boba spared and offered work to. For this heinous act of betrayal, Boba sends Fennec Shand to ruthlessly assassinate the heads of the crime families, along with the Pyke boss, in one fell swoop.
• Most Wonderful Sound:
  • The audio for the beginning of this preview plays the blast of a seismic charge whenever it cuts to a new clip. In Chapter 4, it's used to kill the Sarlacc that ate Boba.
  • Chapter 4 sets off some Mandalorian woodwinds when Boba sees some flares launching into the sky, and again at the end, when Fennec hints at the "muscle" they can potentially hire for their upcoming battles.
  • Slave I's distinct engine sound roars to life as she flies free once again after Boba and Fennec liberate her from Fortuna's palace in Chapter 4. And who could forget the iconic and amazing sound of the ship's seismic charge? While muffled, it still sounds as powerful as it always has when it explodes in the mouth of the same Sarlacc that ate Boba.
  • As Din starts up the newly restored and customized Naboo starfighter that he and Peli worked on, it roars to life with the same familiar and nostalgic sound that it used when it was first introduced in The Phantom Menace.
  • Chapter 6 features legendary voice actor Corey Burton reprising his role as Cad Bane, and he’s scarier and more sinister than ever. Much like the well-received return of Sam Witwer for Maul’s live action return in Solo, it’s a treat to hear another Clone Wars veteran reprise their role for their character’s live action appearance.
• Narm: See here.
• Narm Charm: Fennec telling Boba that they could pay someone to help fight the Pyke Syndicate can sound cheesy and redundant as a conversation between two former guns-for-hire. However, when followed by Boba and Fennec staring thoughtfully at the horizon, accompanied by the Mandalorian theme song, it provides an alluring teaser for the prospect of the gang seeking help from elsewhere in the galaxy.
• Nausea Fuel: Played for Laughs in the final episode when Peli decides to give Grogu a nice meal out of happiness at seeing him again - and abruptly calls for him to be brought some ''dung worms". Cue a platter of still squirming, long worms being brought to the little guy, who happily begins slurping them down without chewing.
• Older Than They Think:
  • The retro-1950s aesthetics of the cyborg speeder gang were criticized by fans for looking very garish and tonally inconsistent with Star Wars' aesthetic. That said, these bikes' style was previously seen in the prequel trilogy, specifically in Attack of the Clones with Dex's Diner and Anakin's speeder, which themselves took their original influence from George Lucas' American Graffiti.
  • The multi-armed kitchen droid in Chapter 4 was also first seen in Attack of the Clones in the refuge ship Anakin and Padme travel to Naboo.
• One-Scene Wonder:
  • The Rancor Trainer in Chapter 3 made the rounds immediately after the episode aired due to being played by the legendary Danny Trejo.
  • The mod artist who appears in Chapter 4 in Boba's flashback has become a popular character to discuss, due to being portrayed by electronic musician Thundercat, as well as the overall cool factor of the scene he's in and his memorable appearance. He returns in the season finale, preparing to bring Cobb Vanth back from the brink of death.
  • The cook droid at Jabba’s palace wielding six cleavers that was ready to throw down with Boba if not for Fennec catching it by surprise.
• Padding:
  • Boba's childhood flashbacks consist essentially of two lonely, silent clips sporadically repeated across the first three chapters. Viewers hoped that they would build up to an appearance from Jango Fett, but nothing ultimately came from them.
  • For some, Chapter 4's flashback events could've been inferred by the audience and didn't need to be shown, though it does also flesh out Boba's new outlook as he goes about the present day.
  • In Chapters 5-6, the montages of Din and Peli giving the N-1 Starfighter a makeover, and Luke training Grogu, are also considered by some to have run too long, considering their irrelevance to the S1 storyline. They've argued that such plot points would've fit better on The Mandalorian instead.
• Pandering to the Base: Many fans feel that the show does this in its second half, with gratuitous appearances from several fan-favorite characters, including Din Djarin, Luke Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, and Cad Bane, while simultaneously shifting focus away from Boba Fett himself. Grogu's appearances in particular undermine his clan's sacrifices and heartbreaks from The Mandalorian Season 2, just to appease the type of viewer who wouldn't watch Season 3 or buy The Merch without "Baby Yoda".
• Portmanteau Couple Name: "Bonnec" for Boba/Fennec.
• Preemptive Shipping: Boba Fett and Fennec Shand started getting shipped and even had the odd lemon written about them from the first minute they appeared together in their Spinoff Sendoff in The Mandalorian. Their canonical relationship in the actual series turned out to be more like Platonic Life-Partners.
• Salvaged Story:
  • The show continues the trend started in The Mandalorian of humanizing the Tusken Raiders. Boba's time with them earns him their respect, also allowing him to deeply explore their culture and their ingrained history with the planet of Tatooine. We are meant to root for them when Boba leads his adopted tribe in a victory against the Pykes' train, and feel great sorrow when the tribe is shown to have been cruelly massacred while Boba was briefly away.
  • In the season 2 finale of The Mandalorian, Din Djarin attempted to give the Darksaber to Bo-Katan, but she refused, on the grounds she had to earn it in combat. This confused a few fans, who recalled she accepted the saber from Sabine in Star Wars Rebels without fighting. Chapter 5 addresses this by revealing that following the Purge of Mandalore, Bo Katan became a cautionary tale among the surviving clans about the dangers of taking the Darksaber through any means other than an honourable duel, even believing the weapon to be cursed under such circumstances.
  • After criticism of how Luke Skywalker was portrayed as a bitter old man in The Last Jedi, his appearance in Chapter 6 instead shows him in his prime as a Jedi Master and tutor, teaching Grogu in a much more conventional manner that clearly draws upon Obi-Wan and Yoda's teachings. And for people who did like his characterization in The Last Jedi, it shows him as very eager to train Grogu as a Jedi, as Din points out he went against Ahsoka's wishes of not training him, despite the risks of Grogu falling to the Dark Side due to his attachment to the Mandalorian. This hints at Luke being too confident in his teaching abilities and his ability to successfully make Grogu a Jedi, an attitude that eventually would bring disaster for his Jedi academy.
  • One of the aspects that is often criticized in Star Wars media when Dave Filoni is involved is that his characters have a tendency to make it out of any situation unscathed no matter how dire it is, to the point of some fans accusing those characters of being Creator’s Pets. Season 1's finale attempts to rectify this by having Boba Fett finally put Cad Bane down for good this time.
  • Shand's cybernetics confused many who thought they were an overdramatic solution for a relatively straightforward problem. This series explains that medics are hard to find on Tatooine, but cyberneticists are both cheaper and relatively easy to find.
• Signature Scene:
  • Viewers and advertisers who prefer to choose a scene with Boba Fett often pick him shooting the Kintan Striders in his reclaimed Starship.
  • Din Djarin confidently igniting the Darksaber before dueling Paz Vizsla provides one of the most iconic shots of any Disney+ Star Wars show.
• Slow-Paced Beginning: The first half of the show takes its time providing its Character Development — specifically an introspective look into Boba's post-Return of the Jedi experiences, all the way up to the stinger of The Mandalorian Season 2 by the time of Chapter 4, alongside events occurring in the present day. It not only casts his attempts at rebuilding Jabba's empire as being much about profit as "turning over a new leaf", it also continues on a long-running Star Wars theme: how to deal with Culture Clash in a cutthroat environment (and how to turn it to one's benefit).
• So Okay, It's Average: How critics and fans feel about the show. While they liked the production values and performances, they felt that the narrative structure was too slow-paced, Boba's storyline wasn't fully developed and some of the set pieces were a bit clumsily executed. The Required Spinoff Crossover with The Mandalorian was interesting but also left the main plot of Boba Fett Out of Focus. Even today it remains the Star Wars franchise's most critically-panned live-action TV show, and the fandom's least favorite live-action show from the New Republic era.
• Special Effects Failure:
  • Digital effects have come a long way since the first (and worst) attempt at a digital Jabba the Hutt in 1997 for the Special Edition of A New Hope, along with The Phantom Menace in 1999 and the 2004 attempt on A New Hope (which was an improvement, but still aged poorly). The digital Hutts that appear in this series haven't improved much since 2004.
  • The speeder chase in Chapter 3 has been criticized for looking too slow, even beyond the fact that they're doing so in a crowded urban environment (where going fast isn't feasible). Vehicles that don't interact with solid ground are known to be difficult to film in an interesting way, but this comes after Chapter 2 and Solo both had better luck pulling off similar chases.
  • While the digital de-aging effects for Luke Skywalker have improved significantly for this show compared to The Mandalorian, the Respeecher application used to synthesize Mark Hamill's younger voice is noticeably shoddier, with many fans pointing out how it sounds rather lifeless compared to Hamill's true voice. It doesn't help that, unlike The Mandalorian, Luke has a significantly bigger presence in this show, thus making the flaws of using an A.I to replicate his voice significantly easier to pick up on.
  • Although minor, a few have noticed that Cad Bane has his mouth open slightly instead of going around with a toothpick, likely a result of the actor needing to breathe with the prosthetics.
• They Changed It, Now It Sucks!:
  • Some Legends fans dislike how Dengar doesn't show up to help Boba after his escape from the Sarlacc, and wish that this could have been done prior to his time with the Tusken Raiders.
  • While Cad Bane's first live action appearance in chapter 6 was well-received overall, his physical appearance is contentious to fans of The Clone Wars. Duros have appeared in live-action before (albeit as background extras), and Bane looks a bit different than the previous depictions of his species. For one, live-action Bane has lighter skin, and his facial features (notably his mouth) are positioned differently, due to him being played by a human in prosthetic makeup. This led to multiple fans re-editing the scene to make him look more like he did in The Clone Wars. However, other fans have defended Bane's live-action appearance by pointing out how the character’s previously exaggerated appearances could only work in a highly stylized animated series, and his lighter skin colour is essentially a result of the lighting since the scene takes place in a desert; in the next episode, a scene with him in a darkly-lit room results in his skin tone much more closely resembling what it was in The Clone Wars. It's also possible this is a side-effect from aging, given that he is, as Boba states, an old man by this point.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character:
  • The death of the entire Tusken clan is viewed as a misstep for the series by some, as previously the show had been getting a lot of praise for its nuanced perspective on the people. Had they stuck around, they could’ve been useful in the final battle and been a good example of Boba rallying the residents of Tatooine to fight for their land. It doesn’t help that the Tuskens are heavily Indigenous-coded, so it comes off as killing a swath of minority characters for shock value.
  • The Twins, a pair of Hutts who seek to claim their cousin Jabba’s old territory, attempt to kill Boba twice, then abruptly give up and leave. Boba brings up concerns that fighting them could lead to war with the Hutt Clan, or that their departure is really just another scheme, but none of this matters to the current plot.
  • Cad Bane himself has less than ten minutes of screen time in his big live-action debut, after which he is killed in short order. While some see it as fitting in certain ways, others have called it a waste of such a storied character. Many fans wished Cad Bane was introduced earlier and elevated to the role of the series' Big Bad or Dragon-in-Chief for the sake of storytelling, since Bane could've functioned as a personal villain and Shadow Archetype to Boba.
  • Garsa Fwip got a lot of interest in the first episode for her striking look, ambiguous position in the scheme of things, and being played by a 'name' actress. She gets a few small scenes in a couple of episodes, and is abruptly killed in the penultimate episode without having any real opportunity to impact the plot.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot:
  • In Chapter 6, Ahsoka Tano meeting Luke Skywalker should be an absolutely pivotal moment in theory, considering Luke is eager to learn more about his father and how to run a Jedi order and Ahsoka has a lot to share with her old master’s son about her perspective on the prior Jedi after they failed her. Instead, their first meeting is offscreen, and their only conversation boils down to a few generic aphorisms before saying goodbye. It doesn’t help that Luke is voiced by an AI, rendering its speech even more lifeless and uninspired than the writing already does, or that their meeting takes place in an episode of a show not about them.
  • Boba Fett dueling Cad Bane is a showdown fans have wished for ever since learning it was cut out of The Clone Wars. However, in that show, the duel was going to come after a multi-episode plot of Bane training young Fett, and it would have represented Cad seeking to settle a score with his father Jango by proxy and Boba's first real step as an independent bounty hunter. Here, the duel comes out of nowhere, and occurs when Boba's well into middle age and Bane very elderly. As the two have had almost no interactions in prior media due to the cut arc, and only meet in this series during the final episode, Boba and Bane can only allude to shared history in dialogue without showing it, which unfortunately makes their supposed chemistry with one another feel nonexistent.
  • The fact that Fennec Shand and Cad Bane never so much as acknowledge each other's presence also feels rather disappointing, as The Bad Batch had previously established that the two were once rivals during the Empire's early days. Seeing a rematch between those two character would be just as, if not more interesting than with Boba, simply because the audience will have actually seen the context behind their hostility, but the two barely even glance at each other here.
  • Din and Grogu attempting to move on from their separation, only to reunite for more adventures, goes by more quickly than most viewers expected. Having it happen in this show rather than The Mandalorian also squanders any potential behind the latter's third season using it as an emotional linchpin. Din also fails to fulfill Grogu's requests to see his smiling face, due to the frantic context Boba Fett gives to their reunion, and/or Pedro Pascal's apparent inability to work a physical Boba Fett appearance into his schedule.
  • Boba and Krrsantan become friends out of nowhere after the latter gets hired by the former on chapter 4, which is odd considering their only major interaction before had Krrsantan try to assassinate Boba, and yet, by the time of the season finale, the two of them are on good enough terms that Boba now calls him by the Affectionate Nickname "Santo", risks his life to save him, offers to heal him in his bacta tank, and generally acts very chummy with him. One can only assume that they spent quite some time bonding and getting to know each other during the two episodes that didn't focus on Boba, but we don't get to see how their relationship developed.
  • When Grogu starts to regain his memories of Order 66, it seems to be building up to Grogu remembering the clones' faces and having a traumatic reaction, causing him to attack Boba Fett at an inconvenient moment. As of the finale, Grogu is yet to remember what the clones looked like.
  • After Boba Fett learns who really killed his Tusken saviors, he sends Fennec Shand after the culprits, disappointing viewers who would've found it more satisfying for Boba to punish them all by himself.
• Trans Audience Interpretation: One of Garsa Fwip's attendants in Chapter 1 is a Twi'lek man that appears to have ear cones — a trait that is usually exclusive to female Twi'leks, whereas male Twi'leks usually have humanlike ears — underneath his headcover. While this could just as easily be a costuming or continuity error or an indication that conal ears on an AMAB Twi'lek are rare but possible, others point to the fact that Twi'lek costuming has been consistent thus far on this matter in this era of Star Wars, and consider this Twi'lek to actually be a transgender man, intersex, or non-binary.
• Unexpected Character:
  • Black Krrsantan, who first appeared in Star Wars: Darth Vader and would go on to star in subsequent comics, unexpectedly makes his live-action debut as the Hutt Twins' enforcer (and later, Boba and Fennec's enforcer).
  • Chapter 2 includes a flashback of Boba fighting some Nitko miners tormenting Laze "Fixer" Loneozner and Camie Marstrap, two humans introduced all the way back in A New Hope... specifically the Novelization, since their scene didn't make the movie's final cuts.
  • Chapter 6 features a bevy of appearances from Star Wars characters that fans had already guessed ahead of time such as Cobb Vanth, Luke Skywalker, and even the live-action debut of Cad Bane (though perhaps not all in one episode). Ahsoka Tano was not one of them, and she even visits Luke's future Jedi academy and shares a scene with the son of her former Master.
• Vanilla Protagonist: Many noted in what should've been Boba Fett's finest hour, he comes off as less interesting and entertaining compared to his supporting cast. It didn't help matters that he was absent from two out of the seven episodes and was overshadowed by Din in the final episode.
• Visual Effects of Awesome: The Digital De-Aging technology used to recreate young Luke Skywalker has improved significantly since the last attempt in The Mandalorian, to the point where it almost completely averts the Unintentional Uncanny Valley.

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