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The Book of Boba Fett, one of the most anticipated series this year, has finally arrived on Disney+. The surprising return of Boba Fett in The Mandalorian season 2 already had fans eager for the Star Wars character's own spin-off series.
Directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Jon Favreau, the first episode of The Book of Boba Fett titled Stranger in a Strange Land was released on Disney+ on 29 December 2021. The slow-paced episode uncovers Boba Fett's tribulations in a series of dream sequences alternated with his present claim to Tatooine's throne.
'The Book of Boba Fett' Season 1 Episode 1 summary: A more pragmatic Boba Fett emerges
The beloved Star Wars bounty hunter holds his own in the spin-off The Book of Boba Fett, and as a welcome surprise, he gets to speak more than four lines in total. After his unceremonious presumed death in Return of the Jedi after falling into a Sarlacc pit, Boba Fett's (Temuera Morrison) re-emergence in The Mandalorian had fans talking.
The Book of Boba Fett opens with a reminder for viewers about the excruciating events the bounty hunter has gone through. As he lies in the bacta pod, he dreams of his birthplace when he picks up his father's helmet and his escape from Sarlacc's belly on Tatooine.
Cut to the present, and this happens throughout the first episode of The Book of Boba Fett, he is the reigning crime lord in Mos Espa. Almost half of the episode features Fett's dreams in the bacta pod, and the other half shows him navigating the new transfer of power post-Bib Fortuna's death. However, Jabba the Hutt still reigns supreme when it comes to precedence.
By his side at all times in this uncharted territory is Fett's right-hand woman and assassin, Fenecc Shand (Ming-Na Wen). The two held court where they all paid tribute except for the mayor's major-domo, indicating that the Government would be a tough nut to crack for Fett's regime.
Boba Fett emerges with a pragmatic approach and new ideology in The Book of Boba Fett. He is no longer the unforgiving bounty hunter but a more collected ruler as if a man reformed after going through the wringer. He refuses to follow the path of superiority and ruling by fear and makes it evident by saying, "I'm not being carried around the streets like a useless noble. Jabba ruled with fear. I intend to rule with respect."
How's the Boba Fett spin-off looking so far?
The Book of Boba Fett's first episode, "Stranger in a Strange Land," is just over 30 minutes long and introduces viewers to the once-hired gun now adjusting to the transfer of power while being tormented by dreams. The episode is a slow-starter and doesn't show a lot of explosive action as was expected after the bar set by The Mandalorian.
With more than half of the episode dedicated to flashbacks, The Book of Boba Fett leaves little room for the present time plot to progress in the first episode. The once stoic and merciless bounty hunter is only seen engaging in a low-stakes scuffle. However, Boba Fett's character is more three-dimensional in the spin-off, and that certainly is a fresh change. His dry humor and measured approach to leadership are surprising, in a good way.
All in all, it's still too early to draw any conclusions about which direction the seven-episode long series might take, but the start was definitely restrained. Perhaps The Book of Boba Fett only gets better from here, but one would surely hope it doesn't follow the same pace.
The first episode of The Book of Boba Fett is now available on Disney+, and new episodes will be released every Wednesday.
