Book Of Boba Fett

[Mr. Vee]

Yay, they finally hit on a winning formula - 

Spoiler

Just make a Mando episode, call it BoBF, and dip heavily into all the effects money they saved making 4 cheap-looking episodes.

Hopefully more of the same for the finale so it finishes on a high note.

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

Still haven't watched it and trying to avoid spoiling myself online, but I heard that leitmotif at the end of Ep4, so I come pre-cheering for it. 

[Techwright]

15 hours ago, Mr. Vee said:

Yay, they finally hit on a winning formula - 

  Hide contents

Just make a Mando episode, call it BoBF, and dip heavily into all the effects money they saved making 4 cheap-looking episodes.

Hopefully more of the same for the finale so it finishes on a high note.

 

Okay, this is definitely the first episode where I have to be in agreement with some critics. (But please don't let my opinion stop you watching it.  There's some great stuff in the episode!)

 

Major Spoilers ahead:

Spoiler

The Good:  

1. Mando!

2. ....has an absolutely glorious and terrifying saber battle!

3. New ship!  Wondering if it could be the ship that brought Ben Kenobi and baby Luke to Tatooine?  Now in Mando's hands...so cool if true!

4.  The Armorer and the lead Visla!

5. Chain mail for Grogu!

6. Peli Motto and the droids!

7. BD-1!  And he looks fantastic!  (wow! Could it be the same BD-1 unit?  We don't know what happened to his Jedi.  I could see Peli taking him in if something happened, which would be consistent with that R4, I think, unit that she repaired.)

 

The Bad:

1.  Much as I like the ship, its not a livable home like the Razorcrest was.  That limits onboard storytelling which was big the first season and a half of The Mandalorian.   I guess he's going to have to haul "warm" bounties back in the former droid compartment?  They'd better not be Wookies!

2.  I've never ever seen evidence that any lightsaber is heavy to wield, and although I've not read many of the books, the idea that a season warrior struggles to carry a blade made of plasma is just really weird.   Most especially with the Dark Saber, there's canon story in Rebels where Sabine Wren struggles to master the Dark Saber, but it had nothing to do with "heavy", and everything to do with a lack of skill wielding a plasma blade.  Similar arguments could be made for its passing of hands in The Clone Wars.

3.  A quest of redemption issued to waters under Mandalorian mines.  Alright, this is a personal dislike, I realize.  I'd been hoping that Djarin would be learning to accept the concepts of the greater world of Mandalorians, like Bo Katan, rather than his cult since he violated their highest law.  I'd compare it to Robert the Bruce, who it is said, when the Roman Catholic church would not pardon him for killing a rival, turned to the smaller and ancient Celtic church to find forgiveness and redemption. (At least, that's how I was told.  It made interesting storytelling.)   The quest also smacks of an MMO quest.

4. The Visla duel didn't measure up to the butchers' office battle in intensity.  While I suppose I should expect Visla to forsake his friend and break all bonds of fellowship, drawn to his ancestor's blade like Boromir to the Ring, I did not expect him to go down so easily.

5. Loss of the spear.  Yes, I'm thrilled Grogu is getting armor, but the spear was an elegant and amazing weapon, and really set Din Djarin apart from other Mandalorians.  I really wanted it to remain in his arsenal.

6.  Too much time spent focused on inconsequential things.  Seemed like 50% of the show was this. Building the ship should have been a montage of no more than 1 minute.  We don't need to know every detail, and every bit of dialog regarding space ship parts.

 

The Meh:

1.  I'm not really sure what to make of the ring world.  It's not bad, per se, but it  feels like Star Wars failed to craft something original and special and settled for a retread of other well-known sci-fi.

 

The Ugly:

1.  BOBA FETT IS ON THE TITLE AND DOESN'T SHOW UP EVEN FOR A MOMENT IN THE ENTIRE EPISODE!   This is exactly what some critics have been saying: the show is supposed to be about Boba Fett but it spends too much time on a multitude of characters. There'd better be a The Mandalorian episode where its nothing but Boba Fett reaking havoc for the entire episode as a counterpoint, or this is just lousy handling of the miniseries.  (And yes, I realize this episode was most likely done so they could concurrently shoot with the Bob Fett-heavy episodes.)

 

 

Edited January 27, 2022 by Techwright

[Mr. Vee]

TIL there's 7 eps when I thought 6. If 6-7 are like 5 that's a good thing. If like 1-4 i'm annoyed 😄

Re your bad 3 

Spoiler

I'm not sure he's sold on 'the way' still. He might've just said that to get out of there with the darksaber and the beskar. I suppose we'll know when we see if his side mission is to go to the waters or to visit Yaby (I still refuse to call him Grogu). But if he does go for the redemption I agree it would seem like a regression. 

 

[Techwright]

21 minutes ago, Mr. Vee said:

TIL there's 7 eps when I thought 6. If 6-7 are like 5 that's a good thing. If like 1-4 i'm annoyed 😄

Re your bad 3 

  Hide contents

I'm not sure he's sold on 'the way' still. He might've just said that to get out of there with the darksaber and the beskar. I suppose we'll know when we see if his side mission is to go to the waters or to visit Yaby (I still refuse to call him Grogu). But if he does go for the redemption I agree it would seem like a regression. 

 

In answer to your hidden comment regarding the "side mission", it is a Chekov's Gun. It's been revealed, so at some point it must be done, or at least attempted.

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

Loved it. Also love that it's stuffed with a bunch of extras, in-jokes and cameos...

Spoiler

...including the pilot droid from Star Tours who's been demoted to baggage handling.

Also, Peli Motto getting the rudest gag ever to grace a sci-fi script. "...I'll make it work."

 

[Hyperstrike]

Spoiler

 

 

[DougGraves]

I will not complain that we got an episode of the Mandalorian instead of Boba Fett.  It was a good episode.

 

But basically every complaint I make about the Boba Fett show I could make about the Mandalorian - except the massive use of flashbacks in Boba.

 

So that makes me wonder if it is really the flashbacks that annoy me so much, or if Mando is just more compelling a character than Boba.

[Techwright]

8 hours ago, DougGraves said:

So that makes me wonder if it is really the flashbacks that annoy me so much, or if Mando is just more compelling a character than Boba.

 

I'm not sure "compelling" is the right word.  "Consistent" would be more like it.  Boba's first ground fight after recovering his armor in The Mandalorian was absolutely glorious, and everything the fans had hoped for.  Somehow in TBoBF, the writers have strayed from that path.  Not entirely, the Nikto slaughter proves that, but there's definitely a difference in what they give Tem to work with.  Here's hoping for a return to form for the final episodes of what is likely season 1.

[DougGraves]

3 hours ago, Techwright said:

I'm not sure "compelling" is the right word.  "Consistent" would be more like it.  Boba's first ground fight after recovering his armor in The Mandalorian was absolutely glorious, and everything the fans had hoped for.  Somehow in TBoBF, the writers have strayed from that path.  Not entirely, the Nikto slaughter proves that, but there's definitely a difference in what they give Tem to work with.  Here's hoping for a return to form for the final episodes of what is likely season 1.

 

By compelling I mean I want to watch and see what Mando does next.  I don't care what Boba does next.

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

Favreau and Filoni, other than epic SW nerds, are massive Western fans (whereas Lucas liked his war movies - particularly 633 Squadron, Dambusters, Bridges At Toko-Ri) and samurai movies (Hidden Fortress, natch, but also Yojimbo and Seven Samurai.)

 

The big Western trope I get from BoBF is Unforgiven: the tired old gunfighter who wants to retire, though even Clint Eastwood never went through the guts of a galactic-sized Venus Flytrap. So the setup is Boba reflecting on his life, trying to adapt, and getting pulled into that Last Big Fight he doesn't want. For which we have two episodes left and our first two allies, plus the Gamorreans and the Mods.

 

Then again, Boba's motivation for retiring is very far from reforming himself - he's just hacked off with bounty hunting for a series of useless, treacherous bosses, thinks he can do better, and wants to give it a try.

I can very much relate.

Edited January 28, 2022 by ThaOGDreamWeaver

[Techwright]

8 hours ago, ThaOGDreamWeaver said:

The big Western trope I get from BoBF is Unforgiven: the tired old gunfighter who wants to retire, though even Clint Eastwood never went through the guts of a galactic-sized Venus Flytrap. So the setup is Boba reflecting on his life, trying to adapt, and getting pulled into that Last Big Fight he doesn't want. For which we have two episodes left and our first two allies, plus the Gamorreans and the Mods.

I'm getting the distinct impression that we'll only get a partial victory at the end of this miniseries, or perhaps I should say "season" because the number of warriors, no matter how skilled, is looking rather thin on Boba's side to go to a full-scale war with the Pykes.  It feels more like the last episode of season 3 of Star Wars: Rebels, where the Rebels had a survival victory, but didn't destroy the Big Bad of the series.  So maybe Boba defeats the current Pykes on planet, and perhaps convinces most of the Mos Eisley underworld to side with him, but episode 7 ends with a Big Bad stepping forward having taken note of the Fett resistance.

 

Just typing that out makes me wonder if the Big Bad, should they exist, is someone we know already from other Star Wars lore.  Let the speculation begin!

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

My random, unfounded speculation is yet another Western trope: the Hutts are playing both sides.

 

Set up both enemies with lies, false flags and gifts. Then sit back with the popcorn lizards and watch one big, powerful enemy and one smol-but-fierce one tear each other to shreds, then move back in and hoover up what's left over. Maybe run a book on it on the side. It's what I'd do.*

 

...of course, this strategem depends on neither or both sides figuring that out before they're easily beaten.

That doesn't work out well.

 

_{*Barring the lizards. January diet, y'know.}

 

 

[DougGraves]

I hope that they are moving beyond hutts being the only crime bosses and that was there way of playing up the pikes.  Who I have never heard of before and the series has not sold as a threat.  They seemed like polite businessmen having to pay bribes.  Not ruthless crime bosses.

[biostem]

On 1/29/2022 at 6:43 AM, ThaOGDreamWeaver said:

My random, unfounded speculation is yet another Western trope: the Hutts are playing both sides.

I'm not a fan of this - the OT never portrayed the Hutts as particularly clever or strategic.  I'd rather we just have an all-out war, with the Hutts' leverage simply being huge masses of enforcers.

 

Spoiler

Frankly, I would have much rather had Boba kill the 2 huts when he confronted him in Mos Espa, and then letting us see *why* it's a bad idea to mess with the Hutts - bring in Cad Bane!

 

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

Jabba wasn't that smart, though his mind was powerful enough to defeat mind tricks.

They get filled out a lot more in Clone Wars (a Filoni joint, natch), and there's a lot of scheming going on. 

https://www.starwars.com/databank/hutt-clan

They're cunning, but very straight-line cunning - they're so wrapped up in and smug about their own prowess they often don't see anyone else's scam or counter-scam coming.

 

Sounds familiar. We have a similar slug-like, parasitic alien species with a penchant for scams and a weakness for their own hubris in Britain, called Etonians.

And for some reason we keep electing them.

[Mr. Vee]

I'm just an ignorant colonist so I'll assume they get a name recognition bump from the kickass Jam song 😄

 

Spoiler

Weird that the Luke cgi was so much more believable than Cad Bane's. Nice to see him put in an appearance though.

 

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

That is indeed a fine Jam song. 

 

Not-quite spoilery thing: this being a Western show, and noting Filoni and Favreau's Western obsession...

Spoiler

 

...or am I seeing too much here?

[Techwright]

4 hours ago, ThaOGDreamWeaver said:

That is indeed a fine Jam song. 

 

Not-quite spoilery thing: this being a Western show, and noting Filoni and Favreau's Western obsession...

  Reveal hidden contents

 

...or am I seeing too much here?

 

Lee VanCleef?  Interesting. I'd not considered that before.  You might be seeing too much but only because there's a long history behind this episode.

 

Okay, I didn't expect to ever have an episode get me as excited as "The Rescue" in The Mandalorian, but someone pulled out all the stop for this one.  Amazing episode.  I kept babbling at the screen (which I never do) to the point where a relative near me became concerned. (She's not a Star Wars fan, and as I chatted with her she asked if it was the TV show with "Baby Gouda" 🤣)

 

Episode 6 thoughts and there's going to be big, big spoilers here:

Spoiler

First off, I NEVER thought I'd see such an episode stuffed with big named characters:  Din Djarin, Grogu, Luke, Ahsoka, Boba Fett, Fennec Shand (well she's getting to big named status), Cobb Vanth, and now...Cad Bane in the flesh, so to speak.  The episode was so packed, I felt like I was watching an episode of The Clone Wars instead of a live action show.

 

CGI on Luke is really improved.  The two appearances of CGI Luke are as different as Leia and Tarkin in Rogue One. I realize Luke held still a lot but it felt more natural than the first appearance, and I'm very impressed by how they had him move around and how long his face was in the shot.  I'd very much like to see more if Mark Hamil and Max Lloyd-Jones (Luke's body double) are up to it.

 

Speaking of "more natural" Ahsoka's appearance felt more natural to the established character this episode.  I'd had some reservations after the first live appearance, but Rosario Dawson has clearly been refining her performance to more closely match the animated Ahsoka, and it shows.  Kudos to her.

 

Loved that the show so naturally moved Ahsoka into a friendship with Luke citing the "old friend of the family" bit.  Also loved that she saw Anakin in Luke.

 

Loved the ant droids, and they make perfect sense.  Luke, like Anakin, is good with droids, so why not use them to build while one focuses on Jedi stuff?

 

But oh...its the school.  I've already got a sense of dread, and the massacre at Skywalker Academy is still 22 years away.   (The episode is set around 6 ABY, and the massacre is 28 ABY.  "ABY" if you've not heard stands for "After the Battle of Yavin" where the first Death Star blew up.)

 

I'd suspected Cobb Vanth would be involved in anything where all of Tatooine was threatened, and I was not wrong.  Timothy Oliphant was fantastic, as usual.

 

Even turning himself off, R2 is still showing he's the master of sass.

 

I'm really disappointed that they appear to have taken out Jennifer Beal's character, Garsa Fwip.  I really thought that was a character that could have a larger role to play.  Well, we've not seen a body, so there's still hope.  It does make a statement, however.

 

And then there's Bane.  Cad Bane.  I'm surprised I was able to do it, but all I had to see was a speck moving closer in the desert and I suddenly knew who it was.  He's a bit thicker than in the animation, but then animation is stylized anyway.  My, how they got him soooo right.  If anything, he's even scarier than he was in animated form.  He oozes menace.  I had a terrible feeling we were going to see the end of Cobb Vanth so soon after he appeared in the universe.  (The appearance of the deputy, though, made me realize Vanth would survive somehow.)  I was excited to see (well, okay, I was excited the full episode) that Cad's animation voice actor, Corey Burton was allowed to voice the live action version.

 

The appearance of Cad Bane may give the fans the fight they've been wanting to see: Cad Bane vs. Boba Fett.  I'd say Cad Bane vs. Din Djarin, and it may happen, but I suspect they've reserve Djarin for other work.

 

Now to the big negative:  For a second week in a row, 2 out of 7 episodes, the guy whose name is in the title has nothing, or practically nothing, to do.  At least he appeared this episode, but if you notice, he didn't even speak. Fennec Shand did all the talking.  With all the various characters now present in TBoBF, I really got to wondering if they should have renamed the show, called it something like Star Wars: The Outer Rim or something, where characters could weave in an out of the storyline.

 

This has also got me wondering, that is Fennec doing all the talking, if the behind the scenes goal is for Fennec to rise to the seat of Jabba the Hutt once the dust settles, either by the death of Boba Fett, or his recognition that he's put things to right and he's ready to move back out into the galaxy.

 

 

EDIT:  Thought of two other small, but perhaps important details:

Spoiler

In the Grogu flashback sequence,  the focus is on the Jedi vs. Clone fight, but I suddenly realized Grogu is clutching a red cloth.  That's a very distinctive color to use for that shot.  It makes me think we're being given a clue as to who actually rescued Grogu.  While I still hold out hope that it was Jedi librarian Jocasta Nu, she's traditionally show with a yellowish tan wrap.  Also in the same flashback, YouTube reactionist Kyle Kataran identifed the Jedi slain in the fight as Jedi Master Cin Drallig.

 

The other tidbit?  Yoda's lightsaber re-enters the story.

 

Edited February 3, 2022 by Techwright

[Cancrusher]

Man, what a cliffhanger to end the episode on.  I can't wait for next week!  😬

[Mr. Vee]

Welp now I have 'Master Ninja Theme Song' in my head from mention of Lee Van Cleef. Whether that's a good or bad thing I suppose will depend on the duration.

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

Picking up on Techwright's point, in a non-spoilery way...

 

Maybe a more accurate title for BoBF would be Tales Of The Underworlds or something like that. 

Except:

(a) it doesn't tag viewers who didn't stick around for that Mando tailgag in

(b) doesn't sound quite as Western

(c) by law, anything with that title has to have Kate Beckinsale wandering around in impractical latex corsetry

...not that that's a bad thing, you understand, but does it work in context?

[DougGraves]

This does feel like the Clone Wars series where it was not about a character but stories of all of the different characters.  Which tells the story of the universe better instead of having to have one character encounter everything.

 

And now I want Kate Beckinsale as an Inquisitor in black latex corsetry.  It would work in context.

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

I'm not sure that's what I'd call context... per... se... er...

[blink]

...ahem. Moving swiftly on:

Spoiler

• Slightly disjointed ep this week but an awful lot of fun stuff to play with for Ep 7.
• The pieces are moving into position for the final battle. The settlers, the Mods, the Gamorrean twins, probably Pelli and some jury rigged traps, and a bunch of Jawas, plus three trained killers against... well, a small army, and one lead badass. Do we like those odds?
• So... are we going Magnificent Seven? If so, not everybody makes it out. Mando already has S3 confirmed - unless they're playing with us - so either or both of Fennec and Boba himself may be on the line, as well as any minor character.
• Luke is not being the best teacher he could be here. As he points out, Grogu has all the time in the world, so he could follow either path. Or maybe both.
• Long shot, but Grogu and/or Luke might show up too.
• Biggest cheer in the ep was for Artoo.
• Agree with Techwright that - although Luke's facial expressions were fairly limited - the facial map was a quantum leap ahead of the old version. Quite possibly ILM hired the guys who did the deepfaked version that hit the interwebs shortly afterwards, or at least learned from it.
• Cad Bane definitely got the entrance he deserved. And while the deathly silence of the desert did work...
  ...yeah, this works too.

 

[Mr. Vee]

re your teaching comment 

Spoiler

Can imagine a Luke and Ahsoka soap opera plot-summary conversation here: "Hey, you remember how my father's having to deny attachment eventually led to his taking down the whole Jedi order?" "You mean the order I'd already become disillusioned with and left? Yes, they were stilted jerks." "So I guess we should do the exact same thing and make this ptsd'd kid whose main concern is still his stomach choose between his father figure and being part of a halfassed version of that same thing?" "Of course, what could go wrong?"