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Tag: The Book of Boba Fett

  • Hey, Look, Everyone…It’s Bryce Dallas Howard

    Hey, Look, Everyone…It’s Bryce Dallas Howard

    Through its first four episodes, Lucasfilm’s latest Star Wars streaming series, The Book of Boba Fett, hadn’t generated the same volume of discussion around the proverbial water cooler as had its predecessor on Disney Plus, The Mandalorian. While The Book of Boba Fett hasn’t really been divisive among fans and has been treated kindly by critics, it simply seemed to lack the same “pop” as Mando.

    Surely some of that is the result of the reality of the show not matching fan expectations: fans wanted Boba Fett kicking ass like he did when he first appeared in The Mandalorian but, instead, have seen a story unfold much more along the lines of The Godfather: Part II, in which flashbacks a bring us up to speed on how Fett rose to his current station. And so, through its first four episodes, much of the buzz had been generated by the live-action debut of Black Krrsantan, Danny Trejo’s Rancor keeper and the hope of something greater just around the corner. And today, in Chapter 5, “The Return of The Mandalorian”, the hope that fans had been clinging to arrived.

    The episode waited roughly 20 seconds before introducing Din Djarin to the story and, from there, the character never relinquished the spotlight. As fans have rightly pointed out, this episode was in every way, shape and form, an episode of The Mandalorian that happened to be part of The Book of Boba Fett. It’s not until the end that Fett is even named and the events of this episode have nothing to do with the events of the first four episodes of the series. Outside of the setting and a brief reference to the Pyke Syndicate, Chapter 5 doesn’t even share the same narrative tapestry as the rest of the series.

    What it is, however, is a great reminder that The Book of Boba Fett is part of much larger narrative that’s been developing for nearly 15 years, since Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau started to plant the seeds of it over the course of several season of The Clone Wars. Filoni and Favreau seem to have a deep and true understanding of the Galaxy Far, Far Away that George Lucas dreamt up and created. They have a passion and knowledge for the stories and characters that have built Star Wars into the entertainment empire it has become and have rightfully been lauded for their work with the direction they’ve begun to steer the live-action Star Wars series. Following today’s episode, it’s clear that fans need to start sending some of that praise in the direction of director Bryce Dallas Howard.

    Chapter 5 stands apart from the rest of the chapters of The Book of Boba Fett. Sure it’s not telling a story about Fett, though it’s obvious Djarin is going to play a big role in the remainder of the series (the creators were kind enough to throw some metahumor at us “Hey, look, everyone. It’s Mando”, as if we had forgotten about him), but it’s also the best episode of the series so far despite a decent chunk of time in it being spent watching Djarin and Peli Motto rattle off a bunch of crazy names for parts of the Naboo starfighter they are rebuilding. Howard shares that same deep understanding of Star Wars that fans love to use to adulate Filoni and Favreau and she shares it because, just like them, she’s a lifelong fan of the franchise.

    Howard’s father, Ron Howard, worked on the 1988 film Willow, written by Lucas, and Bryce has talked in the past about how Lucas both mentored her father through his directing career and gave her advice ahead of her directorial debut on The Mandalorian in the first season’s fourth episode. Howard was even present at a dinner in which her father and Lucas met with Akria Kurosawa, the legendary Japanese director whose 1958 film, The Hidden Fortress, served as inspiration for Lucas to create Star Wars and whose influence is still felt even as creators other than Lucas are now taking the reigns of the franchise. Chapter 13 of The Mandalorian, “The Jedi”, directed by Filoni, was the most overt homage to Kurosawa, but it is very clear that Howard values Kurosawa’s influence on the franchise, too. Her first episode of The Mandalorian, “Sanctuary”, was very much in the Kurosawa mold.

    What “The Return of the Mandalorian” made very clear was that while Filoni and Favreau may be creating the live-action world unfolding on Disney Plus and are the ones driving the shared narrative that certainly seems like it’s headed for a big battle to reclaim Mandalore, they are incredibly comfortable letting Howard take the wheel and be in charge as they lay the groundwork. Chapter 11 of The Mandalorian, “The Heiress”, also directed by Howard, introduced key characters, storylines and artifacts into live-action that will play major roles in the resolution of this shared narrative. In “The Return of the Mandalorian”, Howard’s voice was again the one Filoni and Favreau chose to tell not only the past of Mandalore (with a little Terminator influence thrown in for good measure), but also set up some key points for the future, such as how Djarin can redeem himself in his religion. For an episode that spent a lot of time repairing a beat up ship, it sure seems like it was a can’t miss to understand things moving forward.

    And so with Chapter 5 of The Book of Boba Fett, “The Return of The Mandalorian”, the hope fans were waiting for did arrive…and her name is Bryce Dallas Howard.

  • REVIEW: ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ Chapter 5 – Return of the Mandalorian

    REVIEW: ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ Chapter 5 – Return of the Mandalorian

    After what can perhaps be described as a rather lackluster series so far, The Book of Boba Fett has delivered not only its best episode yet, but probably one of the best Star Wars Disney+ episodes ever. It’s interesting how it managed that on an episode where the titular character doesn’t show up, even if the reasons for that tend to be pretty obvious. Let’s dive in.

    After the obvious hints on last week’s episode, it’s no surprise that Din Djarin finally made his debut on the show. And much like Ahsoka Tano’s introduction on Chapter 13 of The Mandalorian, we didn’t have to wait long for that to happen, with the series putting aside an endless tease and going straight into it. By giving us an entire episode following Din the show cashed in on the growing expectations to see what was to come next in the journeys of Din Djarin, following Grogu’s departure and his acquiring of the Darksaber. By expanding his story and also tying it with Boba Fett’s it managed to deliver a compelling addendum to both The Book of Boba Fett and The Mandalorian.

    One might say that a few of the issues that have made The Book of Boba Fett pale in comparison to its predecessor might come to the (lack of) novelty of it all. Having a show not only set on Tatooine, perhaps the most uninteresting of the interesting planets of the Star Wars universe but also focusing half of your runtime on flashbacks that do little more than connecting dots one already knew existed doesn’t exactly invite the awe of discovery one often associates with Star Wars. With the flashbacks presumably ending in Chapter 4, given Boba Fett being finally healed of the injuries inflicted on him by the Sarlacc, it was now time to move forward and bring something new to the table.

    This breath of fresh air is personified by the return of Din Djarin. His on-screen magnetism is perhaps best explained through the tracking shot set between 07:05 and 09:21. We follow him go up an elevator, delivering his bounty, collecting the information he needed, and then leaving, all on a single take, with the camera focusing on him at all times. The Disney+ shows have been known for doing something similar to what Peli Motto did with Din’s new ship when she states “Not a gram of fat on her!” in order to make it go faster. They always seem to be able to cut the superfluous shots and give us the bare essentials that the story needs in order to move forward at a more pleasant pace. So it is interesting to see an episode take its time with the reintroduction of a character so that when it’s done everybody had the opportunity to settle in and begin the episode on the same page. That can only speak of how much the character means to so many, even if it’s only been around for a little over two years.

    By making Din Djarin the star of the show we managed to get off-planet and onto some new and interesting locations, one of the aspects where The Book of Boba Fett doesn’t really deliver. Elysium and Interstellar came to mind when we got to the city in space where Din delivers his bounty. But the references within the new and exciting location and action shots didn’t stop there as the flashbacks to the destruction of Mandalore was reminiscent of Terminator 2: Judgment Day with the KX-series security droids taking the place of the Terminators stepping on human skulls. All these references, combined with the connections to past Star Wars projects as seen when Din is testing out his Naboo N-1 Starfighter through Beggar’s Canyon, Motto’s BD droid, and a few more, could feel gratuitous but they all end up shining by flowing nicely into the plot and being used as an integral part of the story.

    At the end of the day having a Din Djarin-centered episode also benefits his future endeavors. Besides setting up what is sure to be a transformative final act for The Book of Boba Fett, having Chapter 5 explore the present state of The Tribe, the group hidden in the Mandalorian covert in the sewers of Nevarro, first introduced and mostly destroyed in The Mandalorian, also perfectly sets up what a The Mandalorian season 3 might be all about by addressing the legacy of the Darksaber and how that impacts Din’s relationship with his fellow Mandalorians. With Din left on his own, and much like in his own show battling his teachings after realizing there were other ways to honor his Mandalorian background, his search for Grogu will now begin as he plans to deliver him his own mesh armor made out of beskar. 

    This chapter feels like one that jumpstarts the show from its lethargic state, giving it a much-needed energy boost as we get to the final two episodes with a greater sense of urgency, with more dynamic character dynamics on the horizon. The Book of Boba Fett might not be living up to the hype, but there is no reason why it can’t still surpass it. 

  • RUMOR: ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ to Feature Din Djarin’s New Ship

    RUMOR: ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ to Feature Din Djarin’s New Ship

    Chapter Four of The Book of Boba Fett hinted in a big way at the return of a familiar Mandalorian, Din Djarin, in one of the final episodes of the season. Boba is in need of some help facing up against the Pykes and his former ally, who he met during the events of The Mandalorian‘s second season. Let’s be honest, featuring the Ludwig Göransson score makes it pretty crystal clear Djarin will indeed be showing up.

    It has long been rumored this cameo would occur, and the fact that Djarin is constantly wearing his helmet makes it easier for him to be featured since Pedro Pascal‘s presence on set would not be necessary. All he has to do is voice the role at a later date. This does not mean that it won’t be Pascal portraying the character, just that it wouldn’t be something a schedule conflict between production and the actor would be able to prevent. What remains to be seen is just how Djarin will travel through the galaxy after we witnessed the destruction of his ST-70 Assault Ship, the Razor Crest, at the hands of Moff Gideon’s artillery.

    A rumor being shared by The Bespin Bulletin, following on-set reports going back over a year, states that Djarin will be seen piloting a Naboo N-1 Starfighter, first seen in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace back in 1999. This could mean that Djarin would have left his bounty hunting days behind him as this ship isn’t exactly well known for its storage capacities. It would make it difficult to transport prisoners and carbonite slabs. Another possibility is that he might still be on the market for a ship similar to the Razor Crest, and the Naboo Starfighter is just a temporary means of getting around. It would certainly be interesting to see the ship ditching the usual yellow keeping its chrome look throughout, mirroring Djarin’s beskar armor.

    If this rumor pans out it would be an extremely cool addition to the series and to this particular place in the timeline, as the ship has always been a fan-favorite ever since its debut on the big screen. It could even help to tease more prequel references, characters, even or locations in the upcoming The Mandalorian‘s third season, which is set to debut in the not so near future.

    Source: The Bespin Bulletin

  • REVIEW: ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ Episode 4 – The Gathering Storm

    REVIEW: ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ Episode 4 – The Gathering Storm

    We’ve returned once more to The Book of Boba Fett with the episode “The Gathering Storm,” which kicks off with another flashback sequence. As somewhat expected, the series explored the time when Boba met up with Fennec Shand, how he ended up saving her, and even his journey to retrieve his armor. There are great moments in this episode, but it once again suffers from feeling aimless throughout its 40+ minute runtime. Can those moments outshine the retelling of a story already told?

    Up until this point, the flashbacks during Boba’s ongoing Baccta tank resting plan offered some great moments to humanize the once style-over-substance character. While we get moments like that this time around – especially with his Bantha – it feels even more aimless in this episode. We catch up with The Mandalorian’s introduction of Shand but from his perspective. The use of his iconic audio cues – which highlights just how iconic Din Djarin’s character has become – was a great touch, but most of the story explored here was already explained.

    Yes, the medium should abide by the “show don’t tell” rule, but we’re showing what we’ve already been told. Even if it’s a great tie-in to why Boba recruited the Mods in the modern-day, we didn’t need to see Fennec get her implants. The highlight of the episode was the heist action sequence to steal his ship and the subsequent return to the Sarlacc Pit. He also got his revenge on the bikers in a rather short sequence that felt like a handwave rather than a poignant moment for his character, even if there are implications they weren’t working alone.

    We’ve now understood the Pykes are the main antagonists – as far as we know – for the upcoming battle for Mos Espa, but then we jump back into the past for most of the episode. Outside of learning why Fennec trusts Boba and what makes him different from the Hutts, which we already know since the first episode, there wasn’t much new here. The best moments of the episode – once again – are all the parts of his time trying to maintain his new empire.

    Krrsantan makes a surprisingly early reappearance, as he’s just kind of drinking his life away at the casino we visited in the first episode. He’s a great addition to the story, and the fact Boba recruits him was a great way to keep him in the story while also not relegating the character to a slave, as the Hutts sold him off, but it feels anti-climactic. Instead of coming in later on to help, he’s just a gun-for-hire now but my feelings on its quality are also conflicted with the fact that it works in Fett’s overarching narrative’s favor. So, it’s well handled but could’ve been better.

    I will say that this episode ended on a better note than previous entries. Din Djarin is making his return and the use of his soundtrack was a great touch without having to name the character outright. Supposedly, Boba is fully healed and it seems that these injuries that kept him going back to the Bacta tank have come to an end. Hopefully, he also gets a true moment to shine like his return in the second season of The Mandalorian. His short stint in the bar against the bikers was a good appetizer, but the character has never been truly unleashed up to this point.

    We are four episodes in and I can’t help but feel like the series is playing catch-up most of the time. The narratives from the past and present don’t feel interweaved as effective as they could’ve been to ensure we’re building up to something. Its predecessor Disney+ series had the luck of having individual storylines per episode that made it feel exciting each time. Yet, this season seems to be struggling with wanting to tell not one but two cohesive linear storylines, while keeping each episode self-contained. There’s a lot to love here, but I sometimes feel like this series may have benefitted from a Netflix-style binge watch rather than a weekly release.

  • Danny Trejo Shares a BTS Image From ‘The Book of Boba Fett’

    Danny Trejo Shares a BTS Image From ‘The Book of Boba Fett’

    The latest The Book of Boba Fett episode continued to explore its titular character’s hold over Tatooine. Temuera Morrison gets a lot of chances to humanize a character that previously didn’t get much character development. The highlight of the episode is when he is given a young Rancor as a gift, which includes a cameo by Danny Trejo as its trainer. It’s a heartfelt moment and the addition of the Machete actor’s performance made it a standout in the episode. To celebrate his appearance in the series, he shared a new image from behind-the-scenes.

    It’s great to see how they continue to use practical effects to bring elements from this universe to life. The fact we even get to learn more about the beast’s nature, which also plays in nicely into the parallels with the same happening to Fett. Also, the fact Trejo makes a reference to Machete Kills Again… In Space! is such a great callback. We don’t know how big of a role he has in the season, but hopefully, we’ll get a lot more as we further explore what it takes to raise and eventually ride a Rancor.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘The Book of Boba Fett’: Why Qi’ra Should Make an Appearance

    ‘The Book of Boba Fett’: Why Qi’ra Should Make an Appearance

    A show focusing on Boba Fett has always felt the optimal way to re-introduce the Star Wars criminal underworld to live-action Star Wars. Solo: A Star Wars Story took some steps in that direction but it only really seemed to skim the surface. But now, and considering Lucasfilm‘s track record when dealing with their Disney+ projects, we might be getting exactly what we wanted.

    Following the tremendous success of The Mandalorian, Lucasfilm has decided to use an almost opposite strategy to the one Marvel Studios has been using since 2008 when introducing new characters/shows. Instead of having separate introductions before bringing them all together in the same feature, Lucasfilm has decided to branch out and use an established project to welcome new characters before giving them their own series. We’ve seen it happen with Ahsoka Tano, Boba Fett, and in all likelihood with Cara Dune and the Rangers of the New Republic project which was later abandoned.

    This would mean that having yet another show spin-off The Book of Boba Fett might be more than just a mere random possibility. And bringing into the fold comic book storylines (the same comics that first introduced us to Black Krrsantan) as well as rumors that have been circling about the possible return of a Solo: A Star Wars Story character (that has been prominently featured in the latest Star Wars comic crossover The War of the Bounty Hunters) we might just have found who might be showing up towards the end of the season. Emilia Clarke‘s Qi’ra.

    Master Bib did not have the power of Jabba, so he relied on uneasy alliances to preserve his tribute and title.

    8D8

    Mayor has no power. Somebody else is behind that play.

    Fennec Shand

    There are already a few hints regarding how someone yet undisclosed is pulling the strings, with the only reason that Bib Fortuna managed to stay in power for as long as he did being that someone wanted him there. Watching the Pikes arrive on a starliner ahead of battle, meaning their forces are off-world, also helps to make everything seem to be about something even greater than Tatooine’s issues themselves. With Qi’ra’s importance in recent and upcoming comic runs as leader of the Crimson Dawn criminal syndicate hinting at a possible bigger role to play in the grand scheme of things, combined with her active role in the dismembering of the Hutt Council in The War of the Bounty Hunters which left the Hutt cartel without clear leadership making her be at odds with the remaining Hutts, all seem to play into the frictions The Book of Boba Fett has already established. An interesting new one would be her relationship with Fett since she was the one who managed to steal Han Solo’s frozen carbonite body from Fett before he got it to Jabba the Hutt.

    Almost 20 years have passed in-universe since the events of Solo: A Star Wars Story (set around 10BBY) but given the way Qi’ra has been represented in comics, looking the same as she did back then, it wouldn’t be too hard to get Clarke to reprise the character without major appearance concerns. But even if her showing up might have her looking a bit older, that could perhaps hint at a future series focusing on herself but set in the past, set right after the ending to her on-screen debut.

  • REVIEW: ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ Episode 3 – The Streets of Mos Espa

    REVIEW: ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ Episode 3 – The Streets of Mos Espa

    After spending most of the time with the Tusken Raiders in the initial episodes, the third chapter titled “The Streets of Mos Espa” remains mostly focused on the present-day storyline. It feels like the story is starting to pick up the pace, as we find out what other dark secrets the town of Mos Espa has hiding, as well as continue to humanize the man behind the helmet, as Boba Fett remains a much kinder character than one might initially expect. Can the former bounty hunter finally set his foot as ruler of Tatooine?

    The core of this episode continues to highlight Fett’s character. While he is now the Daimyo, he stays true to his beliefs. These are strongly reinforced by the Bacta flashbacks, and this episode feels like the first time it is truly coming together. He’s shown quite a lot of mercy, which you wouldn’t expect from a man who worked as a bounty hunter. If it weren’t for the Raiders, we might have a very different man leading this show and it knows that. That development makes the poignant moment of this week’s episode hit even harder, as reality sadly is much harsher. In a way, it parallels what he’s trying to accomplish with his more kind take on ruling, as when violence was used it only ended in violence in his past.

    Disney+’s latest Star Wars series offers many dramatic moments, but as highlighted in last week’s episode is also not ashamed of having some fun. The fact that he faced off against a literal desert alien biker gang in the last episode and the arrival of Tatooine’s youth with their shiny rides feels somehow bizarre yet fitting for the franchise. It’s that combination of fun world-building based on familiar elements that always made this franchise stand out among its intergalactic peers.

    One of my favorite moments in this episode is when Krrsantan just dragged Fett out of his Bacta tank. Right after a dramatic revelation on Fett’s past before he regained his armor, we are ripped out of the memory by the newly introduced Wookie, who wipes the floor with our favorite bounty hunter. It was a great moment of tension, as it ripped Fett of all his armor and gimmicks to force his hand. The fact that the only effective weapon he had was the gaffi stick at the time was a nice touch even if he went down a little faster than you’d hope. He does end up getting helped out by his allies and it is the badass Ming-Na Wen‘s Fennec Shand that manages to win.

    The action has been great, but its titular character only got a single moment to truly shine and that was part of a flashback. In the modern-day, he seemingly is over-reliant on those around him, which makes me wonder if his continued visit to the Bacta tank is a hint that something is wrong. He might have much deeper scars than we anticipated, which may become a key factor later down the line. Here’s hoping that he gets a moment like in The Mandalorian in the latter half of this series.

    The Hutts also make their return this episode, but it seems they have decided to save some money on their budget due to them already leaving the story. A bigger conspiracy is woven, as they were the obvious ones to pin the assassinations on, but this episode may have finally set the stage for the main antagonists, as the present and past are coming together with the Pykes. There might still be more to this story, but it feels like the slow pacing is coming to a payoff soon.

    Speaking off, my reviews of earlier episodes might’ve been a bit harsher than need-be, as the show isn’t restricted to forcing a fast-paced action set. It’s what one would expect from a show featuring THE Boba Fett, but the more time I spend with Temuera Morrison, the more I understand what they are doing. He’s a true leading man and gets actual time to shine outside of the mask. His interaction with the incredible cameo by Danny Trejo and a very special gift that I cannot wait to see develop in future episodes were stand-out moments. We get this hint at kindness and giddiness that makes the character stand out even more than the myths we’ve weaved around him in the past. It makes me hope we have many more stories to tell with this incarnation of the character.

  • ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ May Not Be the Show You Wanted, But It Knows Exactly What It Is

    ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ May Not Be the Show You Wanted, But It Knows Exactly What It Is

    Fans have long looked forward to the latest Star Wars Disney Plus streaming series, The Book of Boba Fett. The first tease for the show, glimpsed at the end of Season 2 of The Mandalorian, and subsequent footage shown in trailers seemed to promise big action as Fett took over the organized crime scene on Tatooine. Fans were excited about seeing what Fett would do next and hype was high. And yet, through two episodes, we’ve seen very little action in the present day and the slow, deliberate pace of the flashbacks have left fans unsure of to think.

    “The Book of Boba Fett doesn’t have an identity yet.” “The Book of Boba Fett is unsure of what kind of show it wants to be.” “The Book of Boba Fett has yet to find its footing.” These types of reactions provided a decent summary of some of the particular criticisms of the series so far. And from the standpoint of the audience, they are fair criticisms; however, what became clear after viewing Chapter 2, “The Tribes of Tatooine”, is that the creatives behind this show (Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni and Robert Rodriguez) know exactly what they want the show to be and, per usual, are making no bones about it.

    While fans are understandably eager to see Fett kick all sorts of ass, the creatives have a different angle in mind, at least in these first two episodes. As fans, including myself, have complained about how we could easily put the pieces together of how Fett got back on his feet following his escape from the Sarlacc, what is being overlooked, by some, is that what we are getting is a story that redefines a character that we never really knew much about in the first place. When he swooped in and reclaimed his armor in Season 2 of The Mandalorian, fans of the character took to social media cheering the return of the character. “Boba is back, baby!!” But the reality being presented to us is quite different: Boba is not back. And since we never really knew Boba, we’re getting the opportunity to get to know him now.

    It was a bold choice by the creatives to deconstruct the character the way they did. They literally stripped him bare of what made him iconic and did so in order to be able to tell us a better story down the road. His escape from the Sarlacc, subsequent stripping down by the Jawas and the ongoing story with the Tuskens will, when it’s done, be the defining period of this new Fett. His time with the Tuskens is growing more interesting over time and the experiences he’s having there will shape him into the man we see in the present day.

    We’ve seen him symbolically reborn and deconstructed and what we’re witnessing now is the creation of essentially an entirely new character. He may wear the familiar armor, but this is not the same old Boba. The Book of Boba Fett is not here to continue the story of the iconic bounty hunter, told nicely over the years in the canonical animated series, it’s here to define the character anew.

  • ‘The Book of Boba Fett’: Who is Black Krrsantan?

    ‘The Book of Boba Fett’: Who is Black Krrsantan?

    Continuing with The Mandalorian‘s season 2 tradition of bringing into live-action Star Wars characters first introduced in another medium, The Book of Boba Fett Chapter 2 brought us the Wookie bounty hunter Black Krrsantan. Unlike Bo-Katan, Cobb Vanth, and Ahsoka Tano who either made their first appearances in animated form or in a novel, Black Krrsantan was first introduced in a comic book, 2015’s Darth Vader #1, back when Marvel Comics relaunched its Star Wars line.

    It was there that Vader, doubting the Emperor’s true intentions following the events of A New Hope, requested that Jabba The Hut loaned him his two most reliable bounty hunters so that he could use them to conduct two separate investigations, without the Emperor’s knowledge. The two names brought forward were none other than Black Krrsantan and Boba Fett. While Fett was tasked with tracking down the rebel pilot responsible for the destruction of the Death Star, Black Krrsantan is ordered to find and capture an agent of the Emperor himself.

    Throughout his comic book appearances, he crossed paths with a number of legacy characters besides Fett, including Ben Kenobi on the sands of Tatooine. At one time, tasked with the mission to capture Luke, he even crashed into the Millenium Falcon which lead to him meeting up with Han Solo, C-3PO, R2-D2, and eventually even fighting Chewbacca. But what eventually turned out to be one of his most meaningful connections to another character was his relationship with human female archaeologist Chelli Aphra, a.k.a. Doctor Aphra. 

    Aphra was also recruited by Darth Vader after the Battle of Yavin, unlike Black Krrsantan, perhaps due to her strong(er) moral compass, soon found herself running from the Sith Lord following his attempt to end her life after she was no longer of use. Black Krrsantan played an important role in all of this since it was him that managed to save Aphra only because she owed him money and letting her die was, simply put, a bad investment. He then stayed with her for a while, expecting her to comply with his demands and pay her due.

    All through his chronicled adventures, Black Krrsantan has always presented himself as a ruthless and fierce warrior, and with his live-action debut apparently putting him up against the mighty Boba Fett, his former partner in crime, we are perhaps due a fight for the ages. If his presence in The Book of Boba Fett may open the door to a few other live-action character introductions, that remains to be seen. But even if Doctor Aphra might be seen as a long shot, characters like Triple-Zero and BT-1 who also have a history with the Wookie gladiator would also be extremely welcomed additions to live-action Star Wars.

  • REVIEW: ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ Episode 2 – The Tribes of Tatooine

    REVIEW: ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ Episode 2 – The Tribes of Tatooine

    The second episode of The Book of Boba Fett continues both storylines that were put into motion last week. Robert Rodriguez and John Favreau unravel the story of how its titular character survived the fall into the Sarlacc Pit and his future ventures like the new Daimyo of Tatooine or at least trying to keep some control over Mos Espa. The series tries to juggle the political underworld and flashbacks to Boba’s time stuck in the desert with Tusken Raiders. Last week, it had a bit of a struggle keeping a fine balance between the two. Does it manage to make up for it this time around?

    This week’s entry had a strong beginning, as we finally meet the Mayor – who was oddly teased as a mystery but turned out to be someone we saw in the trailers – and who will most likely be Boba Fett’s main antagonists. It was never going to be an easy task to take over Hutt’s territory, but his aim of leading without fear might become a much more difficult task. As the name of the episode, “The Tribes of Tatooine” implies, this episode mainly sets up a lot of elements that’ll probably come into play later on. For now, it still leaves you questioning what the future has in store for the series.

    The episode has a very straightforward structure this time around, as it’s split into two halves. We already covered most of the first, but the second continues Fett’s travels into his past. Temuera Morrison continues to carry the show with his reserved but powerful performance, as he has to act alongside the Tusken Raiders that stick to their native tongue. There are bouts of silence that are quite powerful in a media landscape filled with mostly exposition. There’s an interesting concept at play, as we get a closer look at their culture and how they survived in the desert.

    Yet, the drawback is that this storyline fills in blanks that most could’ve put together themselves. There’s a lack of connectivity, for now, to understand why we’re spending so much time with the Raiders and how it may connect into the overarching plot. There’s a strong hint at the end, and I believe the pay-off may be quite an emotional one given his strong connection to the sand inhabitants, but it does come at the cost of the series’ overarching pacing.

    So far, the biggest selling point of the series is Morrison and the further exploration of Tatooine’s culture. The advantage of long-form storytelling gives us these smaller moments that have a stronger impact on this galaxy being more than just its main heroes, which also makes it stand out from the more character-focused story in The Mandalorian. Even with uneasy pacing, the episode offers some strong moments that continue to explore Fett’s role in the galaxy.

    I do believe that we haven’t scratched the surface yet and this episode had a stronger core narrative, even if it was split into two separate storylines. There was a surprising amount of humor thrown in that added some nice levity to the otherwise very reserved approach to storytelling. It’s funny how the series generally focuses on action-packed set pieces with calmer, character, and world-focused elements mixed in-between. Also, who knew that even the desert would have its biker gangs.

    The second chapter is a step up from before, even if it still feels like there could’ve been a stronger balance between its two main storylines. Morrison‘s reserved take on the character continues to carry the show but there’s slowly a need for justification seeping in on why we’re spending this much time. Most could’ve connected the dots on how he survived, which makes the dragged-out nature of these flashbacks questionable, for now. Here’s hoping that the next episode offers a clearer picture. For now, while interesting from a world-building standpoint, it does undermine the more interesting crime lord plot that has yet to really get going.