Can the Mandalorian and Boba Fett save Star Wars? The Netflix Series save the franchise that is? The question isn’t just does Star Wars need saving? But is Star Wars worth saving? I loved Star Wars as a child. The Empire Strikes Back is one of my all-time favorite movies. Unfortunately, after Return of the Jedi, there haven’t been too many things to brag about in the Star Wars franchise. Until The Mandalorian series on Netflix came along, things looked bleak.
Why is Star Wars lost?
Can the Mandalorian and Boba Fett save Star Wars? First, Star Wars is lost because they have given the car keys to the woke film activist and not the fans. The woke activist drove the vehicle into a huge ditch and cause the death of our most beloved characters. They even had the gall to kill them in the worse possible way. Kathleen Kennedy replaced loveable iconic characters with un-inspiring, identity politics place holders. George Lucas’s prequels were disappointing, but at least the light-saber fight scenes were epic.
One Caveat.
In retrospect, The Revenge of The Sith was a better movie to watch after twenty years had passed. Again, the light-saber battles were exciting and well choreographed. Seeing Obi-Wan wipe the snarky smile off of bratty Anikan was worth seeing. The prequel story could have been better written and developed. But the new Disney Sequel trilogy was so terrible it made that prequel trilogy movie look good in comparison.
No Country for new ideas.
One of my biggest gripes about Hollywood is that they have no new ideas. And Disney, for sure, is no exception to that statement. Also, you can see that with the resurrection of the Dune franchise. But Jon Favreau made a brilliant choice by developing new characters and lore around “The Mandalorian.”
I have spoken.”
-Kuiil
Helmet man.
One thing you may have noticed is that the Mandalorian looks strangely familiar. It’s the damn “Boba Fett” helmet. And that’s because the Helmet is part of the Mandalorian religion. And Boba Fett, or at least his father Jango Fett, was a Mandalorian at one point in his life and still clings to some of those ideals. But basically, Favreau created a mythology around this sect of warriors known as Mandalorians.
Being Mysterious.
Boba Fett was one of the most beloved Star Wars characters and, strangely enough, he was very mysterious. The bounty hunter only had a few minutes of screen time in the whole Star Wars franchise and only seven lines of dialog, but fans loved him.
Maybe originality was the key to The Mandalorian’s success. And because Disney didn’t have anything too familiar to destroy with the Mandalorian, fans were not let down.
This is the way.
Writers and Director Jon Favreau found the way to get fans engaged in Star Wars. Something new and something old — they intrigued us with “Baby Yoda,”. His name is Grogu and no, he’s not a baby Yoda, but he is a toddler member of the same species as Yoda. This familiar but different approach worked in the Mandalorian. But why did this approach not work in “The Last Jedi?” Because, unlike in the Mandalorian, The Last Jedi did not honor the tropes of Star Wars.
Fan Service.
Why is fan service a bad thing? It’s not, instead it is giving the buyers what they paid for. For over thirty years, Star Wars built a mythology around Star Wars, with characters that were honored and well defined with story arcs. Fan dis-service is when the new owners of Star Wars say, “Hey I know you bought into this whole Star Wars story making it a successful franchise but we are ditching everything you love and starting over, changing the characters you loved into losers.”
The Mandalorian did not do that. Instead, they built on the Star Wars mythology with Mandalorian lore. And they honored the OG of Star Wars with cameos by, cool “Luke Skywalker,” not his idiot brother Jed Skywalker who wants to kill his students.
More of a gun-slinger than Jedi Knight.
Parts of the Mandalorian seemed more like a sci-fi,spaghetti western than Star Wars and that is OK. The Mandalorian is a bounty hunter to begin with. He is no white knight. Because of this gray morality, it gives the character more depth as apposed to the New Star Wars, where the characters are un-relatable, perfect justice warriors. But Mando does not have this problem. He appears the heartless, but capable, bounty hunter. Until he meets Grogu, which leads us to his story arch, where he learns to care for someone else.
Five Stars for The Mandalorian.
Star Wars got resuscitated from the dead with the success of the Mandalorian seasons one and two are praise worthy. I hope Disney will pay attention to what worked and keep producing more of the same. I am hoping that the Obi Wan series coming out in May 2022 will be as good or close to it.
The Book of Boba Fett or the Mandalorian Season 3?
With the success of “The Mandalorian,” everyone at Lucas and Disney had no excuse not to make a Boba Fett movie or series. Unfortunately, my praises for the Book of Boba Fett are mixed, but it’s not a failure. And we see more of The Mandalorian in the Book of Boba Fett. Mando’s story continues, and so does Grogu. Beware of spoilers if you see read on!
If you love mom, you can’t love dad.
Disney had to tie up some loose ends between The Mandalorian and the Force Awakens. Because, if Luke was training Grogu, why was he not there when he was training Ben Solo? Skywalker, makes the Jedi seem like a cult, when he tells Grogu to choose between a cool nifty light saber belonging to Yoda and a gift of Beskar chain mail made for Grogu. It’s like bad parenting from a petty, divorced mother. I know Luke Skywalker is not Grogu’s mother, but you get the point.
Side note.
Come to think of it — maybe the Jedi were a weird cult. And, no attachment and family relationships outside of the Jedi Order did lead to Anakin Skywalker having a secret marriage and becoming a Sith.
Boba Fett is a good guy or a bad guy?
Maybe it’s a snapshot of our society’s lack of a moral compass, but Star wars is not good at writing heros anymore. The Mandalorian and Boba Fett are morally gray characters, at best. Remember, Boba Fett was the guy who gladly tracked down Han Solo for the Imperial Empire. He helped Jaba the Hutt, a crime boss, almost execute Han Solo and Luke Skywalker. And Fett earned his near death experience in the Sarlacc Pit by being on the. Moreover, he usurped Jaba’s place as the new crime boss in The Book of Boba Fett. But Boba Fett is one hundred times more likeable and relatable than Ms. goody-two-shoes Rey in the sequel trilogy. And unlike the Force Awakens, the story to the Boba Fett series is plenty entertaining.
A few minor problems with The Book of Boba Fett.
Firstly, the Sand people capture and enslave Boba Fett. After escaping the Sarlacc pit, Jawas stripped him of his Beskar armor. Then, the Sand people find him, tie him up, drag him through the desert and abuse him. Later he earns their trust, and he is considered one of the tribe. My point is, if some group of people torture and enslaved you, would you simply prove yourself to their hierarchy system and join them?
Secondly, Boba Fett has gained some weight and gained to lose a few pounds. Between Return of the Jedi and The Book of Boba Fett, Boba Fett’s armor looks too small on him. I understand why this is. It’s two different actors playing Boba Fett. Granted, Temuera Morrison played Jango Fett in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. And since Boba is an exact clone of Jango, it made sense for Temuera to play him in the Book of Boba Fett. But Jeremy Bulloch was the original actor in the suit in the Empire’s Strikes Back and in Return of The Jedi. Even though the two actors have completely different body types. And the voice actors’ voices were not the same either and didn’t sound alike.
Thirdly, what is with the Gen-Z type moped riders in the later episodes? These colorful youths look like they just stepped out of Hot Topic. And the wardrobe simply doesn’t fit Star Wars. While they look like they are trying to appeal to a younger audience; they are trying too hard.
But all of these are minor issues, in my humble opinion. The story of Boba Fett is an enjoyable one.
The Book of Boba Fett gets Four Stars.
Since Disney has set such low expectations for fans, it’s not too difficult to be impressed. The CGI of Luke Skywalker in later episodes was nostalgic. The Side story of The Mandalorian was as watchable as the main plot. Can the Mandalorian and Boba Fett save Star Wars? Although they are a step in the right direction, it’s not enough. Hopefully, the Obi Wan series will add more dignity back to Star Wars, but I don’t think it will ever be what it once was.
Notable Co Star.
Ming-Na Wen plays the bounty hunter, Fennec Shand. Previously, Ming was most memorable for her role as Melinda May, AKA The Cavalry, in Agents of Shield. Fennec Shand is Melinda May for all intents and purposes of her character. Consequently, Ming, like the rest of The Book of Boba Fett does an OK job. It’s not bad. If you are looking for filet mignon, you may be disappointed, but instead if you expect a good cheese burger and you will be happy with The Book of Boba Fett.
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