Four years ago today, a Star Wars release ruined the franchise’s coolest character and hurt its biggest TV show at the same time — and both have yet to truly recover. Thanks to the sequel films and launch of Disney+, the Star Wars franchise has expanded significantly in recent years. In some cases, that’s a good thing; projects like Andor and The Bad Batch are among the best additions to George Lucas’ universe. However, many newer Star Wars titles are extremely divisive. One only needs to look at the responses to the sequel films or The Acolyte to see that.
And four years ago, a highly anticipated Disney+ show attempted to expand on one of the franchise’s fan-favorite characters. Unfortunately, that effort backfired. The series ended up hurting that character’s legacy rather than boosting it. It also overlapped with one of Star Wars’ best TV shows, making questionable choices that negatively impacted the other series’ future. Needless to say, it’s not a high point in Star Wars history, though it should have been.
The Book of Boba Fett Premiered 4 Years Ago Today (& It Was Disappointing)
The Book of Boba Fett debuted on December 29, 2021, with the Star Wars franchise hoping to capitalize on the titular bounty hunter’s popularity. Boba Fett’s first on-screen appearance was technically in 1978’s Star Wars Holiday Special, but fans really began to rally behind him after his role in The Empire Strikes Back. Even with limited screen time, it was clear that the character was a badass. And he was just mysterious enough to leave viewers intrigued, making his fall into the Sarlacc pit during Return of the Jedi that much more disappointing. He received deeper explorations in comics and novels, however, as well as an appearance as a child in Attack of the Clones.
His biggest return in live-action didn’t happen until The Mandalorian, though, which brought in Temuera Morrison to breathe new life into the character. After revealing that his fall in Return of the Jedi didn’t kill him, the series saw him helping Din Djarin and Grogu and explored his connections to Mandalore. There was excitement surrounding his return, prompting his own series — but it quickly proved disappointing. There were a lot of issues with The Book of Boba Fett, but its larger impact on the franchise overshadowed any individual criticisms of the show. Most unforgivably, it ruined a previously great character.
The Book of Boba Fett Ruined One of Star Wars’ Coolest Characters
Considering how beloved Boba Fett’s character was, green-lighting a Disney+ series focused on him seemed like a no-brainer. Unfortunately, The Book of Boba Fett didn’t do the fan-favorite character justice. Putting aside its poor pacing, low stakes, and lack of focus, the show’s portrayal of Boba Fett just wasn’t what many had hoped for. He often felt like an afterthought in his own show, which certainly didn’t help. But even when the bounty hunter was in the spotlight, he simply felt off. After his actions in the original Star Wars movies, it felt as though the Disney+ series did a 180.
The Book of Boba Fett placed too much emphasis on the good in its lead, despite the franchise never fully earning that. In doing this, it stripped him of the moral complexity that made him interesting in the first place. It also didn’t help that Boba Fett was no longer a mystery. Characters like him work because viewers can interpret them however they choose. When a franchise offers a more concrete, canonical depiction, it can be disappointing, as fans already have their own ideas about the character. And so, even Morrison’s great performance couldn’t prevent the Disney+ series from reflecting poorly on Boba Fett when it was through.
The Disney+ Show Also Hurt The Mandalorian Season 3
The Book of Boba Fett hurt its main character when it came out four years ago, but that’s not the only way it failed the Star Wars franchise. It also created obstacles for The Mandalorian Season 3, which then became the weakest outing of the Disney+ series. Given that The Mandalorian was one Star Wars’ strongest TV offerings, this wasn’t ideal. And Season 3 could have continued building on the prior outings’ strengths — if The Book of Boba Fett hadn’t completely stolen its thunder.
After Grogu and Din Djarin emotionally parted ways at the end of The Mandalorian Season 2, they came back to together in The Book of Boba Fett. It was a mind-boggling decision on the writers’ parts, as something so crucial to The Mandalorian should have happened in the show itself. It wasn’t the only major plot point to appear in the wrong series, either. Many joked that Star Wars dropped two episodes of The Mandalorian into The Book of Boba Fett, and the sentiment wasn’t far off. It’s one thing to include cameos and references, but directly continuing the plot of The Mandalorian made both series feel fragmented. Hopefully, The Mandalorian & Grogu movie can fix some of that damage in 2026. Sadly, unclear if there will be an opportunity for Boba Fett to make a better comeback.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!