Why "The Book of Boba Fett" Needs a Revision – And a Renewal

“You’re no one! Not Dala, not Shysa! Nobody! You didn’t earn this armor! You didn’t earn my reputation. You called me a fossil. If you were going to be me… you should have learned from this fossil. You’ll never be me.”

The above quote is from the classic Legends tale “Twin Engines of Destruction” by Andy Mangels, in which Boba Fett tracks down Jodo Kast, a bounty hunter who had been posing as Fett.

Kast met Fett’s wrath and ended up dead.

This is the Boba Fett many fans think of — the ruthless professional, so proud of his reputation that he can’t let his peers feel they are on his level. This is a stark contrast from the Fett from “The Book of Boba Fett.”

And while “Book” Season 1 took this larger-than-life character and turned him into someone more human and relatable, many fans despised this depiction.

It would be great to see a new season (or film) of “Book” that takes the flashback formula of Season 1 and applies it to Fett’s distant past. Let’s see Fett in his prime, turning a blind eye to evil for the sake of his reputation and glory, perhaps taking inspiration from the Dark-Horse-Comics-era of Fett, especially stories by Tom Veitch (with art by Cam Kennedy). The Boba Fett of the present can then reflect on that past while confronting a new challenge in his life, something bigger than the crime syndicate of Season 1.

“Take it from an ex-bounty hunter, don’t work for scugholes. It’s not worth it.” — The Book of Boba Fett, Chapter 3 #

The Fett of the Original Trilogy and Legends had a much different opinion of “scugholes” before his trip to the Sarlacc. His capture of the Millenium Falcon’s crew in “The Empire Strikes Back,” for example, was a two-for-one bounty on behalf of the gangster Jabba the Hutt and the dictatorial Darth Vader.

Regardless of what “Book” may imply, the truth is that Boba Fett did work for these kinds of bad guy clients until blind luck landed Fett in the belly of a terrifying beast.

But “Book” retired Boba Fett the bounty hunter, writing his character very differently.

We can celebrate the range of character that Boba Fett has properly if we are allowed to see the whole spectrum of who he was then and is now. The biggest mistake “Book” made was being afraid to show this; by cherry picking the flashbacks, it represented Boba Fett in a dishonest way, even if the creatives had the best of intentions.

If Cad Bane could not believe that Boba Fett would simply opt to do the right thing in life, we as an audience deserve an explanation to why that is. The Original Trilogy version of Boba is who Cad Bane is referencing in Chapter 6 of “Book,” but that Boba Fett never appeared in the series.

The story tried to humanize Boba Fett, which, on its face, is a great idea, but the execution of it completely dismisses his dark side, making him a harder character for a casual viewer to understand. The only time his anger is truly felt is when he hunts down the suspected murderers of the Tusken tribe he lived with, who weren’t the culprits after all. A lot of Boba’s rage is otherwise implied. He must have felt anger over The Sanctuary’s explosion for instance, and yet he remains stoic.

With the recent release of the “Star Wars: Bounty Hunter” enhanced edition, we’re reminded of a different approach that the creatives could have taken as they made “Book.” The Jango Fett of the game (written by Jon Knoles) is seemingly identical to the film version on the surface, but underneath we unravel a more complex version of the character. I think “The Book of Boba Fett” aimed to achieve something similar, but it just sabotaged itself.

What would be great is a season two that really abridges these two conflicting versions of Fett. Season 2 needs to simply ask, “who is Boba Fett?”

Will he return to being a bounty hunter?

Does he seek to be a family man?

Will he fight the Empire?

We’ll only know if his story is renewed and revised, and if the creatives are willing to take on the challenge of rejuvenating the legacy of Boba Fett. After all, Fett as a character is still incredibly popular among Star Wars fans. There’s still an opportunity to expand on Season 1’s story without retconning anything, if they are willing to do it with the passion required.

(Special thanks to BFFC’s Chelsey B. Coombs for copy editing.)