SPOILER TBoBF ep.1 - A Stranger in a Strange Land

A couple of my favorite Mando episodes were directed by Rick Famuyiwa, who I note is absent from the BoBF crew.....oh well.

 

I miss seeing his name among TBOBF directors too.

Rick's 'The Child' and 'The Believer' episodes are among my all-time SW favorites.

 

Yes, @NinjaRen and I were thinking the same.

 

As an audience, we've visited the planet of Tatooine a number of times. I'm not sure how you 'jazz up' the city without it losing its Tatooine identity. Regarding the small size of Fett's "posse," I think the ambush was meant to highlight Boba's inexperience and naivete as a new crime boss.

I would agree but I'm curious what leads you to believe this will be the case after watching 1 out of 7 episodes?

I would be willing to wager that Boba's journey over the next six weeks will offer us plenty more than a battle for crimelord supremacy with the Mayor.

 

Honestly, I was pretty happy with the first episode.

The sarlaac flashback was great, and the stuff flashing back to the prequels were also cool. I also really liked the almost Harryhausen-inspired monster in the desert.

Not entirely sold on the Crime Boss Fett story yet, but I think it has room to grow- especially because (thank the maker) it seems that almost the entirety of the trailers have already been covered in the first episode. Not only does that not tie us down to Tatooine as much as I feared, but... it also makes it seem like the trailers may have been hiding some cool stuff to be revealed later.

Also, I really enjoyed the parkour scene. Neat to see this type of thing in Star Wars with a little more weight to it than the Jedi can provide.

 

I fear it may be the case, but I don't definitely *believe* it will be the case. But why do I fear it?

1) As you said, just 7 episodes, and one is down already. For that short of a season, the main conflict would usually be introduced or hinted at in the first episode. For comparison, Mando Ep 1 closes with Baby Yoda, indicating the direction of the show going forward.

2) The trailers haven't revealed anything more than a power squabble on Tatooine. Despite what Rodriguez said in interviews, there is plenty from the trailers that we haven't seen. And it's all more of the same.

3) I have a suspicion that the creative team has overestimated how much they can simply bank on Boba's coolness. In Mando S2, it was so exciting to have him back, and to have Temuera in the suit, they could do almost anything and it was exciting. But that initial buzz has faded, and Boba kicking butt just isn't enough anymore. Do the creators realize that?

That said, there could very well be more to this show, and I hope there will be. But I don't see any real reason to expect much more, because nobody has promised more.

 

That’s honestly what I’m crossing my fingers for. I would love it if this series was about the emotional and psychological growth of this character where his biggest obstacles are internal and the external conflicts he encounters are just outward expressions of that maturation.

That’s frankly the only appeal the prospect of this show has for me: this guy becoming self-determined - moving away from being a cog in someone else’s wheel and redefining for himself a fulfilling future. Ideally, resulting in him recognizing that injecting morality into criminality is a pointless venture. Being the galaxy’s most honorable crime lord is about as admirable as being the world’s best smelling piece of crap.

 

I hear ya. This is especially true when the episodes tend to be short. We may have as little as 3 hours left in Season one. But that said, think back to Season 2 of Mando. A lot happened between the end of the ice spider adventure (Ep.2) and six episodes later to the season finale (Ep.8).

First off, most of the trailer and TV ads were shown in Episode 1. And I suspect there's a reason why 'what's left' could be described -- as you did -- as "more of the same." It's pretty clear after 2 seasons of The Mandalorian that Favreau and Filoni are passionate about keeping viewers surprised. They did just enough of the 'crime boss' clips to give the show a theme without revealing where they plan to go with Boba's story. Where this ultimately goes remains to be seen but my money's on some fun plot twists and surprises before its over.

In Favreau and Filoni I trust.

We've only had one episode to judge from. But I didn't get the sense that the creative team was going through the motions. In Ep.1, we got a lot of backstory that I enjoyed. Was it as 'cool' as his Mando episode? Probably not. But it was necessary backstory and did show Fett's endurance (the flashbacks) and his lingering physical challenges (the ambush scene.)

The fun thing about the episodic nature of the show is that we get to 're-evaluate' where the show's at with each new show.

 

maybe he will invite some tuskens into his crime gang

 

I think there's some truth to that (from a certain point of view )

The central conflict is very possibly going to be exclusively about the fight against the mayor.

That said, the first episode has set the table for this series to be used to show "Lost"-style flashbacks for each episode that could thematically tie to the frame-story of the fight against the mayor. For instance, one episode might see Fett fighting against a new bounty hunter the mayor has dispatched against him, while also showing flashbacks to an old mission Fett went on with one of the classic ESB hunters.

I know that might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I think it could be an interesting change of pace to the typically fully-chronological D+ shows.

 

Yeah, it COULD be but I seriously doubt it. One could have deduced after the premeir of Episode 1 of Mando 2 that the season was going to take place on Tatooine and focus exclusively on a conflict between Din and Boba Fett.

Flashbacks to confrontations between Boba and classic ESB hunters? The prospect of THAT happening gives me goosebumps!!!

 

LOL. So true!

Fans after the Mando Season Finale: OH YEAH, BABY!!! BOBA'S TAKING OVER JABBA'S PALACE AND IS GONNA BE A CRIME LORD!!!!!

Fans after TBoBF Episode 1: Really? Baba's only gonna be a crime lord??!?

 

I actually would have rather watched a young Boba Fett having adventures in the underworld of Coruscant and other locations. Boba as a crime lord and on his way to redemption doesn't really excite me, but it is what it is and I have to wait and see where the journey goes.

 

I don't necessarily need this show to set up some thing else, but I want it to matter for Boba. This is the BOOK of Boba Fett. It should really have an impact on him as a person.

My worry is that it will be The Footnote of Boba Fett, like at asterisk at the bottom of the page saying *And he had to fight off the local mayor real quick, but THEN he became the crime lord.

 

If Episode One is any indication, I think its safe to say that the show's creative team have every intention of fleshing out the person behind the mask.

I'm surprised by how many SW fans here have doubts about the show. Given what we've all experienced with JJ and Rian Johnson, I suppose it's understandable. But this is Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni. They've yet to let me down over two seasons of The Mandalorian. I've loved their vision. So I'm not planning to push the eject button yet.

 

I'm off on Wednesday, so can't wait for episode 2, I'm hoping that its good... Fravreau directing, see you then, for now I'm out gotta get up in the morning haha....

 

Yes, and honestly speaking it got boring right after he said that he isn't going to torture anyone. Boba Fett is supposed to be a badass bounty hunter. Why does his character need a redemption anyway?? I was looking forward him being street-smart, materialistic overall being far worse than Jabba.

Looks like SW doesn't know what to do with their characters other than give them a redemption story.

 

Would highly disappoint me.....

Yes. The BOOK of BF should have covered ALL of his entire life. From the departure from Kamino abord the Slave, with his wounded father, to his come back in Mando S2, passing per the Geonosis Arena, the bounty hunters meeting with Vader aboard the Executor.
What happened in his life, after the Geonosis drama ? He was a teenager then, how did he manage to survive? Who tokk him under protection, why not Maz?
Where and why his decisions were not the ones a Clone could have make ? What makes Boba different, from Rex or Cody, in his way of thinking, in his behaviour?
I would have love such questions being approached... and why not, answered.