SPOILER TBOBF Ep. 3 - The Streets of Mos Espa

When it concerns a reinterpretation of an established character that certain people have a prominent invested interest in? Yeah, probably. I expect to see the same with Obi-Wan.

 

Good point and I'm kind of dreading that series. I've never been convinced there's a good story to tell, but they had the actor and the fans wanted it. I don't need to see Vader face Obi-Wan again, but alas...

 

I think you can reverse this here.

What if you took all the "fan service" (for lack of a better term) out of Book of Boba? No Rancor, no Krrrsantan, no Hutts, no Tuskens. Replace all those figures with new species and characters. Replace Boba with a new crime lord character we've never met. Would there still be a story to this show?

Mando has "fan service" moments, but they always had a purpose for driving the story. Bo Katan challenges Din's core beliefs. Luke's arrival closes Din and Grogu's character arcs, as Din must let go and Grogu must not fear. You always understand what the characters want, and why they want it, and that drives the story.

In Boba so far, there are lots of cool moments, but there's no sense of "why" to give them urgency and drive them forward. What is Boba hoping to achieve here, other than maintaining the rights to an empty castle? And why does he want it so bad? What is his internal conflict?

So in a weird sense, unlike when watching Mando, I find myself relying on fan service in Book of Boba. In Mando, I enjoyed even the "filler" episodes (another term I hate) because they were driven by an urgent, purposeful story. But in Boba, I don't feel any story driving underneath the quiet moments, at least not a story with any definite parameters outside of a vague "Boba wants to rule Mos Espa because reasons." And so I find myself just waiting for the fan service moments, because I have nothing else.

 

I thought they explained a lot in this episode, it definitely wasn't pointless. I don't get what you mean by fairly pointless when we learned more in this episode than any other. All I'm gathering is that the show isn't living up to people's imaginations about a character that had about 5 minutes of total playtime in all the movies combined. I came in with zero expectations and I'm enjoying every minute of it.

 

I'm not sure I consider a Rancor, Wookiee, Hutts, and Tuskens fan service in a series where a 40 year old pop culture character is the lead and it's set on Tatooine. Is Tatooine fan service? Either way the fan service is not on the level seen in season 2 of Mando. Seems like a lot of hand wringing over 3 episodes which essentially had to tell us how Fett survived (check), show what's doing after Hutt (check), and tell us what his motivation is now (plot of the show). Again, I'm not criticizing fan service in Mando 2. I thought they used it well, but I also think it can be drug some audience members can't get past.

 

Mistakes were made on my iPhone previously posted

 

that's fair, "fan service" might not be the right word.

What im trying to get at is this: In Book of Boba, I think you lose a lot if you don't have the Tuskens, the rancor, etc. Most of my enjoyment right now is coming from the way the show explores SW mythology. But if I wasn't a big SW fan, if I had no interest in learning how the sand people make their weapons or how the Dathomir witches rode rancors (which is so freaking cool), then what would I be getting from this story?

In Mando, on the other hand, even if you swapped out Luke and Ahsoka for random Jedi, even if you swapped out Bo Katan for a new Mandalorian warrior, you would still have a great story. Anyone, even non fans, would be able to catch on and have fun.

 

Those are questions that the show will be answering.

1. How did Boba Fett surivive the Sarlacc and reappear from the dead five-plus years later accompanied by Fennic Shand as the newly-announced crime lord on Tatooine?
2. Why did the galaxy's greatest bounty hunter choose to start a new life as a crime lord? and
3. How good a crime lord will he be?

Given the episodic nature of the show, you're not getting the answers you desire all in one fell swoop. It's a 7-episode season.

 

If we previously had the great The Mandalorian, I begin to think the story of Fett could have been perfect for a new 140 minutes Star Wars Story movie, dark and competent as Rogue One and Solo.

During ESB bounty hunter well known colleagues, Vader, syndicates, Pikes, Qi'ra, Han Solo, then his 15 minutes escape from Sarlacc, the one with no name with no Empire, a Tusken relationship, become a respected boss in Mos Espa, Naboo, Sesame Street or in 20 planets in outer rim with his armor, and at the end smoking a pipe with his friend Din Djarin, even Han Solo, with 2 suns on the horizon or in a balcony in Coruscant.

 

It's one thing to dislike the show but to be embarrassed and get goofy by saying "crapola"? then others to follow suit with quoting that? You'll probably all be back next week anyway just to hyperbole and sh*t on the show even more as much as you can instead of simply ignoring the show and move on.

Okay I'm done with that little rant and am not going get into it anymore from now on. Ill simply say..I disagree!

 

Why? Why destroy a Mcquarrie in the middle of Mos Espa with a Vespa? Why?
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo








PD: I know why.

 

Whilst Chapter 3 wasn't my favourite, I still dug enough of it and can see the plot points being set up for later episodes...

- Krrsantan will return (Somehow...Krrsantan returned)
- The biker gang will obviously stick around
- Boba's going to be riding that rancor and I'm sure it'll come in handy during a brawl
- The Pyke's are in town for the war that Fennec mentioned
- The Mayor's shenanigans will come back to bite him
- Fett will be dealing retribution to the Nikto gang
- Boba knows the three families he needs to unite/reach out to (Trandoshans, Aqualish, Klatoonians)

There's probably more but there's more than enough intrigue surrounding the story to keep me invested. Just need more FENNEC!

 

Have to say, I love how Lucasfilm has embraced the Holiday special with opened arms compared to George...

 

Because it is not the genuine Ralph Mc Quarrie drawing - as this one did put Luke in the center of the scene, facing Jabba.

 

If you've watched Season 1 of the 'Making of the Mandalorian'on Disney+, you know all homages to the old SW Holiday Special are coming directly from Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni.

One of the more hilarious moments from that SW Gallary season is when Jon proudly showed George the two-pronged 'disintigration' rifle Mando uses in S1 and pointed out to him it was designed as an homage to the weapon George had Boba Fett use in the Holiday Special. George stared at the rifle and said, "I don't remember that" as Favreau looked at him like he'd just learned there was no Santa Claus.

 

Well, George exactly said : this rifle no longer has any meaning for me.