Boba Fett is back for the best episode so far, and he does so by doing what he does best, kicking ass and taking names. In an episode that mainly takes place in the past, Fett shows that he is still the master of murder.
This episode sees the crossover between Boba Fett and The Mandalorian. Using a subtle musical cue, we see when the events of Mandalorian Season One Episode Five: The Gunslinger intersect with what Boba Fett was during the duel between Mando and Fennec, and the immediate aftermath of that fight. This music cue is also used at the end, signalling a future cameo appearance.
Going back to the flashback, the audience are guided through how Fennec was healed. The goofy cyborg youths make a return, and a punk mod shop is added. While it makes sense to introduce a mod parlour, their whole aesthetic doesn’t fit well within Star Wars, and so if this hadn’t had been introduced, no one would have minded. The audience already knows how Fennec survives, there is little reason to dwell on the specifics. After this, Fett and Fennec go to retrieve Fett’s ship.
There is a nit-picky element of criticism to be had in the dialogue. When Fett is explaining to Fennec his plans, he refers to his ship as a “Firespray gunship”. While it is a nice touch when characters refer to the proper class of a ship, Boba referring to his ship being a Firespray is irksome.
Long-time fans will know that the name of his ship is Slave One, which Disney clearly considers problematic, so are attempting to write its name out of canon. This could have been avoided, with Fett simply not naming his ship. It would have made for more natural and less stilted dialogue, as people usually just refer to their things as “my ship” etc. What makes this more annoying is that this episode is quite brutal, with Boba going on a devastating murder run of a speeder gang, and Black Krrsantan later rips someone’s arm off. Disney seem quite happy to sign on to these horrific acts by our main characters, but are unwilling to preserve the canon of Boba Fett’s iconic ship for no real reason.
The infiltration sequence into Jabba’s palace is very well shot and structured. It is set into very distinct phases of scout: infiltration, problem, achieving their goal and then the escape. There are nice touches and call-backs to previous media and lore to be found throughout the episode, but it can be seen most prominent in the little rat catcher droid, which frequently appeared in Star Wars The Clone Wars. The small chase it gives Boba Fett is very fun and humorous (if a little goofy) but highlights how Fett is out of shape. The dark twist at the end of the sequence is quite shocking.
The sound effects for the Slave One are still fresh and crisp as ever when they are unloaded on the speeder gang, with Boba going through his rapid-fire cannons and his smooth sounding missile. But the real treat for the audience comes with a seismic charge being launched into the Sarlacc Pit. The seismic charges sound amazingly good, with their iconic effect and sound being on full display. Hopefully these will be shown off more in future episodes.
Character development is not missed out on this episode either. Fennec and Fett have several campfire conversations about why Fett wants to be a crime lord. It shows how his actions have been informed by this desire, and he didn’t just act on a whim. In the present, Fennec also points out that while Fett is fixed by the bacta, he still carries problems of the past, which will no doubt be explored in future episodes. Boba may be fixed externally, but internally he still has a lot of growing to do. A fragile peace is struck with the other families of Mos Espa, continuing to set the stage for a war with the Pyke Syndicate.
Overall, this episode stands above the rest in terms of action and character development. It also gives Fennec some of the limelight, which has been lacking since episode one. Past Boba Fett continues to show his strength, and hopefully this will carry over into the future. The stage is set for war to break out, and it is sure to do so in an explosive way.
By Kieran Burt
Feature image: Lucasfilm/Disney