Should The Book of Boba Fett be considered its own bounty-hunting beast, or The Mandalorian season 2.5? Since debuting on Disney+ as the very first live-action Star Wars TV series, The Mandalorian has thrilled and amazed, but the long-awaited return of Boba Fett easily ranks among the most beloved moments. If Temuera Morrison's Boba Fett brutally plowing through Stormtroopers and dropping seismic charges wasn't enough of a treat for the Star Wars faithful, Lucasfilm followed up The Mandalorian's season 2 finale by announcing a solo spinoff: The Book of Boba Fett.
Confusion initially reigned over whether The Book of Boba Fett was actually The Mandalorian season 3, but Lucasfilm eventually clarified the two shows were separate. The Book of Boba Fett would be produced first, airing in late 2021, then The Mandalorian season 3 would follow. A first trailer for The Book of Boba Fett has now released, however, and the spinoff seems positioned more as The Mandalorian season 2.5 - and that's no bad thing.
From The Book of Boba Fett's trailer, it's abundantly clear that Boba's story continues in the same vein as The Mandalorian - visually, thematically, and tonally. The dusty futuristic wild west environment The Mandalorian perfected is translated directly to The Book of Boba Fett, with every nook and cranny giving off a lived-in, weathered vibe. Of course, The Book of Boba Fett also utilizes the same innovative "Volume" filming technique pioneered by The Mandalorian, giving both shows a very close look and feel. In terms of tone, The Book of Boba Fett might strike a couple of shades darker than The Mandalorian (mainly because there's no cute green fella eating biscuits and gurgling), but it's hardly a huge deviation from the grounded Star Wars world Mando inhabits.
The Mandalorian centers around Din Djarin, a Mando bounty hunter leaving his mercenary life behind for more noble pursuits; The Book of Boba Fett stars the titular Boba, a Mando bounty hunter leaving his mercenary life behind for more noble pursuits. Admittedly, ferrying an orphan across the galaxy is more noble than reforming Jabba the Hutt's criminal empire, but the central premise of each show makes them close cousins. Both delve into Star Wars' underworld, both explore the wider impact of the New Republic replacing the Empire, and both ask the question of whether a dyed-in-the-beskar killer is capable of emotional growth.
Shared thematic territory aside, Disney and Lucasfilm are deliberately presenting The Book of Boba Fett as a story within a story - a part of The Mandalorian that deviates from the central narrative. Those involved with both projects have commented on how filming The Book of Boba Fett was indistinguishable from working on The Mandalorian, and according to unconfirmed rumors, the first episode will be subtitled "Chapter 17," following directly from The Mandalorian season 2's finale, "Chapter 16: The Rescue."
For some spinoffs, bridging the gap between 2 seasons of the parent series might be considered a drawback, but for The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, the structure makes perfect sense. Long before Din Djarin, Boba Fett laid the foundations for Mandalorian characters in Star Wars, and Boba's limited presence on the big screen left audiences hungry for disintegrations. Because Din Djarin wouldn't exist without Boba, it feels natural to pause The Mandalorian's main story and follow the original Mando for a few chapters, before coming back to Djarin with a renewed sense of what it means to wear that famous armor.
Presenting The Book of Boba Fett as The Mandalorian season 2.5 also creates the impression of one volume within a larger tome - a more unique setup than the usual TV spinoff/main show dynamic. The Mandalorian becomes something akin to a bible, where different perspectives are tributaries to an overarching saga, complimenting each other and working toward the same ending. That doesn't make Boba Fett's tale any less important than Din Djarin's - more like The Book of Boba Fett is a volume of The Mandalorian that deserves its own name.
