The Book of Boba Fett will finally put Star Wars’ most famous bounty hunter in the leading role of his own series, and it’s likely to be a very different one than The Mandalorian. Season 2 of the hit show brought Boba Fett back in a big way – played spectacularly by Temuera Morrison – and the final scene of the season set up his impending spinoff. But while The Book of Boba Fett shares a lot of its pedigree with The Mandalorian, the new series looks like it’ll be changing things up a bit.
The end of The Mandalorian season 2 saw Boba Fett and Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) blasting their way into Jabba the Hutt’s old palace and killing Bib Fortuna, who’d run the late gangster’s operations in the wake of the Hutt's death. In the final shot, Fett seats himself on the palace throne, signaling a claim as king of Tatooine’s underworld. Jabba’s operations stretched far beyond the borders of the Dune Sea, however, so it’s possible that Boba and Fennec will be taking over some galaxy-wide criminal interests as well.
That incredibly promising setup paves the way for The Book of Boba Fett. Story details for the new show have yet to be revealed, but it will likely see Boba and Fennec traveling through the shadier corners of the galaxy and dealing with various underworld characters in their bid for power. It’s a great premise and one that will likely yield a very different series than The Mandalorian. Here’s why.
Book Of Boba Fett May Not Visit So Many Worlds
The Mandalorian is very much a planet-hopping story, so much so that some fans have made fun of its “planet of the week” structure. Din Djarin is constantly on the run from someone or something, constantly taking random jobs from random characters, and constantly on a scavenger hunt to find allies and answers. That model may change a bit in The Mandalorian season 3 now that Grogu has left to train with Luke Skywalker, but so far the series has been largely defined by the incredible amount of galactic ground it's covered.
The Book of Boba Fett may not be so free-spirited in its narrative structure. The takeover of Jabba’s Tatooine palace alone sets up a home base for Boba and Fennec and, since Fett seems to have spent a lot of his time since Return of the Jedi on Tatooine, he may also have some unfinished business there now that he’s back to full strength. The duo is sure to engage in a good bit of spacefaring as well but, because neither seems to be actively on the run at the moment, their travels will probably be dictated by the story, rather than The Mandalorian’s model of letting the story be dictated by Din’s travels. That would create a more focused narrative for The Book of Boba Fett.
Book Of Boba Fett's Story Won't Be Like The Mandalorian's
The core story of The Mandalorian isn’t terribly original, but it is pretty specific. Essentially, the show is a Star Wars adaptation of Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima’s famous 1970 manga Lone Wolf and Cub, which follows a Japanese warrior on a mission of vengeance with his infant son in tow. Jon Favreau himself has acknowledged the Manga’s influence on The Mandalorian. The adapted structure is simple, but compelling, centering the story on Din and Baby Yoda, with all other characters put into supporting roles. The relationship between the two drives both the narrative and the emotion of the series – something that could present a dilemma now that Grogu is gone.
That structure obviously won’t be present in The Book of Boba Fett. Fett and Fennec may still lead the cast as a core duo, but their story will be a far cry from Din and Grogu’s. The two bounty hunters are more interested in making power plays than running for their lives, and the show will likely be more crime thriller than western space opera as a result. That could also translate into a darker overall tone for The Book of Boba Fett, especially considering the kinds of dangerous characters who will probably make up the supporting cast.
The Mandalorian Lore Won't Be Such A Focus
As evidenced by its title, The Mandalorian is largely a show about, well, Mandalorians. Season 1 is rife with alluded traditions and customs from Din Djarin’s covert, and season 2 brings in more traditional Mandalorians, including fan-favorite character Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff). The Empire’s genocidal purge of Mandalore and the possession of the Darksaber are also major plot points. While Mandalorian lore may not always be at the forefront of the story, it underrides all of Din’s adventures.
Boba Fett is technically a Mandalorian, but he’s far removed from the actual history of the race. As a result, The Book of Boba Fett probably won’t deal with most of the Mandalore-centric storylines of its predecessor. Boba has no interest in reclaiming the homeworld, wielding the Darksaber, or following The Way. He only wants his armor back in The Mandalorian season 2 because it belonged to his father, not because he holds any cultural affinity for beskar. As a result, The Mandalorian’s narrative foundation of history and lore likely won’t play much of a role in The Book of Boba Fett.
Book Of Boba Fett Could Have More Original Trilogy Callbacks
While it may not feature many references to other Mandalorians, The Book of Boba Fett could deal heavily in callbacks to the original Star Wars trilogy. Unlike Din and Grogu, Boba was an active participant in the events of the original films. His past work for the Empire could bring him into direct conflict with the New Republic – possibly bringing back some old Rebel characters in the process – and his ties to the galactic underworld can return viewers to the same wretched hives of scum and villainy that helped make Han, Lando, and Chewbacca such iconic characters.
Because of Fett’s extensive resume throughout the Galactic Civil War, any number of classic characters could find a reason to feature in The Book of Boba Fett, from Bossk to Mon Mothma. And since Tatooine is the setting for Boba and Fennec’s home base, the desert world could continue to be fleshed out even more. It’s hard to guess at too many details before the show’s story has been revealed, but suffice it to say that The Book of Boba Fett has a lot of potential, and a lot of exciting new directions in which it could take the world of Star Wars.