With one episode remaining in the premiere season of The Book of Boba Fett, it’s pretty safe to say the Disney+ series isn’t at all what Star Wars fans expected. What we were promised: A series featuring Boba Fett dealing with the complex Tatooine underworld following the deaths of Jabba the Hutt and Bib Fortuna. What we’ve gotten: All of that, plus flashbacks and a detour that has fans wondering where all this is going.
The episode travels back-and-forth from Tatooine to Luke Skywalker’s future Jedi school, where tensions rise as Boba Fett desperately tries to build an army … while both Din Djarin and Grogu realize they both have tough choices to make.
Cameos, Cameos and more Cameos
Once again, Boba Fett and Fennec Shand were only minor players in this week’s episode, “Chapter 6: From the Desert Comes a Stranger.” But what the episode lacked in its main characters, it made up for in its guest appearances. Perhaps Luke Skywalker, Grogu, and even Ahsoka Tano were sure appearances since Dave Filoni is notorious for bringing familiar characters into as many of his stories as possible. Cobb Vanth? Sure, he was bound to reappear at some point being on Tatooine already. But very few expected Cad Bane, hat and all, to emerge from the desert with gunfire on his mind. Yet there he was, prepared to warn all who would listen that Boba Fett was not someone to be trusted.
Grogu’s choice
One major criticism of the episode — one I shared, until I really thought through its implications — is Luke forcing Grogu to make a hard choice between training as a Jedi and leaving to be with Din. On the surface, it looks like Luke is being unnecessarily cruel, perhaps even falling prey to the same mistakes that led the Jedi to their own destruction decades earlier. But while Luke is far from perfect — he himself didn’t receive much training from Yoda — he is doing something right: Giving Grogu a choice.
Grogu wasn’t given the choice to join the Jedi Order the first time around. Presumably, he was taken from his home as an infant against his will and spent several decades training on Coruscant as all the other Jedi of the era were. He was never asked if he wanted to be a Jedi; he simply followed the one path offered to him. Now, though it may seem unfair, Luke is actually giving Grogu the chance to say no to Jedi training. If he wants to, Grogu can choose the Mandalorian life. It is completely up to him.
One could argue that he can — perhaps even should — have both Jedi training and Mandalorian companions. But that’s probably a story to be continued another time.
Star Wars is at its best when you don’t see the endgame. George Lucas’ original story messages still and always will remain — every story in its own way will end with the promise of hope. But the journey from point A to point B should always veer from the predictable while staying true to the heart of the franchise. We may not know how The Book of Boba Fett will end. But isn’t that half the fun?
The Book of Boba Fett is streaming now on Disney+.
