Book of Boba Fett

The Book of Boba Fett

The new Star Wars seriesThe Book of Boba Fett is a clumsy second to its predecessor, The Mandalorian.

OFFICIAL MOVIE POSTER FROM STAR WARS

As a colossal media giant, the Star Wars franchise is in constant flux, with every new addition to the series pushing it in a new direction.

Of these recent additions, one of the most important and acclaimed was “The Mandalorian,” a TV series which has received two seasons on the Disney+ streaming service.

“The Mandalorian” was praised for capturing what made Star Wars special, with endearing characters, a compelling story, a fleshed-out universe, and as always, flashy special effects, while still showing an exciting glimpse into the future of Star Wars.

“The Book of Boba Fett” is Star Wars’ second go at a live action streaming show, but compared to the heights of its predecessor, it represents an experience that can only be described as disapafter Return of the Jedi when he’s adopted by a tribe of Tusken Raiders, and his aimless ventures as a wannabe crime lord. Both feel wholly unsatisfying.

There’s no cohesion between either, and barely any cohesion within the parts themselves. Long stretches are spent doing nothing but walking (or riding a bantha, possibly the slowest creature in the galaxy).

The scenes set in the present go from one to the next, without any buildup or payoff in sight. Those set in the past do occasionally carry some emotional depth, designed to explain how Fett developed his soft side, but they either struggle to remain interesting or are executed so clumsily it distracts from any perceived meaning.

In a word, the series can be described as clumsy. Like Boba Fett, the plot clumsily meanders around and around for seemingly no purpose, eventually reaching a flashy but unsurprisingly shallow and poorly executed ending. Events are clumsily placed, and characters are handled clumsily.

For example, a group of droid teenage delinquents are introduced halfway through the series, and I’m still unsure if they were wasted potential or additions that should never have been added in the first place. Action sequences are clumsy, with some feeling like they take place underwater.

Dialogue is clumsy, as characters seem determined to push past whatever realm of possibility existed concerning made up slang terms and swear words. Special effects are clumsy too, without nearly the level of polish that was found in the Mandalorian.

You get my point.

Yes, some of these issues were likely caused by the pandemic, particularly the special effects and some of the more confusing plot points. But most seem like the result of a poorly developed and directed protagonist. The proof lies in episode five, which abruptly diverts the focus of the series to follow The Mandalorian.

It stands out not because it’s the most visually stunning episode. Not because of its cameos (and heavy fan-service) but because I was actually interested in following its main subject.

Even when constantly obscured by a helmet, the Mandalorian was a familiar “face” who I enjoyed watching, who I felt invested in, and whose next steps I actively anticipated. It pains me to say that I often felt the opposite when watching Boba Fett. Episode five reeks with an unmistakable stench of irony, as Star Wars’ former model mandalorian is outdone in his own series.

pointing. As a character, Boba Fett is a curiosity. The galactic bounty hunter is easily one of Star Wars’ most recognizable (and certainly most marketable) characters, yet received only four lines during his debut in Empire Strikes Back, before being unsanctimoniously “killed” at the start of Return of the Jedi. But despite his scant live action appearances, Boba Fett’s popularity skyrocketed. With the renewal of live action Star Wars productions, the question wasn’t if Boba Fett would be brought back, but when. The answer came in the second season of “The Mandalorian,” with Boba Fett, portrayed by Temuera Morrison, coming to the aid of the titular character, followed by the announcement he would be given his own series. After his return, Boba Fett regained his trademark armor but received several major design changes, making it clear this would be a new era for the character.

Unfortunately, The Book of Boba Fett fails not only to provide a foundation for that new era, but for the character as a whole.

The Book of Boba Fett thrusts a blank slate of a character into an even larger blank slate of a setting. No matter how much characterization he might have received outside of mainstream Star Wars content, to most audiences, his role in the franchise has mainly been to look cool.

The Book of Boba Fett struggles to prove his other angles are more captivating. As is stated repeatedly, Boba Fett’s goal is to assert his role as the new Daimyo (or crime lord) of the planet Tatooine, but as a nice one rather than mean one, using his role to help the common folk rather than exploit them.

Why? That’s a bit harder to say.

The Book of Boba Fett is divided into two (later three) parts: Fett’s flashbacks to his time

Battling book bans

ANA MITREVA | SENIOR MANAGING EDITOR

In Jan. 2022, the Wentzville school board voted 4-3 to pull “The Bluest Eye” by Toni

Morrison from the district’s high school libraries.

“The Bluest Eye” follows a young African-American girl’s coming of age after The Great Depression. The book gives firsthand accounts of racism and sexual abuse, also exploring the psychological damage racism causes.

The book was removed from the school’s library for complaints of the book’s explicit scenes and subject matter.

“All Boys Aren’t Blue” and “Fun Home” are books that examine homosexual struggles. They were also banned from Wentzville’s libraries.

“It’s the language, but you’re only targeting language in LGBTQ books or books that touch on issues of race. So you know, there are millions of books in school libraries that have bad language, or some sexual content,” said CHS librarian Lauran DeRigne.

This situation isn’t unique to Wentzville. Organizations like No Left Turn in Education have been a part of the rising movement against diversity and equity content in schools. Their website includes 80+ books under the categories: critical race theory, anti-police and comprehen-

The Central York School District banned Malala Yousafzai’s autobiography and in Tennessee a book titled “Ruby Bridges Goes to School’’ written by Ruby Bridges herself, faced backlash. “I have students at the elementary school, in several recent years come up and ask me if we have books that deal with sexual identity or if we have books that deal with certain issues of race,” said Bober. “And so we have students with questions about the world around them, and they’re looking for literature to help make sense of some of those questions.” In regard to the consequences of book bans Bober said, “To be honest with you, I think the biggest consequence is the loss of the opportunity for students to read that book”. By removing a student’s choice to read a book critical thinking skills are disregarded. It is decided that students aren’t able to make that choice themselves and it has to be made for them. Students will not have the opportunity to decide what they agree or disagree with and will be denied the freedom to read and explore themselves and the world around them. “And I think about other places? You know, maybe you don’t get that broad of a perspective, I do believe that these challenges can help students grow in those communities,” said DeRiA stack of books targeted nationwide for their content. gne. Bober said, “I would encourage all the students to really be aware of what books are available, what the collection looks like at the high school. Are there books there that you would want to read that represent you and represent things that are important to you? Knowing that collection, knowing what’s there, I think is critical, because if you don’t know what’s there, it’s going to be really hard to know, if something leaves.” These book bannings will undoubtedly spike students’ curiosity to look for and read these titles. “Whether it’s a student organization or an individual student, coming and talking to the school librarian and saying, ‘Hey, we would love more books by this individual, or we’d love more books on this topic. And so students have a really direct way to impact the books that are purchased and put on the shelves in their library as well,” said Bober. “I’m hoping it’s opening that communication and perspective in students where they’re like, what, how can they, you know, do this to us?” said DeRigne.“I think it’s that we are lucky to live in a community that values and respects intellectual freedom.”

sive sexuality education. Legislation like House Bill 1474 which would prohibit the teaching of “critical race theory” in classrooms is also challenging the free spread of ideas in schools. “Well, I think it all comes back to your constitutional right and the right for intellectual freedom, which means that everyone should have the right to read and to explore vast ideas and perspectives,” said DeRigne. These attempts aren’t going unchecked. Organizations like the American Library Association (ALA) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) are pushing back. On Feb. 25, the Wentzville school board reversed their decision on the ban of “The Bluest Eye” after two students, represented by the ACLU, filed a class-action lawsuit against the district. “When you talk about constitutional rights, I think that PHOTO BY LILY KLEINHENZ those organizations can really bring that to light,” said DeRigne. Though Wentzville has procedures to review a book before taking it off the shelves, not all schools do. Organizations like the ALA advocate for districts and individual schools to have policies and procedures set in place for any type of challenge that would come. Facebook groups like Future Read Librarian also support librarians with banned books on their shelves or librarians preparing to confront a board to defend why they believe a book shouldn’t be banned. “I think when we’re talking about the free spread of ideas, and we see the rise in the number of book challenges that are happening, one thing that is concerning to me is that librarians and others who make selections about books that are made available to students will start to self censor in their selection of titles that become available,” said Tom Bober, librarian at Captain Elementary School. “So a book that has never received a formal challenge in a district may never even be purchased and may never end up on a library shelf, because a librarian or another purchaser is concerned about challenges that could come.” This issue has become more of a culture war than a political issue that can be debated.