The weight of fan expectation on a movie or series can more often than not lead to a lot of disappointment and division among audiences, and so it seems true of The Book of Boba Fett. As a fan-favorite character, the hype around returning bounty hunter getting his own series was something that sent a buzz throughout the Star Wars fan base, but of course, excessive hype doesn’t always mean that the final result will be loved by all. As we head towards the end of the series, it seems that The Book of Boba Fett is hoping that a bit of Mandalorian magic can help paper over the cracks. Be warned: there will be spoilers ahead.
Book of Boba Fett episode “The Gathering Storm” hinted that Din Djarin would shortly be making an appearance in the spin-off series, and with episode 5 going under the less than subtle title of “The Return of The Mandalorian,” it was not hard to see where this episode was going. However, while a crossover of the shows was always an expectation, but as it arrived it seemed strange that the entire episode focused on Din and did not feature Boba Fett at all, which makes it serve more as a reminder that The Mandalorian’s third season is coming soon rather than advancing Fett’s story.
While the episode ended with Fennec Shand recruiting Din to Boba Fett’s cause, it was a late realization that this series is a Boba Fett story and not one about the Mandalorian, which sets up next weeks’ episode. The real question raised by the episode though, is when with Din Djarin be reunited with Grogu or “Baby Yoda” as he affectionately became known by fans. Throughout the episode, there are many hints that Din is planning on meeting his “little friend” again, but for that to happen in the final episode of The Book of Boba Fett seems like it would take away the shine of Fett’s story. It is much more likely that this reunion will come in Season 3 of The Mandalorian.
The Book of Boba Fett Has Suffered From High Fan Expectations
The Mandalorian arrived on Disney+ without any expectation. The character was brand new, the story was unknown, and fans didn’t really know what they were going to get from the series. For that reason, the result was a series that captured the attention of fans, and also brought into play one of the most viral characters of the Star Wars series in Grogu, who instantly became a pop culture icon under the name of Baby Yoda.
The Book of Boba Fett did not have the luxury of anonymity, with the character of Fett being an icon of the original Star Wars trilogy, and that meant that fans were given a chance to theorize on what they wanted to see in the series. As has been seen on many occasions, that is not always a good thing. Between the story not living up to what was in the heads of some fans, along with the changes the series made to Fett’s past, there are many fans who have found the series a bit of a let-down. Whether the final two episodes can redeem that is something that we will find out over the next couple of weeks.