The Book of Boba Fett episode 1 review: Stranger in a Strange Land

The Book of Boba Fett’s opening episode does little to expand its story and focuses mainly on the past.

After the success of The Mandalorian and a brilliant season 2 finale at the end of last year, fans were treated to a glimpse of the future through a post credits scene. This scene showcases Temuera Morrison’s Boba Fett taking control of Jabba the Hutt’s territory with Ming-Na Wen’s Fennec Shand by his side.

After that, The Book of Boba Fett, a new Disney Plus series, was announced as a continuation of that storyline.

While the premise of the show seemed interesting, the show has been shrouded in secrecy and after the first episode, there still has not been much more revealed about where the show is headed. However, the first episode did fill in some gaps for fans about the famous bounty hunter’s history before his appearance in The Mandalorian.

Boba Fett’s Bad Day

The premiere episode of the series begins with Boba Fett in a bacta tank as the audience is treated to some flashbacks of Fett’s life. This includes some footage from Attack of the Clones and the long awaited reveal of how the bounty hunter escaped the stomach of the Sarlacc that swallowed him in Return of the Jedi. As it turns out, all it took was his trusty flamethrower to break free.

After breaking free, Boba is at his worst and has his armour stolen by Jawas and is kidnapped by Tusken Raiders who beat him and treat him as a slave. He is left armourless, broken and with only the clothes left on his back. It is evident Boba did not have a good time after his encounter with Luke Skywalker.

As the episode continues, it turns out Fett manages to nearly escape before being taken by one of the Tusken Raiders. He eventually earns their respect by defeating a monster for them and is treated to some water as a result. It seems that earning the respect here will lead into his appearance in The Mandalorian, as his first appearance features him wearing a robe and carrying a stick belonging to the Tusken Raiders.

Lord Fett

After a lot of flashbacks, the episode eventually makes its way to present day where we receive our first glimpse of Fett ruling over Jabba’s territory. An assortment of aliens offer tributes and greetings to their new ruler, with some being very suspicious and likely to make future appearances alongside Boba.

As stated throughout the trailers and this episode, Boba is a very different leader to Jabba. He does not wish to be carried around town like a god and wishes to rule with respect, not fear. Fennec seems to oppose this and states that fear can be an effective way to lead and a good way to make sure people stay in line, with Fett’s leadership style already showing cracks as he is attacked.

In a brief action sequence, Fett is hurt and taken back to the bacta tank while Fennec captures one of the attackers. The episode ends at this point, with not much occurring that the trailers did not already make us aware of.

There are no massive twists and, by this point, fans have not really learned anything new (from the show’s present at least), as this episode only reveals that Fett is now ruling Jabba’s territory and has people against him who do not like it.

While it is certain the series will pick up and delve further into the plot presented to us, fans were not treated to much in the opening outing. If the series is anything like The Mandalorian, though, it is certain to flesh out the story in time.

The Book of Boba Fett is now streaming on Disney+, with new episodes released every Wednesday.

What did you think of the first episode of The Book of Boba Fett? Let us know in the comments below!