Grogu, otherwise known as Baby Yoda, in The Book of Boba Fett
The strangest thing about The Book of Boba Fett is that it acknowledges itself as unnecessary; even the showrunners seem to view the show as a mere appetizer to hold viewers over until season 3 of The Mandalorian.
Why else would Baby Yoda and Mando take over for two whole episodes, and have such a big role in the final conflict?
Thankfully, the finale proves action-packed and gleefully ridiculous, with most of the episode spent in the midst of a desperate gunfight between Boba’s ever-diminishing, scattershot group of allies, and the Pykes.
The Pykes aren’t a particularly compelling enemy, and never have been – the real battle is between Boba Fett and Cad Bane, as well as the Pyke’s oversized droids and Boba’s roaring rancor. It’s great fun to see a mini-kaiju battle decide the fate of the town, and Cad is such a memorable villain that it seems ridiculous to have only introduced him in the previous episode, and far too soon to kill him off.
A black-hearted cowboy should be walking the sands of Tatooine, especially considering how soft Boba Fett has become.
Despite Cad’s mocking reference to Boba’s empathic new attitude, viewers never actually experienced his shift in character – we only saw it hinted at during a flashback. Boba began his adventure as a soft-hearted warrior, and ended it in the same place, with Mando and Baby Yoda completely stealing the spotlight.
Which is fine, I guess – people want to see the latter more than the former, even in Boba’s own show. At least Mando and Baby are reunited for season 3, with Baby Yoda nestled in his own adorable little seat in Mando’s ship.
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The Book of Boba Fett is better described as season 2.5 of The Mandalorian, existing only to bridge the gap between Baby Yoda separating and reuniting with Mando (and to bring back uncanny valley Luke, for some reason).
Poor Boba didn’t even get to enjoy the final victory of the episode, as the moment his gunfight with Cad Bane ends, Boba’s enraged rancor becomes the big threat, and is soothed not by his owner, but by Baby Yoda’s powers; the series even closes on a final scene with Mando and Baby, while the post-credits scene teases the survival of Cobb Vanth.
Unlike Fett, Cobb is a pretty compelling character, so at least this series was a neat setup for his next adventure (and hopefully, brings back Cad Bane as an adversary – he’s too intimidating to keep in the ground).
Ironically, Mando was originally created to replace Boba Fett (after Boba’s spin-off movie was canceled) and Mando really did manage to overshadow his inspiration, to the point where he was inserted, somewhat awkwardly, inside Boba’s adventure.
Mando and Baby Yoda seem to be the new faces of the franchise – Boba Fett, on the other hand, should have just stayed in the Sarlacc pit.
