Three years after it premiered on Disney+, I finally understand why The Book of Boba Fett failed its titular character’s legacy. The Book of Boba Fett should have been a triumph – it was the first official “Mandoverse” spin-off, and Boba’s return in The Mandalorian season 2 was undeniably glorious. Temuera Morrison gave the character the commanding presence he deserved, and the former bounty hunter’s dynamic with Din Djarin and Fennec Shand was intriguing.

Despite The Mandalorian’s impressive spin-off set-up – that shot of Boba on Jabba the Hutt’s throne was nothing less than striking – the show never lived up to its potential. Of course, nearly everyone agrees that much of The Book of Boba Fett’s failure was down to Lucasfilm treating the series like The Mandalorian season 2.5, which certainly exacerbated the show’s issues, but it’s not just that. The way the Star Wars series handled Boba Fett himself left much to be desired, too.

The Book Of Boba Fett Was Too Obsessed With His Past

Despite Boba Fett’s minimal screen time in the original trilogy (and the ill-fated Holiday Special), the character quickly became an icon; a true Star Wars legend. There’s no denying that Boba Fett was a legacy character, made all the more so after he and his father were prominently included in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. Giving a character that so many fans were desperate to see more of his own TV show should have been a golden move for Lucasfilm, but instead, they let his story become paralyzed by the past.

Giving a character that so many fans were desperate to see more of his own TV show should have been a golden move for Lucasfilm, but instead, they let his story become paralyzed by the past.

The Book of Boba Fett tried to cover too much of Boba’s history in one series. Not only did the show endeavor to explain his survival in the sarlacc pit and his life with the Tusken Raiders, but it also wanted to dive into Boba’s bounty-hunting past; even his feud with Cad Bane. In the end, neither part of his past got the emotional depth or the screen time it deserved. Star Wars really should have picked one or the other, or alternatively, neither, focusing instead on Boba’s current predicament and the new life he was building for himself.

Star Wars Was Too Afraid To Truly Move Forward With Boba Fett

The Book of Boba Fett consisted of five detached storylines, none of which truly came together successfully. There was Boba’s time with the Tuskens, his meeting with Fennec Shand, his reckoning with his life as a bounty hunter, his need for justice on Tatooine, and the continuation of Din Djarin and Grogu’s story. The “Battle of Mos Espa” wasn’t a well-rounded conclusion. It was a messy clash of Boba’s past and present without truly accepting who the show had made him become, loosely held together by a few cool shots of Boba riding a rancor.

If Star Wars wants to move forward with Boba, it needs to accept that the Boba Fett they recreated in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett is essentially a new version of the character. The past is basically irrelevant now, but as we all know, Star Wars has a hard time letting go of nostalgia and its legacy characters. Will they ever be able to let Boba Fett move forward the way the character truly needs to? It’s unlikely, unless, by some miracle, we’re granted season 2 of The Book of Boba Fett.