One of the worst parts of the current cinematic landscape is a natural consequence of the domination of a couple of sprawling empires. With the unending expansion of these universes, some stories are crafted, not to be interesting or engaging, but just to set the stage for future products.
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Episode 4 ofThe Book of Boba Fettfinally pulled the trigger on the obvious move fans expected from the start. The final moment of the episode sees underrated sidekick Fennec Shand proclaim that the heroes will need some extra muscle. Then, just in case fans couldn’t put it together, the series felt the need to play the musical intro ofThe Mandalorian. The following episodereceived some harsh feedbackfor being, essentially, a lesser episode of the better series. Rather than bringing beloved grumpy dad Din Djarin into the existing plotline, the show abandons its narrative in favor of explaining where Mando has been. It’s Season 3, Episode zero ofThe Mandalorian. Is it so crucial that fans learn where Din got his new ship, or what happened to his tribe right now that it can’t wait until the series that’s named after him? Was Boba Fett’s story dragging so severely thata brief intermission to a different seriesfelt necessary? Or is there an even more cynical reason at play for this drastic shift?
Episode 6 of theseries wasn’t much better. Din Djarin is still the focus, but the series expands its net even further to give the audience an explainer as to Ahsoka Tano’s whereabouts before her solo show drops. Then, because no Star Wars property can be complete without a Skywalker, a deeply unnerving Luke drops by.The Book of Boba Fetthas dedicated a whole third of its episodes towards setting various stages forMandalorian,Ahsoka, and whatever Disneyis planning on doing with Grogu. The content itself is radically hit or miss, but even what does work would work a lot better in context. Those planning on waiting for the series to complete its premiere cycle so that they can binge it in one sitting will likely be very confused a few episodes in. And with only one episode left, there’s not a lot of room to save this sinking ship.
The Star Wars franchise is guilty of a ton of franchise management projects, fromRogue One’s aimless dramatization of established canon toSolo’s bad excuses for known details. It’s far from the only example, however. Half ofX-Men: Apocalypse’s plot bends over backward to explain whyJames McAvoy’s Professor Xgoes bald prematurely. The most regular criticism of this kind of media is fan service, but in many ways, this is beyond simple pandering. Fan service is when the plot bends to shove in more stuff longtime fans already know and love, and it isn’t necessarily the worst thing. Franchise management is what happens when a studio, Disney for example, needs certain characters or concepts to be in place so that audiences are primed for later products.
The question now is whetherThe Book ofBoba Fettwas being devoted entirely to setting up the pieces for the upcoming Star Wars projects. If the characters with no business being in the series were there to draw eyes to Boba Fett’s story, then it’s fan service. It could be argued that the separation of Din Djarin’s continued narrative makes it more akin toa long trailer to his later return. Two full episodes of Boba Fett’s show went by with little to no mention of the former bounty hunter. Perhaps this is part of a larger plan. Perhaps Din Djarin’s story is being set into place because Boba Fett’s story will be resolved in Season 3 ofThe Mandalorian. That’s entirely possible, but given how poorlyBook of Boba Fettis being received, it’s likely Disney just wants to get it over with. But even if it is part of a larger tapestry, is that better?
Tying a less popular series to a more popular one would be a fairly insidious method of ensuring that anyone who wants the full story has to watch every Star Wars product. Disney hid most ofFennec Shand’s backstory inThe Bad Batch, Ahsoka’s first reappearance inThe Mandalorian,and now puts Din Djarin’s story throughThe Book of Boba Fett. Anyone who cares only about one of those characters won’t be able to get the full story without looking into series and films they wouldn’t be interested in otherwise. So isThe Book of Boba Fettmore ad than narrative? Sort of, but it’s also part of an interwoven story that demands fans catch every minute, or risk losing track of the only parts they care about.
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