The Book of Boba Fett is not what it seems

When the end credits of The Mandalorian Season 2 finale revealed 2021’s promise of a series all about the famous bounty hunter Boba Fett, Star Wars fans couldn’t stop speculating about the details. It would be just over a year before The Book of Boba Fett premiered its first season on Disney+. And so far, the show is nothing like what most fans anticipated.

Is there violence? Sure. Are there aliens that both honor and expand the legacy of Star Wars’ affinity for extraordinary beings? There absolutely are. We’ve seen plenty of present-day Boba Fett doing what he promised to do in the trailers. He rules with respect. He doesn’t take any nonsense. And you better not send a group of assassins to try taking him out. Fennec Shand simply will not stand for it.

But possibly one of the best things The Book of Boba Fett has done so far … is tell us nothing about the show’s real story before it began.

You hear the phrase “show, don’t tell” a lot in storytelling discussions, and The Book of Boba Fett is the perfect example of how and why the concept tracks. We thought we were getting a return to the Boba Fett many fans know from the Star Wars Legends days. He’s not that Boba Fett. Not anymore.

This isn’t a story about a crime lord rising to power and essentially ruling a planet and all its resources (whether legal or otherwise). It is — at least from what we know based on the first two chapters — the story of Boba Fett coming to terms not just with where and who he’s been, but where and whom he may be destined to become.

Star Wars TV continues to show audiences that you really can’t judge a show by its trailers, and it will likely continue to do so in the years to come. If you know what you’re getting into before every series even begins, where’s the fun? The best way to have your expectations met, after all, is to go in not knowing what to expect.

The Book of Boba Fett is streaming now exclusively on Disney+.