S01.E01: Chapter One - Stranger In A Strange Land

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

Boba Fett holds court.

Series premiere, dropping Wednesday, December 29, 2021.

[revbfc]

I wasn’t excited going into this, and this episode didn’t move the needle for me.

I’ll keep in watching, but it’s not a thrill.

[magdalene]

That first episode did nothing for me.  It's very clear to me now that watching  the Mandalorian didn't make me a Star Wars fan it made me a fan of the Mandalorian and made me fall in love with Grogu at first sight.  Nothing of course could have compared with the magic of meeting Baby Yoda for the first time but there was nothing that even hooked me even a little. I have no interest in watching episode 2.

[Cthulhudrew]

This is not the Boba Fett I was looking for. #jedimindtrick

Edited December 29, 2021 by Cthulhudrew

[paigow]

Mayor McCheese is not going to finish his term...

[arc]

The Auralnaut's comedic Star Wars Reimagined: Return of the Jedi is all killer no filler, but most relevant to this episode, it has ROTJ's moment where Boba Fett ends up getting eaten by the sarlacc. Once he's vanished into its mouth, in the Auralnaut's version (start at 2:20), he says: "If you think this is going to stop me, you're wrong! … Argh! The digestive process is making me rethink my entire moral compass!" Good times.

The Volume process the Mandalorian used was terrific, but if that's what they used here, the desert scenes with the Tusken Raiders pushed it too far. Or they actually shot in a real desert and it just looked fake as hell anyways. On the other hand, Mos Espa looked fantastic.

It's probably not an intentional shout-out, but I liked that Ming-Na Wen, who'd played Melinda May on AOS, said "If I may".

I bet Din Djarin's all-beskar armor would have handled those taser staffs better than Boba's armor. But still, it's a little ridiculous how unprepared they were for an ambush. He'd ascended to crime lord status himself after assassinating Bib Fortuna just a few days ago; he should expect ambitious local criminals to attempt the same kind of upward mobility.

Boba's early post-sarlacc time on Tattooine looked hellish. The ill treatment, the lack of water, the glaring sun -- it strains credulity that he could even move after a couple of days of this.

I don't actually remember ROTJ that well, so I don't quite get why Boba Fett returned to take over Jabba's crime empire after he finally regained his lost armor.

[paigow]

Tuskens are not good at math...2 prisoners, 1 guard when there is no shortage of ADULTS...

[paulvdb]

What is it recently with shows having (in my opinion) completely unnecessary stories in a different timeline than the one I'm actually interested it? First it was Yellowjackets with the adult versions of the characters when I am only interested in them survivng in the wilderness when they were teenagers. And now this show has Boba's misfortunes after getting out of the sarlacc. I was only interested in seeing how Boba ruled Jabba's former crime empire which I hope will become interesting when the show starts to spend more time on it.

[paigow]

Boba will find out that Han is still alive and fly away for revenge. Fennec will stay behind as boss until he returns - which is never.

 

[TimothyQ]

Well they can’t all be winners, but I’ll stick with it and hope it gets better. 

[KeithJ]

I think if they got rid of the flashbacks the show could be better.  However, this first episode just reinforces for me that Boba Fett really isn't all that great of a character that everyone makes him out to be.  Boba Fett timeline:

1. Gets hired by the Empire to find the Millennium Falcon.
2. Drops his ship in the trash and then follows the MF to Cloud City.
3. After getting to Cloud City, he calls the Empire to come and capture Han Solo and crew.
4. Gets a gift wrapped Han Solo that he then delivers to Jabba The Hutt.
5. Like a chump, he accidentally falls into the Sarlaac on Tatooine.
6. Escapes the Sarlaac (I'll give him some points here).
7. Gets his armor stolen by Jawas!

None of this to me really says "great character".

 

[paigow]

10 minutes ago, KeithJ said:

I think if they got rid of the flashbacks the show could be better.  However, this first episode just reinforces for me that Boba Fett really isn't all that great of a character that everyone makes him out to be.  Boba Fett timeline:

1. Gets hired by the Empire to find the Millennium Falcon.
2. Drops his ship in the trash and then follows the MF to Cloud City.
3. After getting to Cloud City, he calls the Empire to come and capture Han Solo and crew.
4. Gets a gift wrapped Han Solo that he then delivers to Jabba The Hutt.
5. Like a chump, he accidentally falls into the Sarlaac on Tatooine.
6. Escapes the Sarlaac (I'll give him some points here).
7. Gets his armor stolen by Jawas!

None of this to me really says "great character".

 

8. Strangles giant monster with his own chains - just like some Princess

9. Wins freedom and respect by letting kid take credit

[KeithJ]

36 minutes ago, paigow said:

8. Strangles giant monster with his own chains - just like some Princess

9. Wins freedom and respect by letting kid take credit

Ok, if we stop at the original trilogy, my list ends at 5 (and that adds "and dies").  What out of those first five make him a great character?

[magdalene]

I would say so far this is a show only a Boba fan boy/girl could love but from what I have seen out there this morning that doesn't seem universally to be the case either. 

To be blunt why would I want to watch some middle-aged unattractive guy with dubious acting skills  and no eye brows try to be a crime boss while remembering being tortured?

Besides missing the little green bean I also really miss Pedro Pascal and his voice acting - and the  amazing stunt men who did Mando's physical acting.

At this point I am more interested in that Andor series that seems to get no hype whatsoever.  At least that one is based on a Star Wars movie I really liked.

[thuganomics85]

The Mandalorian looks a bit different this season...

Okay, on a more serious note, I didn't think it was too bad personally and I'll certainly stick with it, but I do think I can already see the signs of some struggles I'm curious to see if they can overcome.  Mainly how it feels like the show wants to tell a story of a shady, violent anti-hero in a seedy world, filled with seedy characters.  But it clearly doesn't want to go too far with it, so they have toned or change things in a way that doesn't match with the Boba Fett I'm use to.  I flat-out chuckled when they actually had him say "I want to rule with respect: not fear", because, come on!  No way I buy that.  Boba always struck me as someone who would be perfectly fine if he was feared.  Unless I'm suppose to believe that his time with Mando and company changed him, it just doesn't tract with me.

The other main issue is that Boba seems kind of... naive, all things considering.  I know being a bounty hunter isn't the same as being a crime lord, but I would have thought he would have adapted better to it than he he seemed to be doing here.  At the very least, maybe hire a few more goons you can trust on your squad before you go off to make your collections and piss off other factions.  If anything, Fennec seemed like she would have had the better mindset to run things.

So, besides the main two, we also got Jennifer Beals as some kind of Twi'lek, who runs a casino in the town Boba now oversees.  Have to imagine she will factor in more going forward.  Also, that was totally Matt Berry as the voice of their helper droid!

I do hope the flashbacks don't go on through the entire season, because they are definitely the weaker parts for me.

I imagine it still must feel crazy for Temuera Morrison to have taken a minor role in a blockbuster most didn't care for and it somehow leads to him headlining his own show!

[Morrigan2575]

I liked it. I liked the backstory of how Boba got out of the Salacc and survived. I liked the start of the main story, with Bobby training to take control of Jaba's criminal empire and who sent the assassins. I'm guessing there's more to Jennifer Beal's character then a one of appearance.

I always enjoy time spent in the Star Wars Universe, especially Tatooine...probably comes from the hours, upon hours spent on Star Wars Games. 

[Rushmoras]

It's a spaghetti western set in space, just like Mandalorian. To be honest, I'm only watching this, because of Ming-na Wen. 💗

[paigow]

5 hours ago, KeithJ said:

Ok, if we stop at the original trilogy, my list ends at 5 (and that adds "and dies").  What out of those first five make him a great character?

Agreed. The original trilogy is not a compelling case of must see Boba holocrons. However, his Clone Wars series arc created some sympathy.

[Morrigan2575]

Just saw on Twitter that Sam Witwer voiced the Rodian prisoner. 😍

I just wish they'd give the man an actual live action role. 

[Ottis]

That was… silly. But at least no sappy baby yoda. I’m more a Star Trek fan, so I don’t know much about Fett, but he isn’t particularly impressive in any way. Doesn’t seem like the kind of bounty hunter that would make closet Fett fans happy. 

[CatHouse]

I found it an enjoyable half hour.  I came into the show with no preconceived ideas of what may or may not have happened to Boba past, present or future. And I, for one, liked a closer look at the denizens of Tatooine, that six-armed-legged desert creature was a type of creature in any media that freaks me out…obviously something from my childhood.  😉

Oddly, the only thing that took me out of the story briefly, were the stunt people racing across the screen showing off parkour moves.  

For me, it’s a journal, a part of Boba Fett’s life struggle.  From tragedy to mercenary, Sarlacc bait to reluctant tribesman, reborn Mandalorian to what, an honorable Crime-Lord?  I’m going to stay tuned for more, I want to discover more about who he’s becoming and where he’s trying to go.
 

 

 

[SnoGirl]

As with Mando, I just feel like the episodes are so short. I’m not expecting two hours, but I’m surprised we just don’t get more. I hardly remember the other players’ names.

Loved seeing Boba get out of the pit with the wrecked ship in the background. Loved Fennec calling him boss and being more than just the muscle but almost seemed like they were partners.

I think the Twi’leks looked so much better here than they did on Mando. The Casino boss was definitely humoring Boba-I bet she has a lot more power than what Boba realizes. Can’t wait to see who the mayor is.

Also, love me more weird Star Wars aliens. The Rodian, the aliens in the casino and whatever weird creature Boba killed, I loved it all. I want more aliens in Star Wars. The Trandoshan with a Wookie rug?! Those are the small Star Wars alien moments I want to see. 

The Rodian couldn’t dig at all with the noodle fingers he had. It was SO DISTRACTING. Can Rodians hold things?

Overall, the show was okay. Moments made me laugh and I appreciate more details in the Star Wars verse. But I wish there had been more to the story.

[paigow]

1 hour ago, SnoGirl said:

The Rodian couldn’t dig at all with the noodle fingers he had. It was SO DISTRACTING. Can Rodians hold things?

Greedo was a Rodian. Maybe those fingers are why he never shot first.

[formerlyfreedom]

4 hours ago, CatHouse said:

Oddly, the only thing that took me out of the story briefly, were the stunt people racing across the screen showing off parkour moves.  

WORD! I was very ‘wasn’t parkour a thing like seven years ago?’

[tessaray]

10 hours ago, Rushmoras said:

It's a spaghetti western set in space, just like Mandalorian. To be honest, I'm only watching this, because of Ming-na Wen. 💗

Same. I've never really cared too much about Boba Fett and have always been mystified by his popularity in the SW fandom. 

[Glade]

Meh, I didn't care for/about the character to begin with and this was just a low-energy slog through a day in his soporific life.

[benteen]

I thought the episode was very fun.  I liked seeing the post-Sarlacc Pit battle scenes of Fett and his escape.  Tattooine has been shown a lot in SW but I still enjoy seeing it.

Very good chemistry between Fett and Fennic.  Nice seeing Jennifer Beals appear.  She and Ming Na might be the most ageless actresses in Hollywood.  Terrific action.  I'm looking forward to more.

8 hours ago, Morrigan2575 said:

Just saw on Twitter that Sam Witwer voiced the Rodian prisoner. 😍

I just wish they'd give the man an actual live action role. 

Sam definitely deserves a live-action SW role.  That man gives 110% no matter what the performance. 

Edited December 30, 2021 by benteen

[paigow]

On 12/29/2021 at 11:29 PM, saoirse said:

WORD! I was very ‘wasn’t parkour a thing like seven years ago?’

The Outer Rim is not full of "Early Adopters"

ETA: And they still use Imperial credits

Edited January 2, 2022 by paigow

[raven]

It was alright.  I was a little bored.  Can't help to compare with the Mandalorian, where I was immediately drawn in.  This one, I was waiting to see if another SW character we knew might appear.   I remember being mystified that Boba Fett was so well regarded and this episode didn't do anything to dispel that.  He needs help getting his armor on?  I assume that was some kind of warlord ritual but it seemed kind of lame.

It seemed obvious to me that the Jennifer Beals character sent the ninja assassins.  She was probably primed to take over or is running her own little empire and doesn't want him around. 

It's always nice to see Tatooine - I'm fond of it (hey nostalgia) and I am intrigued by Beals and Ming-Na Wen and not because they are both apparently ageless.  I don't hate the Boba character but he was the least charismatic in his own show.  

I'll still watch even though it was kind of clumsy.  I like being in the SW universe.

 

 

[cambridgeguy]

So is Boba's jetpack just for show?  Seems like flying up would be a decent move when you're surrounded by a bunch of assassins with shields that can block your weapons.   Plus I hear it's good to have the high ground.

[Spartan Girl]

On 12/29/2021 at 1:07 PM, Rushmoras said:

It's a spaghetti western set in space, just like Mandalorian. To be honest, I'm only watching this, because of Ming-na Wen. 💗

Same. It’s entertaining though. So that’s how Boba survived.

[North of Eden]

What I find most interesting was it seemed to dispell the most chilling aspect of the Sarlaac.

In ROTJ Threepio pauses in horror that his friends will be "slowly digested over a thousand years" after being thrown in to the pit implying somehow they are kept alive during the entire process suffering beyond imagination.

But inside the Sarlaac we never see any suffering victims and others fell in from Jabba's sail barge. We just see a quite dead stormtrooper and Boba has to siphone his oxygen to survive.

It all made the Sarlaac pit less frightening.

[theredhead77]

I enjoyed it. 

16 hours ago, benteen said:

I thought the episode was very fun.  I liked seeing the post-Sarlacc Pit battle scenes of Fett and his escape.  Tattooine has been shown a lot in SW but I still enjoy seeing it.

Very good chemistry between Fett and Fennic.  Nice seeing Jennifer Beals appear.  She and Ming Na might be the most ageless actresses in Hollywood.  Terrific action.  I'm looking forward to more.

I could have written this. It was fun, and I enjoyed seeing a different part of Tattooine and the world I already know. Very much looking forward to next week. I wish they dropped two episodes this week.

[Kel Varnsen]

I had super low expectations on this but at least it looked cool. Well mostly. That scene where Boba tried to escape the Sand people and that guard dog lizard thing attacker him looked like some kind of stop motion thing like from Jason and the Argonauts or something.

I didn't really care about Boba Fett before this and this episode didn't really change things for me. I wish when they tried to replicate the magic of The Mandalorian they did it by creating another brand new character, not by just having another guy in a similar suit.  But my 8 year old daughter loves Star Wars so I will almost certainly watch the whole thing.

On 12/29/2021 at 10:13 AM, paigow said:

Strangles giant monster with his own chains - just like some Princess

It wasn't all that clear to me how he was able to break out of his chains while fighting the monster.

[Guest]

I just hope we’ve gotten most of the how he survived flashbacks out of the way. The last 10 minutes being a straight flashback dragged the show down. Boba is too stoic a character to pull off that kind of scene without anyone to play off of. This show needs Ming-Na to elevate it so having her be completely missing a massive chunk was a problem. 

I hope it gets better but will keep watching for Ming-Na and tide me over until Obi-Wan. 

[paigow]

4 hours ago, Kel Varnsen said:

It wasn't all that clear to me how he was able to break out of his chains while fighting the monster.

Hand wave that crushing Rodian + smacking Boba around broke the chains

[raven]

11 hours ago, North of Eden said:

In ROTJ Threepio pauses in horror that his friends will be "slowly digested over a thousand years" after being thrown in to the pit implying somehow they are kept alive during the entire process suffering beyond imagination.

Good point, I thought of this also.  I believe Threepio also says "a new definition of pain and suffering" so definitely implying that they will be alive for a long time.  Maybe you suffer terribly for a short period of time before you die?  LOL.   I mean, I didn't want to spend the whole ep watching Boba escape from the Sarlacc but it was anti-climactic.   It makes sense you would suffocate in there so maybe it was just something that's been told to those who might offend Jabba, in order to scare them.

Boba wins points for not killing the lizard dog.  Show knows better than to kill off an alien dog just doing its job.

[tennisgurl]

You can definitely tell this is a Mandalorian spin-off, its still got that very space western sort of vibe, dusty frontier towns with aliens and ray guns and such. It didn't grab me as much as The Mandalorian, and I have in general never been a huge Boba fan, but I always like spending time exploring the Star Wars universe, especially its outskirts. Exploring Tattooine has promise, and I really like the cast, so I will be sticking around. 

The sand monster was probably my favorite part, that thing was freaky cool. And the lizard dog, who was freaky cute. I wonder if the flashbacks will continue past Boba's terrible horrible no good very bad day?

Edited December 31, 2021 by tennisgurl

[paigow]

Maybe Boba will ask Marshal Bullock for help in cleaning up Mos Espa...

Edited January 1, 2022 by paigow

[arc]

On 12/30/2021 at 5:42 PM, Kel Varnsen said:

I didn't really care about Boba Fett before this and this episode didn't really change things for me. I wish when they tried to replicate the magic of The Mandalorian they did it by creating another brand new character, not by just having another guy in a similar suit. 

To be fair, the whole Mandalorian armor design was created later to riff on and provide backstory for Boba Fett’s armor. And Fett was a character who really was undeservedly popular with fans mostly for his look.

On 12/30/2021 at 10:21 AM, cambridgeguy said:

So is Boba's jetpack just for show?  Seems like flying up would be a decent move when you're surrounded by a bunch of assassins with shields that can block your weapons.   Plus I hear it's good to have the high ground.

Hah! But maybe he has some PTSD since the last time he had it, the jet pack is why he fell into the sarlacc pit.

[Kel Varnsen]

On 12/31/2021 at 9:23 PM, arc said:

To be fair, the whole Mandalorian armor design was created later to riff on and provide backstory for Boba Fett’s armor. And Fett was a character who really was undeservedly popular with fans mostly for his look.

Yea I know the suit and the look was around long before The Mandalorian was a show. My point was more that for me at least, the look of the armour wasn't the thing that grabbed my interest for that show, it was the completely original characters (at least in Season 1). This show doesn't have that so if already from the start has something working against it.

Edited January 2, 2022 by Kel Varnsen

[benteen]

12 hours ago, paigow said:

Maybe Boba will ask Marshall Bullock for help in cleaning up Mos Espa...

Asking Raylan Givens for help would be even more fun.

[johntfs]

8 hours ago, benteen said:

Asking Raylan Givens for help would be even more fun.

Especially if the mysterious mayor turns out to be Space Boyd Crowder.

I think the flashbacks will continue and show Boba becoming part of the Sand People tribe.  That's what the chief offering the water to Boba signified, I think.  He knew damned well that kid couldn't have killed the monster by himself and that it had to be Boba.  Since Boba saved the kid - and was willing to let the kid have the glory, Boba showed bravery, compassion and wisdom and so earned his spot as a tribe member.

Edited January 1, 2022 by johntfs

[dwmarch]

So how did he get out of the Sarlacc pit anyhow? He punched his way through some guts (great, disgusting work there by the FX crew!) and then he used his flamethrower to give it indigestion or something? In any case, I don't want to watch him crawling around in the guts of a "giant butthole in the sand" (thanks Epic Rap Battles of History!) so I will settle for him just being too spicy of a meatball.

I think it's a little hilarious that space Kiwis from a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away still call things "mate". I wonder if that was scripted.

The ambush in the town made me wonder if it was some weird form of tribute from one of the locals. Here's a bunch of generic mooks for you to defeat in front of a crowd that will be impressed by the display. But it could just be here's why you should have taken the taxi instead.

It would have been nice to get even a single line referring to the events of The Mandalorian. Anyone heard from Din lately? "He's off polishing his beskar spear somewhere." But maybe they're saving an appearance for later.

 

[ProudMary]

3 hours ago, dwmarch said:

It would have been nice to get even a single line referring to the events of The Mandalorian. Anyone heard from Din lately? "He's off polishing his beskar spear somewhere." But maybe they're saving an appearance for later.

I'm really not expecting any direct references to The Mandalorian, especially as we know we're getting Season 3 of the show. That story will be told there. This is Boba Fett's story and I'm fine with that. If there is a character I'd like to see, and one that would have a more direct connection to Boba Fett, it would be 

Spoiler

a live action, adult version of Omega, Boba's pure clone "sister," introduced to us in The Bad Batch. In general, as was done with Ahsoka and Bo Katan, I'd like to see some more of the excellent animated characters from The Clone Wars, Rebels and The Bad Batch make it to the live action series.

 

[Sarah 103]

I wasn't wowed by the episode, but I understand it's the first episode and had quite a bit of set-up to accomplish. I am willing to give this a few more episodes to see where it goes. I hope the series improves, because I thought this episode was a tad boring.

[paigow]

On 12/31/2021 at 6:42 AM, raven said:

I believe Threepio also says "a new definition of pain and suffering"

To be expected on a planet hosting several hives of scum and villainy

[Msample]

On 12/31/2021 at 6:42 AM, raven said:

  I believe Threepio also says "a new definition of pain and suffering" 

We’ve already seen that. It’s called Jar Jar Binks.

[johntfs]

16 hours ago, Msample said:

We’ve already seen that. It’s called Jar Jar Binks.

Jar-Jar was in Episode One, so technically he's an old definition of pain and suffering.  Falling into the Sarlacc is apparently worse than being stuck with Jar-Jar.

[benteen]

I've never seen the movie but have read a description of the plot.  Boba's story with the Tusken seems to have been inspired by a film called A Man Called Horse starring Richard Harris in 1970.  They dos a sequel to that film a few years later directed by Empire Strikes Back director Irvin Kershner.