'Book of Boba Fett' on Disney+ Is Already Sparking Controversy Among 'Star Wars' Fans
Tusken Culture
Like I’m so mad. You tease us with all this rich Indigenous & Bedouin inspired lore, you give us the spiritual experience that is Boba’s rebirth via this group of people that’s typically demonized, only to reinforce their status as FODDER for STORY.
I am ANGRY.
— Pablo Fett’s Memoir ⚜️⚜️⚜️ (@Tchalla_Fett) January 12, 2022
Many fans were genuinely offended by the show's killing off of the Tusken tribe that took Fett in. They believed that this negated all the progress the franchise had made, especially in The Mandalorian. In a press event on Friday, Morrison and Wen both weighed in on this controversy.
"[Their portrayal] was better than it was [in the films]," Morrison argued, according to THR. "Then I read [in the script that] we were throwing dead bodies just on the fire and I was going, 'Oh, hang on, we got to put a bit of ceremony into this.' But they are the Indigenous of the sands of Tatooine, and I was creating a little bit more history about their own culture – and I was pulling from my own culture, in a way, in terms of the ceremonies and preparing the warrior and preparing a weapon. And Boba has never experienced a real family before – with the young Tuskens and the old Tuskens – and protecting their land."
"We knew so little about the Tuskens, and [the show] really gave them an incredible backstory," added Wen. "I thought all those elements really enrich who the Tuskens are... and [setting the bodies on fire] was part of Star Wars, with A New Hope, whether it's the Jawas, when they were attacked, there is this ceremonious desire on Tatooine to burn the bodies as opposed to letting them lie out in the open in the desert."
Some fans found this depiction disappointing, but argued that it was too early to judge the series for it. With episodes airing week-to-week, some expected those Tuskens to return or be redeemed somehow.
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This ep was AWFUL. spy kids 5 star wars edition
— J and J falcon family (@JandJFalconFans) January 13, 2022
The second-most common complaint about the series so far is about the speeder bike gang, and in most cases, those complaints were about aesthetics. Fans felt that the look and feel of these cyborg vigilantes broke their emersion in the Star Wars universe.
prevnextSpeeder Chase
// tbobf book of boba fett spoilers
— tea 📖 greater good (@C4STAMERE) January 12, 2022
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i put the tokyo drift music over the speeder chase pic.twitter.com/3MfnxEZypO
Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett (2021) pic.twitter.com/6i6naQW13g
— Scout (@ScoutTheTrooper) January 12, 2022
Fans found plenty of faults with the speeder bike chase scene in Episode 3, complaining that it was out of place, too slow and anti-climactic.
prevnextSoft
Please don't tarnish this show with anymore cheesiness please! Also please make boba fett tougher as it seems he just gets beat up every show. It seems like its geared towards kids and not SW fans in general. Why has Boba became so soft? I still have hope for this to tuen around
— 2x Social Media Champ (@2xSocial) January 15, 2022
“wHy iSN’t boBA fEtT a baDAsS aNymORe?” 🤪🤪😜 pic.twitter.com/FP0FDpaLFf
— Eric Scroggs (@SpiderWhill) January 16, 2022
Fans complained that Fett was depicted as too weak and vulnerable in this show, while others pointed out some of the amazing feats he has already pulled off in the three episodes we've seen. Some also debated whether the show should be grittier, or whether it should be marketed towards children.
prevnextMorrison
Wanting less dialogue to keep Boba a little more mysterious doesn't really equal "didn't like the writing." BOBF has its problems, but I don't think you can use Tem's words here to back that up. Boba talking too much isn't really the main problem of the show.
— Darth Hound (@Darth_Hound) January 18, 2022
Fans who disliked the show tried to argue that Morrison felt the same way based on some of his recent interview quotes.
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Vader leaning in and admonishing him "no disintegrations" – implying both that Vader knows him and knows he is responsible for one or more notable disintegrations – is the greatest character introduction in sci fi history
— Michael Tae Sweeney (@mtsw) January 14, 2022
Fans reminded each other that whatever preconceptions they have about a faithful depiction of Boba Fett is based on very little, as the character was not really fleshed out in the original films at all. Fett's backstory was explained a bit in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, and even more so in cartoons, video games, comic books and novels later on. However, when Disney acquired the Star Wars franchise, it changed the canon so that many of those "Expanded Universe" stories no longer took place within the world of the movies and TV shows.
prevnextExcommunication
Dangit twitter and their limits
Nobody deserves to be bullied away from being a part of a franchise they love and honestly if you are okay with something like that you have no place in this fandom.
— Hunter (@SpicyAtreides) January 18, 2022
Finally, some fans who have liked the show so far expressed concern about Morrison and Wen as they spend more time dealing directly with the fandom online. They noted that fan harassment has already had a serious impact on many prominent stars in this franchise, and hoped the same wouldn't happen to this cast.
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