The Book of Boba Fett – An Episode Ranking

The Book of Boba Fett has left a lot to be desired, but it did have its fair share of fun and insightful moments worth rewatching. As such, it is time to look at all of this season’s episodes from worst to best.

Hint: Every episode is still better than The Rise of Skywalker

SPOILER WARNING

(duh)

#7: The Streets of Mos Espa

Considered the worst episode for a few main reasons, the most “divisive” among them were the cyborg biker speeder gang known as “The Mods”. Conceptually I can see their work in a more city-type planet like Coruscant. The main problem, however, is that they feel very out of place on Tatooine. The biker’s outfits and exposed machinery are much too clean for the dirt and sand of Mos Espa and its frequent sandstorms.

To make matters more glaring their bikes are too brightly colored. They literally stick out like a sour thumb. Their phony acting didn’t help, but what really destroyed them was that notorious slow-speed chase through Moss Espa.

On top of that, after a rather lackluster fight with Krrsantin, the Hutt Twins just decided to bugger off because the city authority already handed Mos Espa over to the Pykes. This just makes The Twins that had a lot of potential feel like a wasted opportunity.

#6: Stranger in a Strange Land (Pilot)

It is important that the pilot of the season present a tone that drives the entire season. The Mandalorian had the reveal of Grogu (then just “Baby Yoda”), Game of Thrones had its twincest and a boy falling out of a window. In this, it’s just “Boba walks into a bar”.

In truth, the real story driver of the series (at least the first half) was the flashbacks of Boba escaping the Sarlacc and being a captive of the Tusken Raiders. Despite its slow start it was satisfying seeing that Tusken Shaman hand Boba that drink realizing he’s more than a prisoner.

#5: The Gathering Storm

After Boba’s Tusken family gets killed, it looked like the flashbacks would come to an end. However, there was one more flashback left to tell and that was discovering Fennec shand and recovering his ship, Slave I (we’re still calling it that).

After a mediocre third episode started bleeding fan support, this episode kicked the momentum back into the series. We also get more of an understanding for Boba’s turn, he’s just sick of being ordered by idiots. There’s also a nice compromise with the old and new films treatment of the Sarlacc in that the mouth retracts.  We even see Krrsantin rip a Trandosian arm off and join Boba Fett’s posse. 

The episode ends with Boba noting he’s short on muscle and ominous and familiar music bringing excitement for the next episode.

#4: The Return of the Mandalorian

It is very hard putting the next few episodes in the middle of this list.

On an objective level, these are great “Mandolorian” episodes. There was some real lore building – especially with regards to the dark saber – and giving us a brief glimpse of the Great Purge of Mandalore.

Most of us thought we would be getting this stuff in the next season of The Mandalorian – which won’t come until the end of this year. This episode served well as an update to what Din has been through since leaving Grogu in Lukes’s care.

However, giving Mando the focus comes at the complete expense of Boba’s story which exposes the big problem with this series as it’s too dependent on flashbacks and Mando to keep any sense of investment in the main plot – Boba’s career change to a crime lord.

For more on this point, read our full Book of Boba Fett review here.

 #3: From the Desert Comes a Stranger

This entire episode starred cameos. Cobb Vanth got his own cold open, we get to see Grogu training with Luke whose CGI looks much better than he did in the last season again. We even see Ahsoka pop up and discover she’s been somewhat guiding Luke.

Easily the biggest cameo and indeed the biggest in the entire season was the live-action debut of Boba’s mentor/rival hunter Cad Bane and his shootout with Cobb Vanth was straight out of an old spaghetti western.

However, like the previous episode, this came at the complete expense of Boba’s story even though the very series is named after him. Boba Fett was literally a cameo in his own series. There were rumors spread by the crew and cast telling us this was going to be a Mando Season 2.5 but none of us expected those words to be taken literally. This has left a conflicting feeling with these episodes they are great episodes on their own, but not when your titular character has been sidelined. This isn’t an anthology like Clone Wars where you have 22 episodes with different character adventures. When your season is 7 episodes long you have time to dwell on other stories arcs.

#2: In the Name of Honour

Like any good finale, we have all the characters converging into one spot.

At first, it looked like it was just Boba and Din making almost Butch Cassidy/Sundance Kid last stand moment. Then several more of their allies come to their aid. There were however some very cringe moments that killed the tension, for example, I hated the Twi’lek majordomo, as he keeps hamming it up too much and there is no comedic payoff, and the Mod bikers are still not interesting.

However, it is the faceoff with Boba and Cad Bane’s fight quick as it was, but satisfying to watch if you’ve been following anything Clone Wars related. My only wish is for Bane to be introduced a little earlier so we get more understanding between the two.

Nevertheless, the finale was still enjoyable and ultimately ends with Mando and The Child off to new adventures.

#1: Tribes of Tatooine

If there was a single episode that was able to stand on its own it was this. Two episodes in, we get The Last Samurai / Dances with Wolves treatment with Boba helping the Tuskens and becoming an honorary member of their tribe. This has been done on so many occasions, often with poor results, but this is one of those outside savior stories done well. Often there’s very little dialogue letting the character’s expressions and body language do the work. Like The Mandolorian, this series has done a great deal fleshing out the Tuskens giving some real culture and lore to these people.

There were major Mad Max vibes with that train chase. We also get some ritual history with the Tuskens where we see Boba going on a rediscovery, forging his own Gaffi Club, and ending with a badass war dance. For a season that had a slow start, this made the series worth watching.