Star Wars: Did The Mandalorian Ruin The Book of Boba Fett?

By Kofi Outlaw

New Star Wars event series The Book of Boba Fett decided to dedicate an entire episode to The Mandalorian, Din Djarin, and the move certainly got a reaction from fans. While viewers overwhelmingly seem to love "Chapter 5: The Return of the Mandalorian", there has been a serious debate about whether or not Mando upstaged Boba Fett in his own show. Book of Boba Fett has struggled to connect with some Star Wars viewers, but Mando's episode had no problem doing so – so what gives? After opinions between the ComicBook Nation podcast staff started bubbling online, the crew finally had a chance to debate it! 

ComicBook Nation host Kofi Outlaw argued for the Star Wars fans who loved the deep-dive lore of The Book of Boba Fett – but also had no problem welcoming The Mandalorian in for an entire episode. Outlaw argued the Star Wars franchise is weaving deeper thematic ties between Din Djarin and Boba Fett, as the fate of Mandalore and its place in the New Republic era continues to unfold. Most of all, he questioned why there's a need to leverage one character against the other, when there's much to enjoy in having both. 

Producer Jim Viscardi saw things differently: he was of the opinion that The Mandalorian's return only highlights how uninspiring Boba Fett's story has been (so far). Viscardi and Outlaw clashed over the notion that The Mandalorian has always been a superior series in the eyes of fans; as Outlaw recalled things, The Mandalorian faced pretty heavy criticisms of being "boring" or "aimless" in both of its seasons, unless Baby Yoda was onscreen, or big crossover guest stars (like Boba Fett) showed up to help anchor the back half of Season 2. 

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Host Janell Wheeler loves Mando, loved the episode – but didn't need the crossover to happen. She has been enjoying Boba Fett on his own and thought he deserved the focus of his own titular series. That said, Janell loves a 'more, never less' approach to content, and is betting on Book of Boba Fett making good use of Din Djarin in an epic final stretch of the series. 

ComicBook writer Connor Casey went for a level-headed middle view, arguing that The Book of Boba Fett has been great in concept, just not in execution, and a well-done standalone Mando story (by way of director Bryce Dallas Howard's talents) really drove home the difference. Casey (as well as several commenters) compared The Book of Boba Fett to Marvel's The Falcon and the Winter Soldier – i.e., reaching some powerful hight points, but ultimately feeling uneven. 

How did you feel about The Mandalorian invading The Book of Boba Fett? Let us know in the comments! 

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