The following article contains spoilers for the latest episode of "The Book of Boba Fett." You have been warned!
Well, there's no sense beating around the bush. How'd everyone enjoy the season 3 premiere of "The Mandalorian"? All joking aside, the concluding moments of last week's episode of "The Book of Boba Fett" certainly set up the (re)appearance of Pedro Pascal's Din Djarin ... but I'm not sure anyone expected creator Jon Favreau and director Bryce Dallas Howard (who continues to kill it behind the director's chair after a couple of warm-ups on "The Mandalorian") to dedicate a whole full-length episode to the fan-favorite Mando, putting Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) on the backburner entirely. Based on the immediate reception to the episode, that appears to be a creative choice that paid off wonderfully, though I'm not sure what that says about the show's title character that everyone's favorite episode happens to be the one that, you know, he doesn't actually show up in.
In any case, Din Djarin's return to bounty hunting and his continued quest centered on Grogu certainly livened things up as we near the home stretch on "The Book of Boba Fett." As risky as it may have been to (briefly) derail our focus from Boba's struggles to become Tatooine's next greatest crime lord, it's hard to argue with the results. The episode is packed with new Mandalorian lore (Manda-lore-ian???), some of the show's best action to date, heaps of prequel trilogy nostalgia, and -- of course -- the traditional concept art featured in the end-credits sequence. Join us for yet another tour through the eye-popping artwork that rivals the actual visuals from the episode!
(Dark) Saber-Rattling
It's always nice to catch up with an old friend after some time apart, isn't it? Particularly in these lonely and socially distanced pandemic times, you might find that they can be a little different from when you remembered, having found new hobbies or developed new interests in the time since you last saw each other. And then there's Din Djarin, who's apparently just gone right back to his old bounty hunting ways, growling friendly ultimatums from behind his impenetrable mask such as, "I can either bring you in warm or cold." Charming, as always. We meet up with him again as he's on the search for another target, brandishing his fancy new Darksaber that he earned from defeating Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) in the Season 2 finale of "The Mandalorian."
Mando's back ... to finish the fight. I never would've expected to get "Halo" vibes from the modern era of "Star Wars," but here we are. After securing his Klatooinian bounty, Din Djarin heads to an unknown ringworld to collect what he's owed. These early segments of the episode deliver some downright spectacular imagery of a thriving city in the middle of deep space, instantly adding a sense of scope and scale and world-building that feels entirely at odds with the almost suffocating focus on the dirt and grime of Tatooine so far in this series. If there's any immediate difference between the two shows, that might be it. Mando has the luxury of planet-hopping wherever his adventures happen to take him. Boba, meanwhile, is stuck in the sand (literally!) navigating some highly repetitive subplots. Honestly, no wonder he and Fennec are trying to recruit his services once more.
We're never told the name of the Huttese-speaking crime lord Mando meets on the ringworld, but the scene in the episode is notably different from this concept art. The relatively sparse meeting is filled with several extras and minor characters observing the tense exchange in the actual episode, adding much more atmosphere to the proceedings and doing much to make this previously-unseen corner of the galaxy truly feel alive. The aliens themselves appear slightly different as well, appearing to be the same species but sporting a more evocative blue skin than the sickly green in the artwork.
Loyalty And Solidarity ... Up To A Point
This is the way. After receiving the information he needed to track down the covert hiding spot of the last remaining members of his Mandalorian tribe, Din Djarin meets up with the familiar (and mysterious) armorer seen throughout "The Mandalorian." Badly hurt from the opening action scene, Mando limps his way towards the armorer sitting serenely in repose, back turned towards him as she observes a stunning backdrop of stars in the emptiness of space. The episode does justice to this concept art, giving this scattered tribe of Mandalorians a new and memorable location after being forced to abandon their last one during the course of events covered in "The Mandalorian."
There's no place like home, eh? Even the wandering Mandalorians know how to give a family welcome, immediately setting about to heal Djarin's festering wound ... though not without dressing him down a bit for carrying that fancy beskar spear. Similar to the Jedi creed, apparently beskar is meant for defensive purposes, not for attack. Accordingly, Mando agrees to melt it down instead for some sort of gift intended for Grogu. That's where the shared customs between Mandalorians and the Jedi end, however, as Mando points out that their code of "loyalty and solidarity" is entirely at odds with the Jedi rejecting all attachments and bonds. Then again, that creed apparently has a loophole for when ownership of the Darksaber is in question, as Mando finds out the hard way.
Man, why can't everyone just get along? Mando barely gets settled in before he's once again fighting for his life, fending off a fellow Mandalorian who wants that Darksaber for himself. The thrilling fight is conducted on an impossibly small strip of walkway suspended over, well, nothing. The vacuum of space beckons to anyone who dares fall off, as both fighters dispense with their trusty jetpacks to show that they really mean business. Spoiler alert: Mando wins handily, though he still doesn't appear to know exactly how to wield that weapon rather than "fight against it." Expect this thread to be picked up either in next week's episode or the next season of "The Mandalorian."
All Hail Amy Sedaris!
Hey, look! Everybody's favorite mechanic is back and as feisty as ever! After technically making her first appearance in the background of a shot a few episodes ago in "The Book of Boba Fett," Peli Motto and her pit droids make their grand return to help out Mando at a time of need once again. I suppose if you're going to sneak an episode of "The Mandalorian" into the ongoing storyline of "The Book of Boba Fett," it only makes sense to commit to the bit and bring back as much of his supporting cast of characters as possible. Along with a very familiar looking pal in the form of a BD unit (to those who've played "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order," at least), Peli Motto finds herself fending off a particularly nasty little threat when Mando arrives.
Talk about the nick of time. Tatooine is the home of many outlandish creatures, but the dreaded womp rats always have a knack for turning up unwelcome. They've even earned the ire of Luke Skywalker himself a time or two in the past, in fact. This time, one particularly pesky rat attempts to make a meal out of the poor (but adorable!) BD unit, before setting its sights on Peli Motto herself. The episode doesn't give us as clear of a look at the invasive pest as this concept art does, but that only makes it more humorous when it grabs the hapless mechanic from behind an engine block and tries its hardest to ruin her entire day. It's not quite the toughest challenge Mando faces during the episode, but it's a good thing he shows up when he does anyway.
With the intruder dealt with, Mando sets about dealing with the reason he's on Tatooine in the first place. The frizzy-haired mechanic has promised him a replacement for his Razor Crest ship, which was wrecked during the course of the action in "The Mandalorian." This piece of artwork shows him dutifully hard at work repairing the antique that will apparently serve as his next vehicle, which requires no shortage of fixing and replacement parts. Thanks to Peli motto, the distracted BD droid, and a couple of intrepid Jawas, Mando manages to restore the new ship to something resembling its former glory.
And speaking of which...
Now THAT'S Podracing
The grand reveal of the N-1 Starfighter, native of the planet of Naboo and somehow having made its way to the distant sands of Tatooine, forms the bulk of the latter half of the episode. Upon restoring it to flight capabilities, Din Djarin promptly takes a tour through nostalgia land and revisits a certain famous sequence from "The Phantom Menace," retreading the same ground that a young Anakin Skywalker once navigated in the race of his life. Though lacking the distinctive sound effects from that thrilling George Lucas sequence (and a couple of Sand People taking some potshots at the racers, just for the heck of it), it's still a welcome little detour ... even if it sort of feels like Mando must've actually watched the prequels in order to know about that location in the first place.
Earlier in the episode, Mando travels to Tatooine on a starliner and briefly interacts with an inquisitive little Rodian child (that's "Baby Greedo," for the less hardcore fans out there) who seems to remind him of Grogu. Apparently on his way off-world again, Din Djarin once again crosses paths with that same kid, though this time during his joyride among the stars as he tests out what his nifty new N-1 is capable of in space. Interestingly enough, this concept art seems to indicate that the child was originally envisioned as a human, clutching an X-Wing toy and wearing a Rebel helmet, to boot. At some point in the creative process, apparently this was changed to focus on a Rodian instead, the alien species that is also included in the artwork just one seat in front. Given how weirdly human-centric all this new "Star Wars" stories continue to be, I fully support this minor change.
Oh right, we're watching an episode of "The Book of Boba Fett"! The concluding moments jarringly remind us of that fact, bringing back Ming-Na Wen's Fennec Shand (who is, ironically, an original character from "The Mandalorian") to refocus our attention on Boba Fett's plight with the incoming Pyke Syndicate. It remains unclear just what difference one bounty hunter, capable though he is, will make in the war to come, but we're as eager as you are to find out. Likely to Boba's chagrin, Mando seems to want to visit Grogu first before doing anything else, so we'll have to wait until next week to see how this all shakes out.
Read this next: The 12 Best Boba Fett Moments In Star Wars Shows And Movies
The post Here's All The Concept Art From The Book Of Boba Fett Episode 5 appeared first on /Film.
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