Jan. 5, 2022

Spaghetti Western Homage Planet: BOOK OF BOBA FETT Episode 1

The Junked Droids discuss the first episode of STAR WARS: THE BOOK OF BOBA FETT.

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TRASH COMPACTOR: A Star Wars Podcast

The Junked Droids discuss the first episode of THE BOOK OF BOBA FETT, "Stranger in a Strange Land"

The SFGATE article referred to: https://www.sfgate.com/culture-columns/amp/The-Book-Of-Boba-Fett-Premiere-Was-The-Worst-16738851.php

Transcript

00;00;07;22 - 00;00;10;19
JOSH
Joining us in the Trash Compactor today is James.

00;00;10;29 - 00;00;11;14
JAMES
Hello.

00;00;11;23 - 00;00;12;28
JOSH
Jon.

00;00;12;28 - 00;00;13;20
JOSH
Hi.

00;00;13;20 - 00;00;14;22
JOSH
And Mickey.

00;00;14;22 - 00;00;15;05
JOSH
Hey.

00;00;15;05 - 00;00;26;05
JOSH
Today we are discussing the first episode of The Book of Boba Fett, the new Disney Plus series. It debuted last week, and we're all pretty big Star Wars fans here. I think all from the same

00;00;26;17 - 00;00;39;13
JOSH
generation, like, you know, we grew up with it, not during its original theatrical run, but we kind of discovered it on VHS in the late eighties and early mid nineties. Like, that's so, so so that's interesting because.

00;00;39;13 - 00;00;45;17
JOSH
The character of Boba Fett factors in -- he. looms large in that era of fandom, I feel like.

00;00;46;06 - 00;00;50;27
JOSH
So James, what were your overall thoughts? Here are your. Headlines from the first episode of Book of Boba Fett.

00;00;50;27 - 00;01;04;00
JAMES
I enjoyed it for the first episode. You know, it left me guessing what's going on. I appreciate the fact that we jumped right into it with after what like how many years of guessing how this character might be alive.

00;01;04;01 - 00;01;16;00
JAMES
We they just gave it to us instead of like giving us an episode six or something. The whole thing, like we got like, OK, this is how we go. And now he's back. And I liked the political intrigue.

00;01;16;00 - 00;01;26;01
JAMES
I like that. I really don't know what his motives or goals are, aside from what we know from The Mandalorian and the scenes we saw in this episode. So I I think it's off to a good start.

00;01;26;05 - 00;01;29;00
JOSH
Jon, what about you? Overall thoughts from the first episode?

00;01;29;21 - 00;01;47;28
JON
Yeah, I I enjoyed it too, but I was there. There are things I thought maybe they could have done a little bit differently to add more mystery. Ironically, for a guy that has like all mystery like, but it's just like it's on Tatooine again.

00;01;48;10 - 00;02;00;15
JON
And that kind of has a Mandalorian feel, and it's like a western thing and like, OK, well, we kind of have that. But like, I know they're going to go more into like the underworld and organized crime, and I can't wait to see all of that stuff.

00;02;01;00 - 00;02;15;24
JON
But I was also I want to see more of like a transition of personality from what we thought. He was a guy that was like working for the empire and seemed like a piece of shit who worked for a Jabba the Hutt.

00;02;16;02 - 00;02;28;29
JON
Those are the bad guys. And then he's like, this kind of honorable dude. And I was like, Well, maybe in the flashbacks, he'll be kind of shitty. But then when he comes out of the pit, which we'll talk about later, he seems like pretty good right off the bat.

00;02;28;29 - 00;02;45;27
JON
And it's like, OK, like, maybe we were all wrong about Boba Fett. And I don't know, like stuff like that was just like, I guess, episodes two, three, four or five six will go into that, obviously. But I feel like there wasn't something there for me to be like, Oh, like, that's interesting.

00;02;45;28 - 00;02;56;09
JON
I was just like, Yeah, it's Boba Fett going about his day, like that kind of thing. Like, Is this a matter of fact? Like the whole thing? This thing? Very matter of fact.

00;02;57;08 - 00;03;05;07
JOSH
Yeah, there there are definitely a couple. Of things about his character that I think we'll get into again later. But Mickey, what were your overall impressions from the first episode?

00;03;05;29 - 00;03;21;03
MICKEY
I agree with everyone. I think it's really well done, just like the rest of the previous of The Mandalorian. I think kind of like going a little bit off what Jon said and what you were saying, like being a fan of like, you know, definitely Boba Fett like loom large with early fan hood in that light kind

00;03;21;03 - 00;03;32;28
MICKEY
of that time period ends. You know, I think there's a little bit of, I don't wanna say, retro canon or whatever, but he's not who I always thought Boba Fett was grown up. So there's like a little bit, it turns out, character wise and story wise to like, readjust to.

00;03;33;05 - 00;03;42;03
MICKEY
But that doesn't take away anything from how well they've done it. And the other kind of cool thing I like about it in terms like, you know, we can talk about these two different The Mandalorian about Buffett's not quite a new season.

00;03;42;03 - 00;03;55;02
MICKEY
It's kind of different, but similar. Like, you're definitely with like Western things and like a lot of spaghetti westerns. So to me, it's like it kind of feels like, you know, like almost like the difference between like a Sergio Leone movies where you like the kind of same, but the kind of riffing on the same vibe.

00;03;55;10 - 00;04;00;07
MICKEY
And I definitely like, appreciate it, like the vibe and everything, too. So, yeah, but yeah, overall, I enjoyed it.

00;04;00;29 - 00;04;14;06
JOSH
Well, that's an interesting point, because it's sort of like when you want to do the western homage. Tatooine is like the western omeje planet, right? It sort of it's sort of almost feels like it's sort of almost feels like it's become that my overall thoughts.

00;04;14;07 - 00;04;33;09
JOSH
I loved how it like. I think it, if not the very beginning, like very, very early on. It just starts out with he's in the Sarlacc and he's being digested and he punches his way out, which. It's like right off of Return of the Jedi. Like you see the wreckage of the sail barge and like, you see that that that his fist comes out of the sand.

00;04;33;18 - 00;04;48;06
JOSH
And, you know, I had the tails of the bounty. Hunters on my shelf in the nineties and the tales from the cantina and all that stuff like there. I don't know how many forms of how Boba Fett made it out of the Sarlacc explanations. There have been over the years, but.

00;04;48;20 - 00;05;13;05
JOSH
He's he's gotten out a million times like we knew that he gets out because he's he's a cool character and there's a lot of potential there. So for me, the nostalgia kicked in really hard for me immediately. The fact that it picked up right off return to the Jedi, we're finally seeing this moment that we all kind of. assumed happened off screen, like we're finally seeing it in live action, it's realized really well on screen.

00;05;13;06 - 00;05;23;28
JOSH
The only thing, though, a couple of you mentioned this, it's it's not the character. We thought that Boba Fett was like, You, Mickey. I don't know that it's a retcon, because the thing about Boba Fett is we did.

00;05;23;29 - 00;06;09;23
JOSH
We never really knew the guy. Like, he's not he's not really a character in the original trilogy and in the prequels, he's demystified it in a certain way, you know, in the fact that we see his father without a helmet. And then we see him as a child. And I haven't seen. I know that there's an arc with the young Boba Fett in, I think, Clone Wars, which I haven't seen. So the character had already sort of been kind of embroidered upon. And the thing is that it's hard to make your central. Character likable. Or at the very least, understandable or palatable. In some way. And especially on a. Disney show, quite frankly, like I feel like they are. They kind of did. In my opinion, they had a blank canvas on which to paint.

00;06;09;28 - 00;06;15;02
JOSH
All the stuff that they're. Like, quote unquote retconning was. Never really canon. To begin with.

00;06;15;06 - 00;06;31;01
MICKEY
Well, you said that the D-word with Disney, and I definitely think, you know, there's a lot of question of like, you know what, what the play is, you know what the decisions to be made between, whether it's between the creators and what the producers are, you know, deciding on.

00;06;31;11 - 00;06;42;20
MICKEY
And because it's like, I mean, I could see like a creator being like, I just want him to be again, bring back to we own like I just want him to be Clint Eastwood and one of those movies and say, never say more than two words per episode.

00;06;42;29 - 00;06;54;14
MICKEY
But I mean, is Disney going to allow that? And so I definitely think there's a quite like it's well done. I really like it. But I mean, I definitely think we have to like, I'm very curious, like how much is still a corporate project in that sense?

00;06;54;14 - 00;06;59;12
MICKEY
And you know, yeah. And what we're missing out on, potentially, you know? Yeah. Well, yeah.

00;06;59;23 - 00;07;13;22
JOSH
Yeah. Well, to be fair, I'm of the opinion. I don't think that the producers have to be to be told anything by the suits or whatever as it were like. I think that they understand. That this is for a family audience, and that's just their natural instinct is to do. That.

00;07;14;00 - 00;07;29;04
JON
Yeah, I totally agree with you on that. I think a lot of people talk about Disney with the other sequel movies and stuff like that, and it's like, I think Disney has a hand in it, obviously a little bit, but I think they give the artists and filmmakers more freedom than people think.

00;07;29;16 - 00;07;48;06
JON
But but to my point, what I was going to say was talking about Boba Fett's, not the character that we thought he was. Totally, I mean, I mean, what was he was like a dude in a helmet. But he seemed to have this menace in the old trilogy, and he would like talk shit to Vader's face and

00;07;48;06 - 00;07;59;20
JON
Vader would let him do it. And he even says, like, no disintegration. And he's like shooting at the good guys, and he's working for Jabba the Hutt, who's like the worst crime lords. It's like. So he must be nefarious in some degree.

00;08;00;03 - 00;08;16;16
JON
So what I was actually kind of hoping for was like, I I like good guy Boba Fett that they established in The Mandalorian, and I like good guy Boba Fett that they're kind of establishing here and this. I was just kind of hoping for that in the flashbacks when it's like, like you said, right out of Return

00;08;16;16 - 00;08;34;14
JON
of the Jedi when it gets over the Sarlacc Pit. I thought he would go through this journey of like hitting rock bottom or atonement or having some sort of like euphoria of like, maybe this isn't the life that I want, but he just kind of comes out of the patterns like, Hey, kid, I'll free you from your

00;08;34;14 - 00;08;49;21
JON
bonds. And he seems all right psychology to be the champion and take the head home and like, I'm not just going to kill you and leave you alone in the desert. I guess it's almost like, it's like, it's like, OK, I guess he's always been kind of a decent guy, and it's like, is it seemed kind of

00;08;49;21 - 00;08;52;02
JON
weird to see that right off the bat. You know.

00;08;52;03 - 00;09;07;27
JOSH
What I thought that they were doing was especially with showing the flashback to Attack of. The Clones, where you see him as sort of like the origin story. It's like you see that shot of him holding the severed head of his father. The impression that left me with was that he sees himself in this child.

00;09;09;00 - 00;09;19;29
JON
Right. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's a good point. Actually, I never thought about that. And this is also not to say for me that I wanted to see him kill a child. That's not what I'm talking about. It just seemed like they give him a lot of moments to be good.

00;09;20;08 - 00;09;24;22
JON
And I was like, I want to see some moments of him being kind of crappy before he got good enough.

00;09;25;04 - 00;09;28;24
JOSH
Well, I'm hoping that they're going to continue with the flashback structure.

00;09;28;24 - 00;09;31;03
JON
Oh, they don't have to be so guilty.

00;09;31;05 - 00;09;39;22
JOSH
So yeah, so we may. Still have some of what you're talking about in Staab. We may be still in for that. James, what do you think?

00;09;39;26 - 00;09;52;06
JAMES
I mean, the era we grew up with Boba Fett like he, he was just a guy in a mask, and this is before we knew who Mandalorians were. Now we now we know based upon Clone Wars and and Rebels and and Mandalorian.

00;09;52;06 - 00;09;57;00
JAMES
So I think maybe a product of this character is now The Mandalorian have a code of some type.

00;09;57;12 - 00;09;58;16
JOSH
Then that's a very good point.

00;09;58;24 - 00;10;09;21
JAMES
So I think he could the bad guy like not I mean, one I would say for Disney because I watched the Marvel shows Falcon and the Winter Soldier did some dark things. So they could they could show some dark stuff that they wanted to.

00;10;09;22 - 00;10;22;00
JAMES
I mean, they had a scene where Captain America's shield basically was used to decapitate a guy, but they didn't show that on screen. But they showed the blood on the shield and it was implied. So if they wanted to go darker with the show, I think they could.

00;10;22;01 - 00;10;37;06
JAMES
And I think Boba Fett could be the Tony Soprano of of the show where we don't necessarily like the bet. He's a bad guy, but you can empathize with the bad guy. But I think his mood might be retconned because now we know more about Mandalorians.

00;10;37;07 - 00;10;51;18
JAMES
And you know, it would be, I guess it would be obvious that he would. He would at some point in his character, take up the influence of his father and become part of that code. Whatever, whatever Mandalorian code or sect or group his family comes from, he would probably adopt that.

00;10;52;02 - 00;11;10;17
JON
I think that's an interesting point with the retconning because we have to think about 35 years ago, whatever this character seemed like, this Mandalorian comes out, Clone Wars comes out and it's like, OK, now we have all this law that's established now we need to recognize the law and the dude from 30 years ago.

00;11;11;00 - 00;11;27;03
JON
And that within itself is like a tricky thing to do as a writer, because it's like, which one are you more faithful to? It's like The Mandalorian is what's out impression and new. And then you have what was little as we had in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi with him.

00;11;27;03 - 00;11;41;24
JON
It's like it's it's almost like a minefield and a blessing because it gives them a roadmap of what they can do with the character. But it also, I think, changed them to the ideas of like what's been established.

00;11;42;04 - 00;11;50;12
JON
So I just think it's an interesting point of like the retcon nature of writing new shows for old characters before law was even established.

00;11;51;04 - 00;11;57;08
JOSH
Yeah. And by the way, I want to make it very clear that that I don't think that. Retcon is a dirty word.

00;11;57;08 - 00;11;59;04
JON
I agree. I agree.

00;11;59;04 - 00;12;23;27
JOSH
I know a lot of times. When it's used, it's sort of used in a derogatory manner. But as someone. Who has written some some things, sometimes you get a new. Idea later and you're like, Oh, that's really good, I'm going to do that. And then you. You make it, you make it work right? Like you fit it in. And you know, it's kind of interesting because it's sort of inherent in the concept the very. Concept of the Book of Boba Fett as a show.

00;12;23;28 - 00;13;25;06
JOSH
The premise is sort of acknowledging how large this character. Looms in fandom. They're essentially saying he's. About to take over. The underworld. He's about to. Be the new Jabba the Hutt. He's about to be the Lord of the crime world. Right. So so that's. Sort of an outsized role. For this man with no name Sergio Leone sort of a character. So here's where the real contradiction is. Fans love. Him so much, but the reason he's so cool, the reason he works. Is because of how little of. Him we got right. So, so when you make a show. Where the central character is most interesting, when you use him sparingly, what do you do with that that. Inherently has to. Change the nature of your impression of the character and the kind of show that you're doing? And I think it does speak. To I wasn't necessarily going to get into this, but something I keep thinking the slate of Star Wars shows that are coming out. There are so many.

00;13;25;08 - 00;14;07;27
JOSH
As a Star Wars fan, I'm looking. Forward to all of them. But the thing that is sort of gnawing at me in the back of my mind is. Like, it's like, should this really exist, right? Because it's sort of, you know, the more Star Wars there is, the less special it becomes. And that's not to say. That these aren't good shows well-written, well-produced, well-acted, well-shot, worthy productions in their own right. But like the fact of the matter is, Star Wars is a commodity, and it always was a commodity. I mean, let's not. Kid ourselves here, but now that there's no. Central, it's not the personal. Passion project of one man, it's it's a corporate commodity there.

00;14;08;03 - 00;14;15;15
JOSH
Always, always. Always be more Star Wars, as long as there is an audience for it and frankly, there always will be.

00;14;15;22 - 00;14;25;20
MICKEY
Like, especially like you say that like, well, if that would work so well because it was used so sparingly. And the also idea, like what I thought about like, you know, to me, like original three Star Wars movies are just like, why they're great.

00;14;25;21 - 00;14;34;29
MICKEY
Is there pastiche? And almost in that way, we're saying, like, I don't think that's actually a bad word. I think that's a good thing. That's why they were cool. And it was and it was a mash up of pastiches too of like random different things.

00;14;34;29 - 00;14;46;00
MICKEY
And like, you just had this random, weird spaghetti western dude. In the same time, the movie that had World War two fighter pilot things going on and stuff like that. And now you're just taking that one little bit and like expanding out into its own thing.

00;14;46;06 - 00;14;58;16
MICKEY
And that's cool, too. But it does. Yeah, you have to do things different than than the way he is going to inherently be different, and that's fine. And then kind of bring that into, I think, maybe even like a greater view of like not just like talking about the Star Wars, but like the view of TV right

00;14;58;16 - 00;15;10;00
MICKEY
now, what you're saying, like all these other shows and like, do we need like, you know, as we say, we're in peak TV now and and whether it's Marvel or Star Wars, it's just going to be so many cheap and like, they're cool.

00;15;10;01 - 00;15;20;27
MICKEY
I'm excited, but like, you know, like and it's kind of weird now like, you know, we're saying like, like when we were we we kind of became fans the same age and now we're the same age too, where from for me, it's like this happened to me when I was 20 or something.

00;15;21;03 - 00;15;29;07
MICKEY
22, I probably have a lot more feelings. I might hate it. I might love it, but I'd be more passionate now. I'm just like, Let's chill was cool now, you know, I'll take it or leave it.

00;15;29;07 - 00;15;32;27
JOSH
But 100, 100%. Jon, you had something to say.

00;15;32;29 - 00;15;44;05
JON
Yeah, you're talking about the the western nature of the spaghetti western of it, nature of it. I love that aspect of it. I like the callbacks to the music and all that, and it's very clear that's what they're going with.

00;15;44;05 - 00;15;59;15
JON
And even when they were doing him originally, they were like Clint Eastwood with the with the the Spurs and his boots and all that. But there is something I felt like there was almost like a lack of that magic fantasy quality of a galaxy far, far away.

00;16;00;02 - 00;16;22;05
JON
And and I and I didn't quite know what it was. I was like, Is it the lighting or is it the whatever isn't? And then when I was watching it for the second time, I realized. They kind of throw like the twelve people in particular, they kind of just show up and they're talking with like normal, just

00;16;22;05 - 00;16;40;29
JON
like Seinfeld esque sort of delivery dialog, and they have like perfect Hollywood straight teeth. And I'm like, whatever happened to that weird guy with the pointed teeth is like talking to Jabba the Hutt with a weird subtitles that he's seen kind of like and all the aliens in the old movies and even in the prequels and

00;16;41;00 - 00;16;56;09
JON
the sequels and every Star Wars they always have like accents. Everyone's just seemed like they came from like South California and like. And it just seemed like, you know, when they one guy comes in to tell Boba Fett that my boss isn't going to pay you is like, Yeah.

00;16;56;09 - 00;17;01;29
JON
And by the way, my boss is. And I was like, Is this like a key and Peele skit? It just seems like.

00;17;02;10 - 00;17;20;15
JON
It was like, this seems so weird. Like whatever happened to like the. Shouldn't he be speaking like an alien language, like the subtitles and like she needs to be, like, weirder. Like, I wanted more of that weirdness. And if you think about Boba Fett's first entry, even the cartoon of the holiday special, he's like, It's weird.

00;17;20;16 - 00;17;37;09
JON
He's like on this dinosaur. He's got this big fucking stick, which they kind of bring into The Mandalorian. And like, I wanted that fucking kookiness, you know, I want a little bit weirder, but that's just taste. And as soon as somebody was like 39 approaching 40, I'm like, This is fine. You know, like, this is good.

00;17;37;14 - 00;17;44;14
JON
But like, maybe if I was 20 and like, now, it's got to be weirder. But like, you know, it's just, I enjoyed it. But you know.

00;17;45;03 - 00;17;57;29
JOSH
You know, it's funny, something that Star Wars, I think is kind of. Lost with George Lucas for. Better or worse is he. Had a very quirky, kooky sense of humor. James, you had something to say.

00;17;58;19 - 00;18;11;21
JAMES
Yeah, it just just to go. Like, if there should be more Star Wars, I think, yes, I'm grateful that he's not another Skywalker. Like, he's not Boba Fett Skywalker at this point. So or related to Skywalker or anything in the family.

00;18;12;14 - 00;18;22;26
JAMES
So I'm happy because this a galaxy far, far away, and we can have other stories in the galaxy that do not revolve around one family of people who you know for good or ill was the entire saga for this time.

00;18;22;26 - 00;18;36;27
JAMES
So I think we could do that. I definitely agree with Jon's point about being weirder. I think I think they should have. It's very clean, it's very clean. And I think part of the dirty, dirty ness of Star Wars was the fact that they were making it dirty.

00;18;36;28 - 00;18;46;23
JAMES
Like, you know, the behind the scenes of like the cantina is like they were grabbing Matt. Rick Baker was grabbing mask he made for like the last like since he made masks like put on people just because they had no budget.

00;18;46;23 - 00;19;03;06
JAMES
Like, we guys just put this here, and I hope it looks good on film. So. But now everything is like, you know, they have the money to make the best prosthetics and animatronics and CGI in the world. So I think you lose some of that grit and dirt and stuff of like real world real hands touched and

00;19;03;06 - 00;19;06;27
JAMES
made these aliens and gives them that unique live type of feeling. So.

00;19;08;05 - 00;19;22;02
JOSH
Yes. Part of me wishes that they'd like. Shot this on like Super 16 that they stole from like their their their film school or from or from, like a production company that was going out of business and they stole all the other films like Mickey.

00;19;22;10 - 00;19;32;02
MICKEY
I just don't agree with Jon that that twilight twilight scene really stood out to me. That's kind of weird for exactly the same reasons. But I guess we were just talking and talking about that kind of like the way it looks and everything I think is a great time.

00;19;32;02 - 00;19;44;18
MICKEY
Should we like talk about the awesome Ray Harryhausen kind of thing they did there with that multi? Oh yes, definitely. Like, I'm an assassin. Yeah, I was just, I mean, it's yeah, it's like it seemed it had to be CG, right?

00;19;44;18 - 00;19;50;02
MICKEY
But almost seemed like they still animated it. CG to kind of like recreate that kind of stop motion sense.

00;19;50;14 - 00;19;56;15
JON
Yeah, but the design of it just looks so classic, you know, like like a claymation sort of thing.

00;19;57;04 - 00;20;09;13
JOSH
No, totally. And I mean, like, that's something. I mean, look, it's very clear, not just from. Watching the show itself, but from all the behind the scenes material, like the people making this Favreau Filoni.

00;20;10;07 - 00;20;14;02
JOSH
I mean, we haven't even mentioned Robert. Rodriguez who directed this, which I mean.

00;20;14;02 - 00;20;20;17
JOSH
By the way, it's so cool to me. It is so cool to me that Robert Rodriguez is. Directing a show about Boba.

00;20;20;17 - 00;20;36;03
JOSH
Fett. If you had told me that in like in like 2001, someday there was going to be a Boba Fett show directed by Robert Rodriguez. I'd have been like, I mean, I don't know what, but that's just. I think we should all. Take a second and. Appreciate that that exists.

00;20;36;03 - 00;20;39;16
JOSH
And that's what's happening. I totally lost my train of thought.

00;20;42;14 - 00;20;49;09
JOSH
I don't know if you recall, but my first impression of the first episode of The Mandalorian was actually very similar.

00;20;49;09 - 00;20;55;16
JOSH
To my first impression of this show. The only thing is now we have some expectations of a quality.

00;20;56;05 - 00;20;56;24
JOSH
Quality.

00;20;56;24 - 00;21;01;29
JOSH
Level, whereas I think before like I watch The Mandalorian, I mean, even the first couple episodes.

00;21;01;29 - 00;21;05;21
JOSH
And I was like, OK, like, I'm getting into this. I didn't know what to expect, but like I.

00;21;06;00 - 00;21;19;06
JOSH
I like that it was episodic. I liked what it was doing. They had showed me enough times that they really understand Star Wars, and they're coming at it from a loving and caring, thoughtful place. From then on, I was like, Yeah.

00;21;19;06 - 00;21;22;20
JOSH
Like, I'm ready to do whatever. I do have to say, though, and this is no.

00;21;22;20 - 00;21;33;12
JOSH
Knock against anyone involved. But similar to how you were talking about the the accents of the the twee lex or Twilights, I've never known how to pronounce them, but maybe.

00;21;33;12 - 00;21;33;17
JON
Their.

00;21;33;21 - 00;21;37;07
JOSH
Twilights. I always heard in my head. I guess I never actually heard it said out loud.

00;21;37;17 - 00;21;39;23
JOSH
Horatio Sanz, the blue alien.

00;21;39;23 - 00;21;44;23
JOSH
At the beginning of the first episode of Mandalorian, his first bounty or whatever like.

00;21;44;23 - 00;21;46;23
JOSH
That really stuck out to me at.

00;21;46;23 - 00;21;47;23
JOSH
The time. Like he just.

00;21;47;24 - 00;21;52;07
JOSH
Sounded not of that universe. He sounded way too contemporary.

00;21;52;08 - 00;21;53;01
JON
Exactly.

00;21;53;02 - 00;21;57;26
JOSH
So but I'm willing to overlook things like that. This is a TV show. It's not. It's not a movie.

00;21;57;26 - 00;22;10;17
JOSH
But the reality is they are producing these very quickly with less money. Even though, I mean, that's not to say this is a low budget production by any means, but the the nature of the production is a lot faster and there's less to be spent.

00;22;10;17 - 00;22;17;29
JOSH
So. So yeah, so you go to central casting for some things and you don't have the teeth, prosthetics for all, for all the aliens.

00;22;18;02 - 00;22;19;16
JOSH
I mean, that doesn't really bother.

00;22;19;16 - 00;22;23;23
JOSH
Me that much. But I I totally hear you and I agree with you, James.

00;22;23;23 - 00;22;33;24
JAMES
Yeah, I guess. I guess I was going to I'm going to be a little controversial to say I actually the monster in the sand kind of stuck with me a little bit as being I. I love Ray Harryhausen and I actually like the creature.

00;22;33;25 - 00;22;46;23
JAMES
I just didn't see it as the creature for that scene in my head. For some reason, I like the whole conceit of the scene. I just I don't. I just I just didn't feel, I don't know. I don't know why that creature particularly pulled me out of that scene a little bit.

00;22;46;23 - 00;22;57;18
JAMES
For some reason, I thought it could be something different. But I'd like, you know, I obviously love clay. I love how it look animated and everything. I don't know it. Just I'm just being a little counter nitpicky, I guess with the scene I like, like the monster.

00;22;57;18 - 00;23;03;15
JAMES
I just think the monster could have been used elsewhere. We could add a different monster for the decapitation scene there.

00;23;04;07 - 00;23;15;15
MICKEY
Yeah, I mean, again, I like to back and one way like my one of my first thought is like, how many different monsters do they have on this planet? This has got to be like the fifth six different one we've seen in various TV shows, so I kind of agree in that sense.

00;23;15;25 - 00;23;24;07
JOSH
Well, how many monsters exist on our planet? Or like how many, how many, how many different kinds of animal life exist on our planet? I think if it was like a Krayt dragon again.

00;23;24;17 - 00;23;30;12
JOSH
You know, I'd be like, Oh, well, that's I guess like, there are only three creatures who live on this planet. But I mean, point taken. Jon?

00;23;30;29 - 00;23;42;18
JON
As this occurred to me while you were talking about the monster thing, there is always something about it that I loved it, by the way. But it made me feel really uneasy. And I think the reason why is because.

00;23;44;03 - 00;23;57;03
JON
I feel like I'm not even sure maybe Robert Rodriguez, he had to be aware of this because he's a good filmmaker, but like he comes from a world of like rated R pretty gritty stuff. And he also makes like, you know, spy kids, whatever.

00;23;57;10 - 00;24;14;15
JON
So when the monster and the choreography is, he's clearly this huge, hulking thing and when he's grabbing their skulls. Like, I got so nervous that he was literally going to rip their heads off because in any other Robert Rodriguez movie, it would.

00;24;14;25 - 00;24;15;12
Speaker 6
You know, like.

00;24;15;18 - 00;24;31;16
JON
You know, I didn't like it. So I was like, Well, I knew it wasn't going to happen because this is a kid's show on Disney. But like, so I found it in a weird way and the filmmaking sense really effective, just by the way, they choreographed it because it wasn't just like punching them and stuff like, I

00;24;31;16 - 00;24;43;10
JON
guess he kind of punches that one alien into the dirt. But like, I was like that, like the like part of me just thought, like for half a second, he's going to rip them in half and like. And so I thought it was a very effective scene.

00;24;43;26 - 00;24;56;28
JON
But the transition into what I was going to say before is that like I've been nitpicking about, like all of the accents and this and that. But there's actually a lot about the show that I did like, you know, and that's that was one of it.

00;24;56;28 - 00;25;14;12
JON
And in particular, I still love the the more they give me of Tamara Morrison as Boba Fett. And what's your name being one now as Fennec is not her name. I may miss another, but I love it. I love the weird chemistry.

00;25;14;12 - 00;25;28;29
JON
I love their professional nature as like two maybe assassins or bounty hunters, like working in the league with each other. I like the spaghetti western music. Yeah, there's lots of things I do like about it, but I guess it's it's almost like.

00;25;29;25 - 00;25;38;11
JON
Yes, the. Seemed like a parent to me sometimes, you know, so but it's good. The thing is more hits the miss, you know?

00;25;38;19 - 00;25;40;15
JOSH
Yeah. And I loved like the cover.

00;25;40;15 - 00;25;48;11
JOSH
Version of the Mos Eisley Cantina music that oh yeah, they played like on the they on the guitar.

00;25;48;19 - 00;25;51;20
JOSH
And I love the Max Rebo wasn't on the Celbridge Mad Max.

00;25;51;27 - 00;25;55;10
Speaker 6
He's alive. He was alive. Yeah, yeah.

00;25;55;18 - 00;26;00;09
JOSH
And I mean, again, like this. I mean, the the fan in me, the nostalgia center.

00;26;00;09 - 00;26;01;10
JOSH
Of my brain.

00;26;01;10 - 00;26;02;00
JOSH
Was flooded.

00;26;02;00 - 00;26;02;25
JOSH
In that scene.

00;26;03;15 - 00;26;05;10
JOSH
And like, I just loved it.

00;26;05;10 - 00;26;05;24
JOSH
I just love.

00;26;05;24 - 00;26;23;00
JON
That you just reminded me there is someone that I knew, and I think it was Dan Deacon, actually. And if you're yeah, I think he used to have this t shirt was like a Star Wars shirt. And I remember loving it because it was like it was fake tore shirt for the Max Rebo band and on the

00;26;23;00 - 00;26;34;18
JON
back of how these tour dates are fake planets. And then after the date of tattooing on Jabba's barge with all the other day said canceled, I think that was this year.

00;26;34;22 - 00;26;43;21
JOSH
Yeah, no, that was definitely a circus hearing. You describe it. I could see it in my head. Yeah, so so so not all retcons are bad. I don't think this is a controversial record. No, I wasn't the thing.

00;26;43;21 - 00;26;49;07
JOSH
I don't think that this is a thing that anyone that anyone took issue with. Oh my rebozo alive. I thought that was great.

00;26;49;11 - 00;26;56;23
JAMES
Yeah. five feet four Boba Fett busted out of the star. Like, there's like a burned max three of us saying, I'm OK, I survived my life.

00;26;58;15 - 00;27;04;02
JOSH
I mean, it sounds like we all enjoyed it. I don't think anyone was blown away, but it was more or less what I expected.

00;27;04;03 - 00;27;16;17
JOSH
There was sort of some lore, some lore housekeeping that had to be done. Like they had to explain how Boba Fett, how he got out of the Sarlacc and how he's now in a position to be sitting on the but to say, the Iron Throne.

00;27;16;17 - 00;27;18;04
JOSH
But on Java's Throne, I.

00;27;18;04 - 00;27;19;02
JOSH
Thought the rooftop.

00;27;19;11 - 00;27;26;11
JOSH
Chase was very cool. As someone who's not, I'm not here for the action sequences I never have been, but I thought that that was pretty cool to watch.

00;27;26;15 - 00;27;30;01
JOSH
But yeah, like this to me was with Star Wars comfort food.

00;27;30;01 - 00;27;35;00
JOSH
And I mean that in a very positive way. I don't mean that. I don't mean that in a derogatory way.

00;27;35;03 - 00;27;38;15
JOSH
That said, I am hoping now that it has.

00;27;38;15 - 00;27;47;14
JOSH
Has done all of that sort of table setting. I'm hoping for some things later in the season. Some some development, some surprises, some unexpected things.

00;27;47;15 - 00;28;04;11
JON
Well, yeah. But what I thought was. Interesting is like when they establish that he's going to have a show. It starts with him sitting on the throne and he's in charge. So it's like, geez, that's usually the last episode of the season.

00;28;04;18 - 00;28;19;13
JON
So like, so it's I find it interesting that they're starting at the end of his journey and a weird segue. So it's like. Or more accurately like, that's not the journey we're going to see. Like, his journey is going to be something entirely different.

00;28;19;13 - 00;28;35;17
JON
And I always like it when I really don't know where a show is going to go. And I have no idea where the show is going to go from here because he already is in charge. So it's like, OK, like he's going to have power grabs and maybe he'll lose it and get it back or change his

00;28;35;17 - 00;28;55;14
JON
mind. But like now, I can't predict anything. And I like that. I like how I have no idea, like what they're going to do and where they're going to take it. I, though, or the only thing I can presume is like, I don't know if Disney or Lucasfilm, whatever is going to be able to help themselves but

00;28;55;14 - 00;29;00;09
JON
not have some sort of crazy cameo at some point in this show?

00;29;00;20 - 00;29;01;01
JOSH
No, I mean.

00;29;01;02 - 00;29;05;05
JON
Some character is going to pop up, you know, but that's fine, too. I like that. You know?

00;29;05;06 - 00;29;08;20
JOSH
Yeah. No. I think if handled properly and I think they're aware they.

00;29;09;03 - 00;29;13;04
JOSH
They have to be be be careful and there has to be a good reason to make.

00;29;13;04 - 00;29;15;18
JON
Sense. They can't bring everyone back every single time.

00;29;15;20 - 00;29;16;14
JOSH
Yes. When we were.

00;29;16;14 - 00;29;20;07
JOSH
Talking one on one off air, you mentioned something about.

00;29;20;11 - 00;29;24;19
JOSH
You know, how win again. It's sort of, oh yeah, it's sort of like if you made a show and.

00;29;24;19 - 00;29;26;14
JOSH
Everyone just happened to be from Juneau.

00;29;26;14 - 00;29;29;03
JOSH
Alaska now or whatever you said, as you said.

00;29;29;12 - 00;29;31;16
JON
Yeah, I said Juneau, Alaska in particular.

00;29;32;02 - 00;29;38;01
JOSH
Yeah. But as a counterpoint, what if you made a show that you kept on visiting Juneau, Alaska?

00;29;38;20 - 00;29;40;29
JOSH
Right, right. Like a northern exposure.

00;29;41;07 - 00;29;42;21
JON
Or Fargo, actually?

00;29;42;24 - 00;29;47;03
JOSH
Or Fargo? Right to me, seeing title win again and having it set on Halloween.

00;29;47;03 - 00;29;52;01
JOSH
It's not like, Go, how small is this galaxy that it's another it's another story unfolding on tidal.

00;29;52;01 - 00;29;55;15
JOSH
And it's like, No, I mean, how do we as a whole planet? There are there are 1,000,000 stories in.

00;29;55;15 - 00;30;00;01
JOSH
The naked taraweeh in the naked said that there was not a good thing to try to reference. It didn't work.

00;30;01;20 - 00;30;21;18
JON
But the my my only point to that is just that it's a galaxy and all the other movies like it seemed like, especially in the original trilogy, tattooing was just a starting point to go everywhere. And then they brought it back with the prequels, and I feel like, you know how we should talk about Jedi and how

00;30;21;18 - 00;30;36;29
JON
, like, back in the original trilogy, it seemed like Obi-Wan Kenobi, Alec Guinness was just wearing what desert people wore because Uncle Owen's wearing the same outfit, the jar was almost wearing the same outfit. And then when the prequels happened, it's like, Oh, that was a Jedi uniform.

00;30;36;29 - 00;30;56;09
JON
I had no idea. And so in a similar fashion, not quite the same thing when the prequels came out and they brought Anakin Origin to tattooing and then made tattooing like this fateful planet, then it became sort of this thing where it's like, All right, well, now for episode seven, will race got to be from a desert

00;30;56;09 - 00;31;11;22
JON
planet? And it's like, not. It's just like a let's bring it all back to tattooing again and again. It's like, I just thought tattooing was supposed to be like the home that Luke left behind. And now it's like, we keep going back and Adobe ones coming out, and I can't wait for that.

00;31;12;03 - 00;31;23;25
JON
But that, by the nature of its story, has to mostly take place in tattooing. And it's like, Man, I just want like a fucking crazy planet. Going back to the weirdness, it's like, Give me something something crazy, weird and magical.

00;31;23;26 - 00;31;38;14
JON
You know, when, when, when the when the blue credits hit the screen and you see the stars behind it and the John Williams music comes on, I'm thinking of like all the possibilities of space in the galaxy, but we just keep going back to the same desert planet we've got.

00;31;38;26 - 00;31;41;29
JOSH
Not. I think there are at least half a dozen more shows.

00;31;42;02 - 00;31;47;11
JON
Oh, I know, I know. But I just thought maybe they could do something different. Like, Yeah, out of the gate.

00;31;48;02 - 00;31;53;06
JOSH
Yeah. Well, I mean, I mean, the same thing about like making a Boba Fett show right after you just made a show called The Mandalorian.

00;31;53;06 - 00;31;53;16
JOSH
It's kind of.

00;31;53;21 - 00;31;55;00
JON
Like it's a weird choice.

00;31;55;09 - 00;31;56;13
JOSH
It's almost like they wanted to.

00;31;56;13 - 00;32;01;05
JOSH
Make the Boba Fett show. But but they they had to.

00;32;01;23 - 00;32;04;00
JOSH
He's too famous, too popular, too much lore.

00;32;04;00 - 00;32;18;27
JOSH
So so they have to make The Mandalorian where you make someone who's just like Boba Fett, but is not weighed down by all the lore. It seems like that was the show that they wanted to make. And now, once you bring in Fett of Mean, then like, you want to do that, show.

00;32;19;04 - 00;32;20;15
JOSH
The Premiere, there's just something I have to.

00;32;20;15 - 00;32;29;29
JOSH
Bring up because I read this. This headline that came across my feed from the SDF gate, which I guess is a San Francisco, Marin County publication.

00;32;30;04 - 00;32;50;21
JOSH
The headline is The Book of Boba Fett. Premiere is an abysmal failure on every level. The subhead is why the Book of Boba Fett was worse than polio. Wow. And you would think this is a guy who's not a Star Wars fan, but he.

00;32;50;24 - 00;33;05;26
JOSH
Hawks in the article about how he's a lifelong Star Wars fan, he loves Star Wars, he had high hopes for this worse than polio. Are you kidding me? It just it just seems like that is such an insane reaction to have something at the very least.

00;33;06;01 - 00;33;12;22
JOSH
At the very least, I understand if you know you're like, lukewarm to it, but to say that it's worse than like there are plenty of.

00;33;12;26 - 00;33;18;06
JOSH
Movies and shows that would be more deserving of of of being described that way.

00;33;18;08 - 00;33;39;05
JON
I think this is sort of like the problem with a lot of like, how do I say super fandom? Because I could be very positive too. But sometimes things get very hyperbolic, very quickly. And so when you put things in perspective, the worst movie and piece of art I've ever seen is not worse than polio, you know

00;33;40;02 - 00;33;40;07
Speaker 6
? Yeah.

00;33;40;28 - 00;33;48;08
JON
That's clearly a clickbait thing. So people will go to the website and read his article and it's like, OK, you didn't like it. Like this show? I mean.

00;33;49;00 - 00;33;52;07
JOSH
No, I mean, he really hated it. I read the review like he he he hated it.

00;33;52;10 - 00;34;06;00
JAMES
I mean, you know, Boba Fett's, you know, he's like a sacred character to some, I mean, to a lot of people, and I'm sure they knew when they were going to bring him back that percentage of the audience was going to hate, no matter hate whatever they did with the character.

00;34;06;00 - 00;34;21;26
JAMES
I'm sure there's there's reasons to hate. His appearance on The Mandalorian right off the bat just changed his outfit, and he's a little heavier than when we saw him in empire. Like, you know, there's like, there's Netflix and there's people who have probably had 30 years of their own vision of a Boba Fett or people who love

00;34;21;26 - 00;34;33;12
JAMES
the expanded universe with the Dark Horse Comics, and they're going to be pissed no matter what. So, you know. But yes, it's never he's not worse than polio. I guess it's being very hyperbolic there.

00;34;33;25 - 00;34;34;01
Speaker 6
So.

00;34;34;13 - 00;34;54;25
JON
Yeah, you just maybe reminded me of something that I was thinking about when I was watching the second time. And I I kind of wish that they kept the the grungy ness of his inherent scars from the star like it because I thought they gave him character, and I feel like scars tell stories.

00;34;55;04 - 00;35;11;20
JON
And when they made him sleep in his back that tank over the course of the episode and his scars are basically gone, I was like, Oh, like, well, it's like, it's like there. A recent history of his not history established from the old movies, but it's almost like it's just like, I don't know.

00;35;11;20 - 00;35;18;01
JON
A scar can tell a story makes him interesting. It is, and it gives him strength, you know, like a badge of honor.

00;35;19;02 - 00;35;20;11
JOSH
I would venture to bet that's.

00;35;20;11 - 00;35;22;13
JOSH
A production decision just so to me, oh.

00;35;22;13 - 00;35;27;10
JON
I totally agree, it totally is, but still I was like, I just commit, you know, commit to that.

00;35;27;11 - 00;35;32;24
JOSH
Well. Well, so but it also sort of gives you an excuse to have all of these flashbacks.

00;35;32;24 - 00;35;40;04
JOSH
Because he spends all the time in the back, the tank healing. He's sort of a natural device to introduce these these.

00;35;40;06 - 00;35;42;08
JON
It's a good story structure device. I totally.

00;35;42;08 - 00;35;54;12
MICKEY
Get that. This is awesome. You found that article and that thing. I haven't seen that. And I just I also like the idea that we're kind of like a Star Wars podcast, but will bring in like the chapel's trap house style like pick on some sort of writer who just wrote the most insane thing ever.

00;35;54;17 - 00;36;07;29
MICKEY
It's just like, That's crazy. And the thing is like, there's nothing like even if you didn't like the show or anything like there's nothing wrongly made about the show, like it has a story structure it has like and nothing looks dumb or badly made at all.

00;36;07;29 - 00;36;13;27
MICKEY
So it's just like, like, yeah, even if you like, well, it wasn't for me that like, there's nothing you can say and like, Oh man, that was bad acting or anything in it.

00;36;14;03 - 00;36;16;18
JOSH
No, he even he even really shits on tomorrow.

00;36;16;18 - 00;36;23;25
JOSH
Morrison as Boba Fett. He says that he's he's very, you know, wooden and can't emote. And like, I was just.

00;36;23;25 - 00;36;26;08
JAMES
Like, that ship sailed with episode two.

00;36;28;13 - 00;36;32;20
JOSH
I think we actually got through a lot for this first episode. Closing thoughts, James.

00;36;33;05 - 00;36;47;06
JAMES
I think it's great. I like the fact that I don't really, I don't I didn't have any expectations going into the show, so I'm open to wherever it goes, and I'm curious as to even why he wants Java's throne.

00;36;47;08 - 00;37;03;09
JAMES
Like, there's obviously lots of things that he could do with his, his reputation and everything he's been through in the universe. So why he's choosing to go to tattoo in and take over Java's Palace? I'm very curious, so I'm looking forward to seeing what he's doing with his criminal organization.

00;37;03;09 - 00;37;09;01
JAMES
If he just wants to be a mob boss or he's trying to mold it into something else that he's going to do something with. Hmm.

00;37;09;10 - 00;37;12;11
JOSH
A good point. Jon, closing thoughts on episode one.

00;37;13;00 - 00;37;34;02
JON
Yeah, I enjoyed it. I know I've been nitpicky about the weirdness or whatever the this and that, but overall, I really liked it. And as I said before, I really enjoyed not knowing where it's going to go. It has a lot of surprises left up its sleeve, I feel like, and they're being very cautious with their stuff

00;37;34;02 - 00;37;56;08
JON
so I can feel. But on the good way, like so there's still it's it's a different type of mystery than I thought it was going to be. And that's good. And I also like the little deeper aspects of showing societies that we're not used to, like the underground criminal organizations and like or even like Tusken Raider Society

00;37;56;17 - 00;37;56;29
JON
. You know.

00;37;57;03 - 00;37;59;17
JOSH
I mean, a part of me is wondering if they're going to get into some of the.

00;37;59;17 - 00;38;19;26
JOSH
Territory that George Lucas's sequel outline was supposedly to do more with, like the underworld and like the gangsters and how they sort of were to fill in the the power vacuum left by the Empire. I wonder if this is going to get into anything, maybe that George Lucas had in mind, because I know Filoni is involved, so

00;38;19;26 - 00;38;24;28
JOSH
I'm sure he he may know something. But Mickey closing thoughts on episode one.

00;38;24;29 - 00;38;37;12
MICKEY
Yeah. two quick thoughts. I agree with everyone. I think it's going to be very curious, and I'm hesitant to see where it goes because it's good. But I think what made Mandalorian magical, I guess, are really special to me was Baby Yoda.

00;38;37;12 - 00;38;50;09
MICKEY
I think that was a unique thing they did there with that relationship between the two of them and everything. And I feel like if that Boba Fett doesn't find something similar, I mean, obviously you don't want them to copy it, but just something you'd like something unique like that to hang on to.

00;38;50;16 - 00;39;03;02
MICKEY
And then, you know, when we kind of mentioned again, how like, yeah, it's fine is good. And I'm very kind of curious, like like kind of like examine and watch this more, not just in the context of Star Wars, but in like TV culture going on right now and like setting up TV where it's just like they

00;39;03;02 - 00;39;12;17
MICKEY
got to make so much content or just putting stuff out and everyone's doing a good job, but like. That maybe and going back, maybe just like Baby Yoda, especially like what's going to make the show, you know, special or send out?

00;39;12;17 - 00;39;14;27
MICKEY
Or is it's just going to be content, I guess?

00;39;15;02 - 00;39;21;09
JOSH
Yeah, no, I'm with you. I think that remains to be seen. I mean, again.

00;39;22;02 - 00;39;37;00
JOSH
This to me was Star Wars comfort food. And I mean that in a good way. And I'm hoping we get some more surprises and it it and it is able to forge a unique identity all its own. What is the Baby Yoda for the book of Boba Fett like?

00;39;37;00 - 00;39;54;15
JOSH
What is the is the equivalent? And we are going to find out in a few short days what what else we have in store. So I want to thank James, Jon and Mickey for joining us in the trash compactor on this first episode of our Book of Boba Fett reaction show.

00;39;54;15 - 00;40;00;04
JOSH
And we will see you next. I really fucked this ending up.

00;40;05;02 - 00;40;07;23
JOSH
See you on the next one. Have a good one, guys.

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Josh

Editor/Writer

Sometimes I make things.

Jon Profile Photo

Jon

Actor

James Profile Photo

James

Artist/Wellness Expert/Podcaster

Host of THE SECRET ORIGINS OF MINT CONDITION podcast, featuring the kinds of discussions you used to have in your local comic shop. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-secret-origins-of-mint-condition/id1577385556