The 2022 Star Wars Roundup

Star Wars is a series that is very near and dear to my heart. Like many, I was introduced to the galaxy far, far away at a young age and those films became an essential, foundational part of my film-loving journey. I love the Star Wars universe and returning time and time again. Although Star Wars as a film franchise might have stalled after the release of The Rise of Skywalker (2019), it has not slowed down over on Disney+. After the runaway success of the first two seasons of The Mandalorian, Star Wars has doubled down on its TV offerings with now four live-action shows spread out all across the galaxy. 

I don’t discuss TV all that frequently on my blog, but I do really enjoy watching television and have plenty of opinions on the matter. I have always wanted to discuss it more, but I am not always sure of the best approach to take. So, with Star Wars entirely relegated to television this year, I thought that it would be a perfect opportunity to talk about my thoughts on television while also sharing thoughts on the latest developments in my favourite franchise. I wish, however, that this meeting was taking place under better circumstances. 

With two really bad seasons of television and one really, really good season of television under its belt this year, Star Wars has offered a lot to talk about as well as some serious emotional whiplash. Here, in my “Star Wars Roundup” (taking notes from last year’s MCU roundup), I seek to add some brief thoughts to the conversation.

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The Book of Boba Fett

“Jabba ruled with fear. I intend to rule with respect.”

Star Wars in 2022 starts with a bang. And by bang, I mean a lacklustre and ultimately confusing season of television. Set after the second season of the smash-hit series The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett follows the title character (played by Temura Morrison) and his associated Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) in the post-Empire galaxy. The primary story follows Boba Fett, the new daimyo of Tatooine, trying to control the gangs fighting for dominance in the power vacuum left by the collapse of Jabba the Hutt’s syndicate. The flashback story tells the story of how Boba Fett survived his apparent death in Return of the Jedi (1983) and his early relationship with Shand. Meanwhile, the show tries to be both The Mandalorian season 2.5 and a backdoor pilot for the Ahsoka show while also tying in elements from the Clone Wars animated series. All that to say, Boba Fett is too much in too little time with no narrative focus.

The story really is the most inexplicable thing about this show. The first four episodes deliver a pretty straightforward but anticlimactic story about Boba Fett. It’s all fluff and totally disengaging, but serviceable. The series takes a 180-degree turn in the fifth episode by focusing entirely on Dinn Djarin (Pedro Pascal) which sees him undo the emotional season 2 finale of the Mandalorian. Episode 6 focuses on lifeless CGI Luke Skywalker and Grogu. And then episode 7 feels like a CW-style crossover between three different shows. And then, to top it all off, Cad Bane is introduced as a deus-ex-machina in the finale to pay off an emotional arc that started in the Clone Wars that’s never addressed in the first six episodes of this show. I struggle to comprehend how a series this chaotic made it past the scripting stage.

One strange thing that I cannot understand about The Book of Boba Fett, and much of Disney-era Star Wars, is the obsession with Tatooine. Tatooine is introduced in A New Hope (1977) as a boring, bad place that the audience is supposed to dislike. It’s all sand, overly hot weather, and criminals. Luke’s character is defined by his desire to leave a place where nothing interesting is happening. And yet, the movies feel the need to return over and over again to Tatooine. Please, respectfully, stop. I never want to see that ugly sand planet ever again.

Created by Jon Favreau.

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Obi-Wan Kenobi

“Only when the eyes are closed can you truly see.”

. . . And we’re back on Tatooine. Great.

Following up from The Book of Boba Fett, things are not much better in Obi-Wan Kenobi. Sure, Obi-Wan Kenobi is better than Boba Fett on the whole, but it’s still a comparison between two disappointing series. Originally envisioned as a feature film, this limited series is set about ten years after the events of Revenge of the Sith (2005) and follows the reclusive Obi-Wan “Ben” Kenobi (with Ewan McGregor reprising the role) when he is called to rescue the kidnapped Princess Leia (Vivien Lyra Blair). The show serves as yet another narrative bridge between the two trilogies that deepens and complicates Obi-Wan’s relationship with Darth Vader, the symbol of his ultimate failure. It’s a cool concept, sure, but the premise is stretched so thin over its six-episode run. The story is non-existent, the show looks really ugly, and its supporting cast is unremarkable. The show also reinforces just how lifeless the volume-constructed sets used heavily in the Star Wars TV shows are. While the LED screens used for the in-camera effects are a cool piece of tech, they’re ultimately pretty static and hollow, giving this show an “uncanny valley” feeling with its environments.

The best part about the show is being reintroduced to the Darth Vader/Obi-wan Kenobi dynamic, but that element comes into play far too late. Instead of treating Darth Vader as its second lead, like it should have done, they keep him relegated to the sidelines and focus on a rather boring Inquisitor, a trained Jedi-hunter, named Reva. When we get to Vader and Kenobi’s final fight, the emotional tension has not yet been built by the show to make it memorable. Obi-Wan Kenobi might not be as bad as The Book of Boba Fett, but it certainly isn’t very good. Entirely skippable!

Directed by Deborah Chow.

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Andor

“What? To steal from the Empire? What do you need? A uniform, some dirty hands and an Imperial tool kit. They're so proud of themselves, they don’t even care. They’re so fat and satisfied, they can’t imagine it.”

I didn’t start watching Andor until quite late in the game. In fact, I didn’t really have any intention of watching it. Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Book of Boba Fett burned me pretty badly and I did not want to be disappointed by yet another Star Wars show. And then Andor came out and it earned good reviews. Really good reviews. It started placing on “Best TV Shows of the Year” lists quite frequently. I knew I had to check it out. And boy, oh boy, was I in for a treat. This prequel to prequel follows the adventures of a young Cassian Andor (played by Diego Luna) going from a ruffian on a poor, backwater planet to a bonafide hero of the resistance against the Empire in the years leading up to the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016). The show also features the origins of the Rebel Alliance and the internal politics of the Empire’s system. 

Andor is incredible. It’s hard to describe how much of an improvement it is over every other live-action Star Wars TV series. One of the keys to its success is that it’s written like a TV prestige drama instead of like a Star Wars film. It has a very clear focus on a full-season arc, offers a lot of interesting character-driven drama, and is paced deliberately, like a TV show. It offers a lot more depth to the Star Wars universe. We see characters be real people in ways you don’t have time for in a film. It features overbearing mothers, intimate post-coital conversations, and family drama — parts of the galaxy we haven’t seen before. The show also offers a brilliant look into the inner workings of the Empire in a layer of detail not before seen. It is a brilliant expansion to the Star Wars universe while also being a mature, intelligent TV show that easily ranks among the year’s best.

Created by Tony Gilroy.