Subject: Boba Fett
Culture: American sci-fi fandom
Setting: Star Wars
Context (Event Photos, Primary Sources, Secondary Sources, Field Notes)
"In 1978, we got our first look at Boba Fett in The Star Wars Holiday Special. Designed by Joe Johnston with input from Ralph McQuarrie, he was initially thought of as something of a super stormtrooper, complete with all-white armor. (An all-white version of Boba Fett has been a staple of collector’s edition action figures and statues for years.) He rode a dinosaur, he spoke with a decidedly flat, non-New Zealand accent (a bit of dialogue that was sampled years later by DJ Shadow and James Lavelle’s UNKLE project), it was all very iconic. A year later an action figure of the character was part of a Kenner mail-in program, but the toy would quickly become one of the most valuable and sought-after collectibles in all of Star Wars-dom when it was recalled after worries about the rocket that he launched from his jetpack blinding children. Even before his first on-screen appearance, the character was dripping with mystique.
"In 1980 he would debut, for real this time, in The Empire Strikes Back, as one of a handful of bounty hunters (along with IG-88 and Bossk) that Darth Vader would dispatch to track and apprehend the Rebels. Using his very cool ship the Slave I, he followed the Millennium Falcon and wound up helping Darth Vader bring the Rebels in on Bespin. For a character with only a handful of lines (“As you wish,” “He’s no good to me dead”), he was an instant fan favorite — the armor, the gear, the fact that you couldn’t see what was under the helmet (leading many to believe he was part of some grotesque alien race). He returned for Return of the Jedi, hanging out in Jabba’s palace and ultimately dispatched, in the goofiest way possible, by a sleepy, unfrozen Han Solo, winding up in the Pit of Carkoon to be slowly digested by the Sarlacc, a monstrous creature within. (Or so we thought.)"
"He's a ruthless bounty hunter responsible for the capture and near death of a beloved "Star Wars" character, but there's still something about Boba Fett that's managed to capture the hearts of millions. After first appearing in the infamous "Star Wars Holiday Special," our favorite bounty hunter only nabbed a few minutes of screen time in the original trilogy. Despite that, he's risen to the same level of fame as more prominent "Star Wars" characters, complete with his own fan club, collectible action figures, and comics series.
"There's no doubt about the impact that Boba Fett has made on the larger "Star Wars" canon. In fact, he was so popular that prior to the de-canonization of what is now called the "Star Wars Legends" universe that the character was revived after his supposed death in "Return of the Jedi." Of course, Boba's return in George Lucas' prequel trilogy only made fans wish for more, a wish that would be granted by none other than Disney in recent years."
* Forbeck 2011 p112
"As an exact clone of the legendary warrior Jango Fett -- who served as the template for the entire Army of the Republic used during the Clone Wars -- Boba Fett was trained from birth to become the greatest and most dangerous warrior in the galaxy. After Mace Windu killed his father, young Boba was forced to fend for himself, and he soon became a successful bounty hunter whose reputation grew with every capture. Boba cares for little besides money and his reputation, and he works hard to make the best of both."
Costume
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