The Boba Bounty

Last month, children’s book illustrator Jeffrey Brown followed up his bestseller Darth Vader and Son with another instant hit, Vader’s Little Princess. This cute story takes a look at what fatherhood would be like for the Sith Lord if he was forced to raise a daughter who was a rebel – a fun play on words, since Leia was, in fact, a rebel.

Each page of this book shows young Leia as she grows older and the troubles Vader would have managing his daughter – from teaching her to fly a TIE fighter, to dressing appropriately and spending too much time talking with friends.

One of the funniest images is when she brings a boy home – instead of cleaning his gun at the kitchen table, as we’ve seen countless times in movies or television, he has Boba Fett standing menacingly in the background – who wouldn’t ensure their date was home on time if the most infamous bounty hunter in the galaxy was keeping tabs on your night out!

Head over to Amazon.com to pick up your own copy.

Note: The following blog includes SPOILERS to “The Assassination of Darth Vader.”

“I have lived through assassination attempts in the past. If those responsible are not dealt with in a fashion both immediate and ruthless and very, very public, it only emboldens others.”

Dark Horse has included a special Boba Fett and Darth Vader story in this year’s Free Comic Book Day giveaway, with “The Assassination of Darth Vader,” a story written by Brian Wood and illustrated by Ryan Odagawa.  

Taking place shortly before the events of A New Hope, we are immediately aboard Darth Vader’s Devastator. According to the narration, he is well aware what is about to unfold. Captain Torn orders a “robust” escort of Stormtroopers to accompany Vader to greet bounty hunter Boba Fett in the ship’s hangar.

Torn had his own agenda though, the escort is only a guise, part of a plan to overwhelm Darth Vader and take him out – motivations being, the thought that with Vader out of the picture, he could rise in the ranks of the Galactic Empire quicker.

Torn dispatches Tie Fighters to fire upon Darth Vader – an attack easily deflected with his Lightsaber, one fighter even crushed via the force. Boba Fett was arriving for “routine matters,” but as Vader remarks, the bounty hunter easily adapts to the situation and knows he’ll be compensated for an assist.

Boba Fett takes out the remaining fighters with the cannons on Slave I.

This story is nothing groundbreaking, but it’s fitting for a four page mini-adventure. It also provides another note in the tale of these men’s relationship. The respect and appreciation for events like this explains why Boba Fett is allowed to speak to Vader the way he does in the films – without suffering reprisal.

This title will be available at your local comic book store on May 4 in celebration of Free Comic Book Day. Also included in this comic is “Captain Midnight.”

The future is bright for Star Wars fans, which for years held fast the dream of one day seeing new films on the big screen. With the acquisition of Lucasfilm, not only have we received the promise of additional movies, but there’s the possibility of spin-off franchises.

There’s a long list of characters worthy of their own series of flicks, but perhaps none warrant a spin-off as much as our favorite Mandalorian – Boba Fett.

However, what would make for a worthwhile story? Taking a look at G-level cannon, materials from the Expanded Universe and a pinch of wishful thinking – here are four possible story ideas for a Boba Fett feature film.

Pitch #1: It took every ounce of training and experience he’d garnered over decades of battles to escape the belly of the Sarlacc. The digestive acids of the beast had done its damage, destroying not only his father’s armor, but the genetic copy of his father’s face – virtually destroying everything left of Boba Fett’s template – Jango Fett.

The bounty hunter is found at the brink of death and recovering near a scrap yard by sometime-ally, sometime-foe, Dengar, who must be convinced of Boba’s identity.

According to Dengar, he ran into Boba just a week or two prior while hunting down a target. Boba learns that while he was trapped in the belly of the Sarlacc, an imposter has been taking jobs under his name and wearing Mandalorian armor. When Dengar describes the markings on the armor, Boba concludes it’s the backup set stored away on his ship – now missing, which is the reason he’s been stranded on Tatooine.

The imposter is a man named Jodo Kast, a half-rate bounty hunter who took advantage of the situation following Return of the Jedi. Robbed of everything that Boba’s felt separated him from just being another clone, he calculates revenge.

His mangled face and body allows him to easily move about, putting pieces of the puzzle in place, all leading to a very public return and retribution against Jodo Kast – making him a public example of crossing the Mandalorian.

Pitch #2: The majority of Boba Fett’s youth was seeking revenge for the death of his father at the hands of Mace Windu. In general, Fett held distaste for the entire Jedi Order, and their “pet” clones that reminded young Boba of the father he’d never see again.

After Order 66, the Jedi disappeared and pushed into extinction, the young bounty hunter found himself needing to put away the baggage he’s carried for years. Wanting to learn more about his father, Boba Fett travels to Mandalore where he becomes a Journeyman Protector, and also begins to fall for a young Mandalorian woman, Sintas Vel. The only thing that grows faster than their romance is Boba’s reputation as a fighter and leader.

With the Jedi gone, the Empire has moved their sights on Mandalorians, who now pose the biggest threat to the Emperor – being they refuse to be ruled and are proven warriors. Things are looking up, until Boba learns that his commanding officer, Lenovar, had assaulted Sintas Vel while Boba Fett was away fighting a battle against a fleet of Imperial ships. When Boba Fett finds out, he kills Lenovar, but is exiled and barley escapes with his life due to the political weight of Lenovar’s father, the governor of Concord Dawn.

Forced to leave his father’s home world and the woman he loved, Boba Fett returns to his former life of bounty hunting. Boba’s reputation was not lost on the ears of Imperial intelligence officers.

When the Emperor learns of Boba Fett’s exile, he assigns Darth Vader to bring in the Mandalorian and we see the beginning of what becomes a long relationship between Boba Fett and Darth Vader. Boba is contracted to decapitate the upper command of the Mandalorian Protectors.

Note: The following blog contains SPOILERS to the video game.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II was released as the second installment of The Force Unleashed multimedia project in 2010, which developed the story of Starkiller and the rise of Darth Vader through a mix of books, video games and graphic novels.

As the player, you control a clone of Starkiller as he quests to find the original Jedi’s love interest – Juno. The journey also pits you against legions of troopers, droids and creatures. However, for readers of this blog, the most engaging element of this game is the addition of Boba Fett.

After escaping the cloning facility on Kamino in the first level, a video clip shows Darth Vader recruiting Boba Fett to kidnap Juno and bring her back to Kamino. It’s obvious this is a ruse to draw Starkiller into a trap.

This story is set between Episode III and Episode IV in the Star Wars canon, and this scene establishes more history between the relationship of Darth Vader and the bounty hunter. The scene is haunting, with Boba Fett examining the ruble and delivers the line:

“I’ll need a squadron of Storm Troopers. They won’t be coming back.”

Darth Vader not only gives Boba Fett the troopers he requests, but also equips him with a giant spider droid, which later serves as a formable distraction and opponent to Starkiller as Boba Fett succeeds in abducting Juno and taking her back to Kamino.

Disappointedly, the player never gets to battle Boba Fett, but that’s not the last time we see the bounty hunter. The games finale allows the player to choose one of two alternative endings once defeating Darth Vader at the end of the game.

If you choose the light side – allowing the Rebel Alliance to capture Darth Vader for interrogation – Starkiller and Juno are reunited and board their starship, with Darth Vader in custody, only to reveal the Slave I camouflaged in space debris and then detaching from the floating haul of an enemy craft and pursing Starkiller and the captured Sith Lord.

The Force Unleashed II is a great game, with an engaging story and breathtaking graphics. The gameplay is easy to learn and you’ll have a great time taking out enemies with the half dozen abilities Starkiller possesses, including Force Push, Force Lighting, Mind Trick, Repulse, duel Lightsaber action and more.

Players can also upgrade abilities and unlock various costumes to wear throughout the game – these costumes also carry over into the video clips between levels. There is also a vast array of secret costumes to play in, including Boba Fett’s armor.

You can play as Boba Fett by pressing start, toggling over to “cheat codes” and entering, “Mandalore.” If you play as Boba Fett, you cannot use any of his weapons, but retain all of Starkiller’s abilities.

The Force Unleashed II is available for PS3, Xbox 360, Windows, Wii, Nintendo DS and iOS.

Buy a copy of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, click here to find sellers

“During his Jedi training, Luke has a vision that his friends are in danger. He rushes to Bespin to rescue Han and Leia, where he encounters Darth Vader and the bounty hunter Boba Fett. The Sith Lord’s plan has worked: he has lured Skywalker to the planet and intends to deliver him to the Emperor. While Fett collects his long-sought quarry, Luke battles Vader in a menacing Lightsaber duel.”

Hasbro released the Bespin Battle pack in 2012 and is part of its Movie Heroes line. The set includes figures of Boba Fett, Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker. It also comes with three bases, game cards and a die to play the Galactic Battle Game.

The above quotation came from the set’s packaging, which is beautifully illustrated. The back of the box depicts the fantasy battle in action, Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker exchange Lightsaber strikes, and in the background, watching from the stairs, is Boba Fett – as Han Solo is carted away in his carbonite prison.

The Boba Fett figure is accessorized with a jet pack and cape, which plug into his back. He’s armed with a large blaster rifle and a smaller blaster that fits nicely into a side holster. Another item of note is the figure stands a lot taller than other Fett toys and is much bulkier as well.

This figure has a clean paint job and does not feature the vintage appearance of recent figures. His armor looks new and unscathed. I’d recommend this figure for younger collectors, because it’s durable, making it ideal for frequent play.

He can also be articulated into a number of poses, making the figure enjoyable for both younger and older collectors. The style of the Movie Heroes line has a similar style to the Power of the Force 2 line. I wonder where Hasbro will go with future collections, whether it will keep future figures in this style or return to the look of its Vintage Collection or Clone Wars toys.

Add this battle pack to your collection, click here to find sellers.