The Boba Bounty

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.

“Ten years after the fight to save Naboo from invasion, the galaxy is on the brink of civil war. Under the leadership of a renegade Jedi, thousands of solar systems threaten to secede from the Galactic Republic. A courageous Jedi Knight, his impulsive and headstrong apprentice, and a queen-turned-senator are drawn into the conflict… and the beginning of war.”

It’s the synopsis of Episode II, but the real highlight of Attack of the Clones was the appearance and origin story of Boba Fett.

After years of speculation in the Expanded Universe, the film shed light on how Boba Fett was an unaltered clone of notorious bounty hunter Jango Fett. As payment for his genetic code, Boba Fett was an unaltered clone of Jango, who trained under his father until Jango’s demise at the hands of Mace Windu during the Battle of Genosis.

In 2002, Hasbro released the action figures of Jango and Boba Fett. The young Boba Fett came accessorized with his father’s Mandalorian helmet, a jet pack, two blasters, a poncho and acrylic blast effects that can be attached to either his blasters or jet pack.

The Escape from Kamino action figure was the first version of young Boba Fett to reach collectors, but the figure leaves a little to be desired. The sculpting for this series line is a bit crude and waxy and the accessories are odd, since they do not mirror the tools Boba uses in the film during the Kamino scene.

Boba Fett only has four points of articulation and very little detail is applied to the face and body. I’m also frustrated by the fact you must choose between the poncho and jet pack being worn at one time – so if you like to display your figures loose – you must either clutter the area around Boba Fett with the unused accessories or store them elsewhere.

The blast effects sit at odds when displaying as well, due to the limited articulation. On that note, Boba Fett can hold his blasters alright in his right hand, but the left hand keeps a very loose grip around the weapons.

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.

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