The Boba Bounty

Yahoo! UK & Ireland caught up with Jeremy Bulloch during his appearance at MCM Midlands Comic and Entertainment Expo earlier this month. The interview expanded on Bulloch’s previous statements that he’s more than willing to strap on the Mandalorian gear and reprise his role as Boba Fett.

Bulloch has been very vocal about Episode VII, ever since the announcement was made last year. He’s been quoted in multiple articles, but since rumors have begun about a Boba Fett film, reporters are chopping at the bit to get their exclusive interviews.

Bulloch has had his thumb on the pulse of fans for decades, so hopefully those at Lucasfilm are listening to his input – namely, don’t bastardize the Expanded Universe. There’s very little G-level canon regarding Boba Fett. The character was introduced with great bravo around the time of Empire Strikes Back, but fans unanimously agree, the character was shafted in his treatment in Return of the Jedi.

George Lucas made up for this a little in the prequels, giving Boba Fett an engaging origin story in Attack of the Clones. Still, the story shed more light on the clones and Jango Fett than Boba. While the Clone Wars has given fans further adventures of the young Boba Fett – the majority of his story has existed in comics and books.

For thirty-some years we’ve had to rely on novels and comics to turn to Star Wars literature to get a taste of the bounty hunter. Much of what we most appreciate, love about Boba Fett comes from the Expanded Universe.

If Lucasfilm and Disney completely discard these stories and adventures, there’s a strong potential of fan backlash – if stories like Twin Engines of Destruction or the Bounty Hunter Wars are said to never have happened.

Fans are more prone to accept a compromise of two alternative timelines, which can only happen if the present Expanded Universe is continued and not retconned to fit with the film universe.

We don’t need to see an exact adaptation of the Expanded Universe, but it should at least be respected when making these films. After all, those are the stories that kept fandom alive and made these new movies possible.

Most importantly, Disney needs to redeem Boba Fett in the new films. No more defeats by blind smugglers like we saw in Return of the Jedi, or swapped in place of a slave bride as in his last appearance in Clone Wars.

The good news is Lawrence Kasdan is rumored to be the one scribing a Boba Fett film. Kasdan penned Empire Strikes Back, which was the closest film to flesh out Boba Fett in the badass fashion we’ve seen him portrayed in the Expanded Universe. Therefore, I have faith he is the man that can resurrect the character that for thirty years has had casual fans believing Boba Fett is still in the belly of the Sarlacc.

Kasdan can put the rumors to rest, Boba Fett is alive and well.

My wife got me the LEGO Star Wars Dessert Skiff set for Valentine’s Day. This is an item I’ve had my eye on for a while now, so I was pretty excited to receive it.

LEGO has evolved quite a lot since I was a kid. Its licensed products are definitely the bread and butter that have kept them alive and strong over the years. This LEGO set captures the rescue scene from Return of the Jedi, where Jabba and friends condemn Luke Skywalker to 1,000 years in the belly of the Sarlacc.

The set includes the LEGO figures of Luke Skywalker, Lando Calrissian, Boba Fett and Kithaba. Of course, it also features the Dessert Skiff and Sarlacc Pit. The skiff has some cool functions, including a retractable plank, a firing missile and a weapons locker.

An instruction manual makes it easy to construct the skiff and the Sarlacc Pit. The set also comes with extra pieces, like the Sarlacc teeth, just in case you lose a few items. This is handy, especially if you’re buying this for children who may not be constructing these pieces for display; rather they end up in a toy box.

There’s amazing detail put into the characters and other items. It’s also easy to put together, I constructed my set in under an hour. There’s enough characters included, that the set offers plenty of imaginary scenarios to play with. You can run through a number of alternative outcomes to the scene, whereas anybody could end up in the mouth of the Sarlacc (which can open and close.)

Accessories for the LEGO figures include four blasters, a Lightsaber and axe. The Boba Fett minifigure comes with his jetpack and removable helmet – the case is the same for Lando. These LEGO sets are a ton of fun and easily accompany each other to create larger play sets to recreate scenes from the films or make your own adventures.

I highly recommend this LEGO set for collectors of any age. This is a good item to start with, which can supplement sets like Jabba’s Palace, etc.  

In 2003, Hasbro showed homage to the events from Return of the Jedi through its release of the Boba Fett (The Pit of Carkoon) action figure. This action figure stands apart from other Boba Fett additions in a multitude of ways.

The action figure was inspired by the battle on Jabba the Hutt’s sail barge. Audiences got to see Boba Fett engage his jet pack for the first time in Return of the Jedi, as he launches from the sail barge to squash the rescue of Luke Skywalker.

This action figure is accessorized with flames that can be attached to Boba’s jetpack, and with the articulation in his legs, the bounty hunter can be posed in midflight. A similar accessory can be attached to Boba Fett’s blaster – simulating live firing. What’s confusing though, is this attachment resembles flames, when it should really be a laser discharge.

The figure includes quick draw action, by pressing down on Boba Fett’s rocket. While this is a cool feature, it limits the dexterity of the arms. Also, the quick draw feature means the jet pack is not removable.

Its paint job is clean, but doesn’t match the armor we see on film. The figure was released with two color schemes – first in blue and later in green. The jet pack is painted white and blue, and Boba’s attire lacks the wear and tear we see in other figures.

Despite the conflicts presented by the color schemes, the unique accessories and flight simulation make this figure an interesting and engaging addition to any collection.

Add this figure to your collection, click here to find sellers.

“Bounty hunter Boba Fett, whose exploits are known throughout the galaxy, was the only figure capable of collecting the bounty on Han Solo by delivering him to Jabba the Hutt’s desert palace. Even the appearance of Luke Skywalker could not rescue Solo and the other captured Rebels.

On a prisoner skiff above the Great Pit of Carkoon, Fett pits his formidable skills against a Jedi Knight and his Rebel friends as they attempt to save themselves from the lethal date with Carkoon’s dreaded Sarlacc. The hunter discovers that his firepower is no match for the Rebel Alliance.”

The above blurb is featured on the package art of the Star Wars Epic Force figurine of Boba Fett. The text is a bit insulting to fans of Boba Fett, though. Our favorite bounty hunter wasn’t overpowered or strategically defeated – his jet pack was merely accidently engaged by a blind and scared Han Solo.

Looking beyond the box’s blurb, the figurine is quite nice. Boba Fett is sculpted in a fixed position that is scene on film seconds before his blaster is destroyed by Luke Skywalker. The figure stands 6 inches tall and is placed on a platform, which can be spun 360 degrees.

Boba Fett cannot be removed from the platform and is designed to be showcased, aimed more for older collectors.

The packaging is a clear cylinder with an opening for the platform’s dial, so it can be functional and beautifully displayed by collectors who prefer to keep their item in original packaging. However, Boba Fett is sculpted in such detail; I feel its best appreciated outside of the plastic.

The artist succeeds in creating a figure that, as far as I can tell, matches perfectly to Boba Fett’s armor and posture we see in Return of the Jedi. The paint job is applied well and also matches the tones and hues we see on film.

Add this figurine to your collection, click here to find sellers.