The Boba Bounty

Let the rumors begin! Disney just announced it will debut a new animated series in fall 2014, taking place in the virtually untouched time between Episode III-IV. According to Disney officials, “Star Wars Rebels” takes place about 20 years before A New Hope.

This is great news for fans of Boba Fett – as it provides a great opportunity to not only tie up loose ends from “The Clone Wars,” but flesh out the rise of Boba Fett to the infamous role he plays in the Original Trilogy era.

We’ve heard there was a Boba Fett story arc planned for season six; we even saw an image of him in his Mandalorian armor. However, we never got to see his full transition from an angry orphan to a renowned bounty hunter. How did he wind up with his classic armor? How did he retrieve Slave I from Hondo?

It wouldn’t be too hard to put Boba Fett in this new animated series, especially since they’ve already got the animated model complete for the character. There’s also opportunity to show the foundation of Boba Fett’s and Darth Vader’s working relationship.

Since this series focuses on the Rebellion, this creates a place for bounty hunters as well. It was Prince Xizor who suggested the Emperor use bounty hunters as tools for the Galactic Empire in the Bounty Hunter War trilogy. He points out in the first novel, how there’s an advantage to using these individuals for certain missions.

We see how useful bounty hunters are to the Empire in “The Force Unleashed II,” when Darth Vader recruits Boba Fett to hunt down Juno to lure in Starkiller.

During this era, the Empire may even hire bounty hunters like Boba Fett to hunt down the remaining Jedi who escaped Order 66. There’s all kinds of possibilities – not to mention, many fans would like to see the fallout of Mandalore – it in itself a channel to bring in Boba Fett again.

Let’s also not forget in the time of “The Clone Wars,” Cad Bane is the No. 1 bounty hunter. How does Boba Fett take hold this role?

We need to demonstrate to Disney the fan base of Boba Fett. His role in “Rebels” would also provide a good build up to get younger fans excited about a Boba Fett spin-off film. To show our support, we’ll be starting a campaign to #BringBackBoba. It starts with a Facebook page, and hopefully we’ll be able to grow from there.

Help us build the foundation for our campaign. Here is the Facebook page we’ve created, which will receive a shorter URL once we fulfill the “like” requirements.

“Like” our Boba Fett’s Return in ‘Star Wars Rebels’ Facebook Page

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.

Earlier this year Hasbro gave a first look at the characters being introduced in Series 2 of Angry Birds Star Wars mystery bags. Each mystery bag includes two miniatures, including characters like Han Solo, Princess Leia and Boba Fett.

Reports came in a few months ago that Series 2 had popped up overseas. These items have finally made their way to the U.S. I’ve been checking the toy aisle at retail stores and finally saw the new mystery bags appear at my local Target.

We’re still waiting for reports on the larger Boba Fett Power Battler, including a Han Solo target, to be spotted at local retail outlets.

When I first saw Kyle Newman’s “Fanboys” I was smitten by the decals on Hutch’s van. A company called FanWraps now empowers us to add character to our vehicles with its amazing selection of Star Wars decals – available at affordable prices.

These car wraps range in sizes from small to x-large and can accommodate any make or model of vehicle. They launched their first wave of designs earlier this month for Star Wars Day and they include character wraps of Yoda, Boba Fett, R2-D2 and more. They also have available wraps of vehicles like Slave I.

The website includes the background and history of each vehicle and character – proving this is a product designed by fans, not just cashing in off of popular franchises. The detail is amazing on these designs, virtually popping off the car. They’re easily removable as well, if you ever want to sale the car without the wraps.

You can pick up Boba Fett wraps for as low as $29.99 up to $49.99 depending on what size your aiming for. Check out their products at www.fanwraps.com.

Last week, the winners of the Dark Side Design Contest were announced, including several winning tee-shirt designs featuring Boba Fett. This contest was opened in February and was an open call for all tee-shirt designers – who ended up winning some awesome prizes.

The grand prize winner was Aaron Davis, with his Boba Fett shirt design entitled, “No Place to Hide,” featuring a close up image of Boba Fett’s helmet, reflecting the shapes of Han Solo in Carbonite and the Millennium Falcon.

The judge’s pick was “Dark Side Fighter” by Drew Wise – an old 8-bit video game approach to his design. The front of the shirt copies the classic “choose your fighter” interface, pitting Darth Vader vs. Boba Fett.

Another top selection was “The Dark Side Diner” by Gary Jensen. This tee-shirt design illustrates Boba Fett and Darth Vader sitting in a diner, a classic diner slogan is scrawled near the bottom of the image. This is probably my personal favorite of the entry winners.

You can view larger photos of these designs at www.welovefine.com, where you may also purchase the tee-shirts if they peak your interest.

Yesterday was one of the most celebrated Star Wars Day I can remember, and the party continues today as people celebrate Cinco de Mayo.

The official Star Wars Blog released printable luchadores masks, featuring the faces of General Grievous, Darth Vader, Darth Maul and Boba Fett. Illustrated by artist Randy Martinez, you can print these out, apply them to some thin cardboard and have a blast!

Download the Boba Fett mask here.

USA Today continues its ongoing Star Wars features, leading up to Star Wars Day on May 4. Staff writer Brian Truitt interviewed actor Jeremy Bulloch, who shared memories of being onset for the filming of Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

Bulloch shared his initial thoughts on the Mandalorian armor, including worries of toppling over from the weight of Boba Fett’s jet pack. Also, how he approached the characteristics of the bounty hunter. Especially since his face was hidden, how he could use his training as an actor to convey the menace of the character.

Read the full story by clicking HERE.