(Note to Moderators - I know this may best belong in IMHO, however, I think there may be an actual factual answer to the question, and that is what I am looking for here. If you think this is the wrong Forum nonetheless, I apologize.)
I don’t want to upset by Star Wars fans by seeming like I am “dissin’ the 'Fett”. But essentially, I would like to know what the big deal is with the Star Wars character of Boba Fett. IIRC, he plays a very minor role in Episodes 4-6, and isn’t even successful at capturing Han Solo in the end (the Empire does it for him). He seems to be nothing more than a tag-along washed-up bounty hunter.
And yet…he seems to appear everywhere. I have seen mention of him (or more specifically, his “action figure”) on three different shows (two sitcoms, and Buffy), and I have also seen people go wild at the thought that he might be in Episode 2. He is an inordinately popular choice for a Halloween costume, Windows background bitmap, and cubicle art. His name keeps popping up again and again, and I wonder - why?
Is he a very important character in Star Wars fanfic or spin-off novels, and that is why people love him so much? Is his “action figure” especially rare or something? Or is it an “insider joke” in the industry?
Actually, Anthracite, it’s probably better suited to Cafe Society, but here goes:
[li] The action figure was rare. IIRC, you had to send off for it originally, you couldn’t just buy it. Gave it an aura of exclusivity.[/li][li] Silence has an incredible allure. Again, IIRC, Boba Fett has only spoken like two or three lines of dialogue in the entire series. This leaves fans free to paint in whatever details, motivations, etc., they wish onto the blank canvas of his character.[/li] That costume really is cool as hell. It also adds mystery. What if underneath that mask he’s really … Han’s twin … or grossly deformed … or (my favorite) a chick?
When the first Star Wars movie came out, the action figures were the big things to collect and play with (unlike today’s “collectibles” which stay in their boxes). Shortly before The Empire Strikes Back came out, the action figure packages offered a free figure of Boba Fett, who would appear in that next movie, for four proof-of-purchase symbols from other figures. So there were several things that made the figure “cool” right off the bat:
a) You couldn’t get it in stores; if you owned one, you must have special-ordered it, and it also proved you were enough of a fan to own at least four others
b) This was a preview of something that could be expected in a still-unreleased film
Added onto that is the kicker about this figure: that he had a missile in his backpack. I recall hearing back then that the missile could shoot out with the touch of a button. When I got my figure, this wasn’t true, and rumors said that some kid had taken out an eye with the launchable missile, so Kenner (the toy company that had produced the figures) stopped making them launchable. Now, in retrospect, I don’t know if the “launchable missile” thing was ever true or if it was just an urban legend that, at age 9, I was too young to be skeptical about, but either way, it definitely added to the coolness.
And from there sprang forth the cult of Boba Fett.
Okay , Boba Fett may not seem like much in the Star Wars movies, but if you read certain star wars books , you will see that Boba Fett is THE greatest bounty-hunter in the star wars universe, the movie portrays him as somewhat of an ass,but he actually escapes the sarlac pit. There is a three-book series about Fett, read it and you’ll see why he’s a major player in Episode 2.
It’s cuz Boba said 'Put Captain Solo in the cargo bay." That was his last words, except for screaming like a little girl when he got eaten by the Sarlacc in Jedi.