After seemingly meeting a grisly end in "Return of the Jedi," the bounty hunter Boba Fett has been officially resurrected in the "Star Wars" universe by way of "The Mandalorian." Along with the return of the bounty hunter, we also have Boba Fett's ship, known as the Slave I. However, since it would appear that Lucasfilm is trying to distance itself from referencing that name, some fans are wondering exactly what's going on with the unique vehicle and its place in the galaxy. Let's break down everything we know about Boba Fett's ship and what the status of the vehicle's name is right now.
Where Did Boba Fett's Ship Come From?
Since Lucasfilm completely revamped "Star Wars" canon after being purchased by the Walt Disney Company, the origin of Boba Fett's ship begins with his father Jango Fett. As we learned in "Attack of the Clones," Boba Fett isn't actually Jango Fett's son. Rather, Boba Fett is a clone of Jango Fett created in the facility on Kamino that created the Republic's Clone Troopers based on Jango Fett's DNA. However, rather than being designed to age at twice the rate of natural humans, Boba Fett was left to age like a normal human and raised as Jango Fett's own child.
As for Jango Fett's ship, it's a a Firespray-31-class patrol and attack craft that was stolen during a job he was completing on the prison moon of Oovo IV. He named the ship Slave I, for no clear reason, though perhaps it's a reference to the fact that, in "Star Wars Legends," there were only six of these Firespray ships in the entire galaxy, and they were all used on Oovo IV. So one could assume that they were named and numbered as Slave I through Slave VI. But then again, in "Star Wars Legends," when Boba Fett got new ships, they took on the names Slave II and Slave III, so it could easily have a different meaning. Whatever the reason might be, it's never been officially explained.
Jango Fett outfitted the Slave I with upgraded laser cannons, projectile launchers, and seismic charges. The cockpit features a unique deck situated on a gyro system, allowing the occupants to stay upright no matter what position the ship is in, which is helpful since the ship flies standing upright but has to rotate onto its back in order to land.
When Jango Fett was killed by Jedi Master Mace Windu during a massive battle on Geonosis in "Attack of the Clones," the ship became Boba Fett's, who added modifications of his own over the years.
Much later, Boba Fett used the ship to track down Han Solo in "The Empire Strikes Back," after being hired for the bounty by Darth Vader. After collecting Han Solo from Cloud City, where he was frozen in carbonite, Boba Fett used Slave I to deliver the smuggler as a prize to the gangster Jabba the Hutt. However, as we've recently learned in the "Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters" comic book series, the delivery got sidetracked for a time.
After Boba Fett finally delivered Han Solo to Jabba the Hutt, he got caught up in a battle with Luke Skywalker and his Rebel Alliance friends. During a fight in the middle of the Great Pit of Carkoon, Boba Fett's jetpack was ignited accidentally by Han Solo, who banged into it with a staff, launching him into the mouth of a sarlacc at the center of the pit.
We've yet to learn what happened to the Slave I during the time that Boba Fett was out of commission, but the bounty hunter was clearly able to retrieve it before meeting up with fellow bounty hunter Fennec Shand in the first season of "The Mandalorian," and then crossing paths with Din Djarin in the second season of the "Star Wars" series on Disney+. Perhaps we'll learn more about the ship's history in the upcoming spin-off "The Book of Boba Fett," coming to Disney+ later this year.
What's Going On With Boba Fett's Ship Name?
Even though we have no idea where Boba Fett's ship name comes from, it would appear Disney has become a little uncomfortable with throwing Slave 1 around so nonchalantly. Not too long ago, an interview with LEGO Star Wars design director Jens Kronvold Frederiksen and lead designer Michael Lee Stockwell revealed that merchandise featuring Boba Fett's ship had been directed to avoid using the name Slave I. Instead, the vehicle was being referred to as "Boba Fett's Starship."
This new position comes as Disney has gone out of their way to recognize certain insensitive cultural references. In this case, having a prominent, beloved character's ship named after the cruel concept of slavery isn't necessarily the best look. Then again, if the ship's name was given some kind of significant meaning, maybe as a way of taking the power away from the negative connotations that it brings to mind, perhaps it wouldn't be seen that way. After all, the "Star Wars" franchise features a rather prominent character who began life as a slave but became a powerful Jedi and then one of the most feared Sith in the galaxy, so Lucasfilm can't exactly avoid the existence of slavery in the "Star Wars" universe.
Not long after news of the Slave I name being avoided by Disney came to light, it was believed that the recent run of "Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters" comics may have given the Boba Fett's ship an official new name. A series of variant covers for the comic created by Paolo Villanelli listed the bounty hunters involved in the story along with the names of their ships. Here's the list of bounty hunters and their corresponding ships:
- Bossk and The Hound's Tooth
- IG-88 and IG-2000
- Zuckuss and The Mist Hunter
- Valance Beilert and The Broken Wing
- Dengar and The Punishing One
- Boba Fett and Firespray
The reason many assumed that "Firespray" was the new name for Boba Fett's ship is because all the other bounty hunters have the official names for their ships listed rather than the class of the ship in question. So referring to Boba Fett's ship as Firespray would be akin to referring to the Millennium Falcon by the name Corellian YT-1300F Light Freighter. On top of that, the official "Star Wars" databank still lists the name of the ship as Slave I, though the URL refers to it as "Boba Fett's Starship." So it would appear that the ship hasn't been renamed. At least not yet.
Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if "The Book of Boba Fett" offers up a new name for Slave I or provides some kind of significant reason for the name of the ship. But for now, fans don't have to worry about the ship being officially renamed. They can keep referring to it however they prefer and nothing will have changed in the world. This may be one of the most insignificant things to be concerned with, so no matter how this turns out, Boba Fett and his place in the "Star Wars" universe will be fine ... even if they end up calling his ship The Hemorrhoid.
Read this next: Boba Fett's Spaceship Slave I Is Getting Renamed On Toy Packages After Order From Disney
The post Boba Fett's Ship Explained: How Did He Get It and What's Going on with Its Name Change? appeared first on /Film.
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