Boba Fett: The Mystique Of A Star Wars Bounty Hunter

 

My art depiction of Boba Fett

   I think I was about 7 years old when the original Star Wars movie came out. I can remember how excited I was to see it for the first time. My dad always picked me and my brother up for the weekend, and we'd always go see a movie on Saturday, so I knew that we were going to see Star Wars that weekend that it premiered.

   We always got to the theater early, because my dad liked to get good seats, and it's a good thing we did, because after 15 minutes of being there the theater began to pack in the people. By the time the movie was over we had to wait a while before we could leave because there were so many. I can remember how packed the theaters got every time we went to see the movie after that. It was so bad that people were standing in the aisles and in the entrance behind the seats.
But, none of that mattered. Sitting in that chair anticipating the start of the movie was more than we could bear. Then, it began! The intro, the Star Wars logo, the theme song, and then, that small ship of Princess Leia's  followed by Darth Vader's Imperial Cruiser was a thing to behold! That scene alone brought hours of conversation, and we discussed it many times over during the course of the week.

   I, like many in the country, became a fanatic of Star Wars after that. We didn't want to see any other movie on Saturday for the longest time. I know I've seen this movie over a hundred times. I stopped counting after 100. I ate, slept and breathed Star Wars for the next few years. The movie even inspired me to be a film maker, and I laid out my plans to make the sequel to Star Wars before I even knew one was coming. I can remember where I wanted it to start with Darth Vader crashing into the planet Tatooine and reassembling his army to attack the rebels again. Well, I never did make that film, nor did I become a film maker. But, Star Wars did much to influence me and my imagination.

   Since I was a fanatic of this movie I wanted everything that had to do with it, and I got most of it. There were the books, the sheets, the dishware, the comic books, the clocks, the lamps, the newspaper comics that I clipped out, the baseball cards, the magazines, the toys. The toys! That was my favorite thing. I couldn't wait to get the latest action figure from the movie or the latest spaceship or the latest toy laser gun. Most of that would have to wait until Christmas, but I was able to get my parents to get some of the action figures for me before then. And, it was always intriguing to look on the back of the card to see what action figures were available. So, it was really cool to see the Boba Fett toy that you could mail away for. And, that's what I did. I mailed away for Boba Fett, and it was really great to get the toy in the mail. This character is one of the most fascinating, in my opinion. There was always this air about him that made him seem so mysterious. I like that sort of thing. Sort of like the Man With No Name from the Clint Eastwood movies. Of course, it was revealed in one of the last Star Wars movies who Boba Fett was, but I like to think that we would just never know where he actually came from.

   Eventually, I got the bigger Boba Fett, too just like the bigger action figures of the other characters. I think they were 12 inches tall. One day, my brother and I were arguing over 12 inch Boba, and my dad got mad and threw him across the room breaking his head off. He promised to get me another one but never did, so I tried to glue Boba's head back on. It never took, and I even used super glue. Oh, well. Such is life, right? ;)

   Over the years, I revisit my memories and fondness I had for the three original movies, and I will watch them. I wish I still had all my Star Wars stuff, but from what I've come to find out is that it isn't worth what it once was. I've been to flea markets and have seen tons of toys and things from the movies. And, the guys running the shops all say the same thing, and that's that Star Wars isn't as popular as it once was. That's interesting considering how people were obsessed with it when the first three came out.

   I see that Boba Fett is still very popular, though. I'm an artist, and when I was a kid, I drew things from Star Wars, but it's been a while since I have. So, recently, I took a trip down memory lane and thought how cool it would be to draw Boba Fett. I am a fan of the Freddy Flypogger and Rat Fink characters from the 60s, too. And, I got to thinking how cool it would be to combine those two characters with Boba Fett, and that's what I did. I had fun doing this picture, and it was cool to work on all the details. I'm thinking of doing other characters from Star Wars, but I'm not sure, yet. :)