When it comes to iconic characters in the “Star
Wars” franchise you have the directly recognizable leads from the movies,
and then you have the ones that have become fan favorites through other
outlets. Case in point for today, the masked bounty hunter Boba Fett began his
carrier as a smaller supporting character in the original films … but then took
on a life all his own through various comics, video games, novels and has made
multiple appearances across several shows. Just for fun, I wanted to stop and
rank my Top 10 personal favorite episodes from across the various “Star Wars”
programs and see which select appearances have meant the most to me as a
longtime fan of this frequently reoccurring character.
#10 “A Race to the Finish” (Droids)
(S1 - Ep. 4) – Kicking things off is one of Fett’s early 1980’s cartoon
appearances, and the last time he’d be voiced by Don Francks … who’s personally
my favorite vocal talent to bring life to the character. In this show, C-3PO
and R2-D2 are in league with a team of Speeder Racers, who are preparing for
their biggest race yet. Unfortunately for them, a rivel gang is out for
revenge, and higher none other than Boba Fett to sabotage the event. I love his
introduction scene as a shadowy silhouette in a doorway before revealing his
identity, and it was cool to see him take part in the episodes climactic race
sequence. While this isn’t exactly one of Boba Fett’s all-time great
appearances in the “Star Wars” franchise, he nevertheless shines in this
episode and has some cool moments. It’s also the only appearance he makes in
this show, which is a novelty, and like I said, it would be his last time with
this distinct early design and tremendous vocal talent.
#9 “The Gathering Storm” (The Book of Boba Fett) (S1 – Ep. 4) – After
making so many appearances in other “Star Wars” programs, it was finally
time in 2021 for the famed hunter to take the lead in a series of his own …
with admittedly mixed results. While the show as a whole was a disappointment,
it still had its select episodes and moments that felt worthwhile. In this
fourth episode, we see Fett in his post “Return of the Jedi” days aiming
to chart a new direction after nearly dying in a monster pit. First up is
recruiting a new partner called Fennec Shand, who was fellow hunter also left
for dead in the desert. Nest, the two set off on a mission to retrieve Fett’s
stolen ship, which results with an exciting heist sequence. The meat of this
episode comes from the on-screen chemistry of leading actors Temuera Morrison
and Ming-Na Wen in their respected Bounty Hunter roles. While the two remained
the leads throughout the series, this is the episode that highlighted them as a
dynamite pair, and a worthwhile outing in this lopsided spin-off series.
#8 “Tatooine Rhapsody” (Visions) (S1 – Ep. 2) – Easily the most unique animated
appearance Boba Fett made was in this Anime anthology series. For this outing, we
see a youthful Rock Band about to go on a galaxy wide tour. Unfortunately,
after being chased by the masked Bounty Hunter Boba Fett, the band’s leader, a
Hutt named Gee, is taken prisoner, and turned over to known gangster Jabba the
Hutt. In retaliation, the band purposes to put on a live performance for the
slimy crime lord, and if successful, they’ll have their friend back. As far as
lighthearted animated “Star Wars” anthology offerings are concerned, I
found this one to be a real joy, and the only time you’ll see Boba Fett crowd
surfing. I also found it welcoming that Temuera Morrison reprised his role as
Boba Fett from the live action shows in this short. In general, it’s one of
Fett’s sillier outings, but a nice change-up from what we’d typically expect
from the character. While the tone of the short is light and fluffy, the
character remained just as intimidating and cool as ever.
#7 “R2 Come Home” (The
Clone Wars) (S2 - Ep. 43) – As the title suggests, this is another
light-hearted animated outing, with an adorable franchise mascot at the center
of attention. However, this episode has some strong character nuggets to chew
on, and make it stand out. Set during the Clone Wars, the young child version
of Boba Fett is out for blood against the Jedi member Mace Windu, who
previously killed his father Jango Fett back in the movie “Attack of the
Clones”. After springing an ambush, both Mace Windu and fellow Jedi Anakin Skywalker
are trapped under rubble, and it’s up to our faithful droid R2-D2 to protect them
from the approaching hunters. The strength of this episode comes from seeing
other characters react to the actions of Boba Fett, especially with Mace Windu lamenting
his actions that created this new danger. It’s a solid character piece, laced
with a fun little adventure for R2-D2 to shine in.
#6 “The Tribes of Tatooine” (The Book of Boba Fett) (S1 – Ep. 2)
Getting back to Fett’s live-action show, his second chapter gave him a most unusual … yet very well-made outing. After surviving his fall in the monster pit, we get a “Last Samuri” inspired story of Fett being captured by the sand people of Tatooine and gradually becoming a welcomed member of their tribe. Afte gaining their respect, he leads the tribes in a revolt against an armored train terrorizing their village.
Afterwords, we see Boba Fett go on a spirit quest to
find his new identity and sense of belonging. This culminates into an awesome montage
vision sequence through the years, where he is now and the new man he’s emerged
as. For all the shortcomings of this series, this chapter at least marks one of
Boba Fett’s shining moments.
#5 “Bounty” (The
Clone Wars) (S5 – Ep 86) – We’re back with another offering from the
animated series “The Clone Wars”, except this time we follow the former
Sith assassin Asajj Ventress who’s roaming the galaxy searching for a purpose.
She falls in league with a team of Bounty Hunters, lead by who else … Boba
Fett, who’s still a kid, but packing heat as an armored fighter. This also
marked Fett’s final appearance in the show, and while the character himself is
simply part of an ensemble … everything surrounding them is awesome. Together, Fett,
Ventress and their team of Hunters set off on a mission to protect valuable
cargo on a train from a lethal band of raiders. What follows is one of the most
entertaining Bounty Hunter themed action sequences in all of “Star Wars”.
The energy, fighting variety, and loving nods to classic action pictures like “Hardboiled”
make this a “Must-See” Bounty Hunter themed outing for any long time “Star
Wars” fan.
#4 “The Faithful Wookiee” (The Holiday Special) – Here it is, Boba Fett’s
very first appearance in the entire “Star Wars” saga, and it’s from a
segment of the openly disliked “Star Wars Holiday Special”. Despite the
weak animation on display and being connected to one of the worst “Star Wars”
offerings, this little episode on its own still stands as one of Boba Fett’s
all-time greatest appearances. It’s one of the rare times to see him interacting
with our heroes Luke Skywalker and Han Solo from the classic movies, and trying
to win their trust. Naturally, he’s on a mission from Darth Vader to seek out
their hidden base, but Chewbacca, R2-D2 and C-3PO discover his true intentions
before they take him. A very simple premise, but it’s such a treat to finally
see this character take center stage and really steal the show with his
signature cool factor. I especially love it when Darth Vader refers to him as
the best bounty hunter in the galaxy, which further illustrates that even he
has respect for Boba Fett. This episode marked the first time voice actor Don
Francks portrayed the character, and gave him one of the coolest, laid back,
sinister villain voices I've ever heard. For as bad as “The Star Wars Holiday
special” is, Boba Fett is still awesome in this cartoon segment and is
worth seeing out for any longtime fan of the character.
#3 “In the Name of Honor” (The Book of
Boba Fett) (S1 – Ep. 7) - We now segue back to Fett’s live action
series for one last all-out action spectacle. At the end of Boba Fett’s series,
he and the Mandalorian join forces to fight back against an onslaught of enemy
forces … leading up to a confrontation with Fett’s long-time hunting rivel Cade
Bane … who is personally my favorite of all the Bounty Hunters from “Star
Wars”. While this episode has its faults in the script and threatens to get
redundant with its non-stop laser shooting, director Robert Rodriguez injects
the experience with high energy, and a number of novel highlights. We have our Boba
Fett riding a giant monster, our heroes flying about on jetpacks, war wagging
in a close quarter city setting, giant spider-robots fighting giant monsters, a
“King Kong” inspired climax, and the novelty of seeing my two favorite
bounty hunters Boba Fett and Cade Bane in combat. While this season needed to
do more to set up their rivalry, it’s unmistakably a riveting highlight in the
moment. All around, this is perhaps my biggest guilty pleasure episode, as I
know it’s flawed, and doesn’t have much substance … but for straight forward
enjoyment, this is a very fun episode to watch.
#2 “Death Trap” (The
Clone Wars) (S2-Ep 42) – Time for one last visit to the animated
series “The Clone Wars”, and it’s not only Fett’s first appearance in
the series, but as far as I’m concerned … it’s his best appearance in “Star
Wars” animation. Before the young Boba Fett can take his revenge on the
Jedi Mace Windu, he infiltrates a team of young troopers, who are in training
to become soldiers. While under cover, Fett archives success during their
training and earns friends among his fellow clone brothers, but unfortunately
his anger and need for vengeance can’t be dismissed, which forces him to take
desperate actions … like bringing down an entire ship from within. It’s both an
epic and tragic outing, as we see the conflicts and regrets racing through the
character, while also highlighting him with his most dangerous act of
destruction.
Before I
reveal my Number One favorite Boba Fett themed episode, here are some quick
honorable mentions …
“Stranger in a Strange Land” (The Book of Boba Fett)
“The Rescue” (The Mandalorian)
“Lethal Trackdown” (The
Clone Wars)
“The Believer” (The Mandalorian)
“From the Desert Comes a Stranger” (The Book of Boba Fett)
#1 “The Tragedy” (The Mandalorian) (S2 – Ep 14)
In this show, we follow another iconic hunter character in shiny armor called Mando … and as the title suggests, he’s tragically lost someone personal and is at the mercy of the Empire. Fortunately for Mando, backup comes in the form of our other favorite masked Bounty Hunter Boba Fett, who makes his first proper live action return here, and along with Fennec Shand, they turn the tide in our hero’s favor. While this series hinted at Boba Fett before, this is when he became a main stay character, and ally to Mando and his cause. As far as I’m concerned, this episode right here is the coolest the character has ever been.
Seeing him go beast mode against an armed battalion of Strom Troopers is nothing short of sensational and made for one of the best action sequences in the series. This episode was directed by Robert Rodriguez, whose known for stylized action films, and would be a reoccurring director on “The Book of Boba Fett” crossover season. While re-imagining Boba Fett as an anti-hero of sorts is a controversial topic for some fans, I still feel this episode captured the sheer intensity and cool factor of the character masterfully ... and thus far, it’s my personal favorite episode appearance he’s ever made in a “Star Wars” program.
Thanks for
reading my countdown … and continue to enjoy the shows you Love!
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