Boba Fett has always been a fan favorite among Star Wars characters, but he's also been slyly positioned as a big deal from the very beginning.
He was given an action figure before he was shown on screen in 1980, leading fans to wonder what role he would play in the upcoming The Empire Strikes Back, and he was also given a grand introduction in the animated short that aired during the now-disowned Star Wars Holiday Special.
The special itself was hard to watch, but the animated portion of the show is actually pretty great, and gives Boba Fett at least a little context that's missing from the movies. The version embedded at the top of this post is the cleanest rip of the short I've ever seen online, and stands head and shoulders above the scratchy VHS copies that are usually found on YouTube.
That introduction, combined with the intense interest in the toys at the time, primed Fett to already have a large place in the hearts and minds of Star Wars fans even before they saw him in person. It was all a clever bit of marketing for a character who only had five lines in the movies themselves.
While we're discussing our favorite bounty hunter, I'd like to draw your attention to the following clip that shows just how good Fett was in his prime. Pull out your blaster and hope to escape detection? Not on his watch.
I've seen these movies dozens of times each, and they still hold one or two secrets. Enjoy!
