“Death Trap” | “Lethal Trackdown”
Subtitle: Boba Fett deserves better!
Ugh, the feels! They keep announcing and cancelling a Boba Fett centered film or television series and on one hand, I want the Bail Organa, love of my life, film or Naboo Handmaidens series first. But on the other hand, there are enough interesting parallels between Boba’s narrative and Anakin’s that the idea is compelling. I’d love to see more interaction between the bounty hunter and Vader, as well as other clones and criminals. I’ve a caveat, though.
Star Wars, the Original Trilogy: Boba Fett the Badass Bounty Hunter
Me:
Star Wars, the Prequel Trilogy: Boba Fett the First War Orphan
Me:
Star Wars, the Clone Wars: Boba Fett the Baby Bounty Hunter
Me:
To be clear, I didn’t care about him at all until Attack of the Clones but after this:
And now this:
MY HEART HURTS.
So Boba’s plot in this arc reminds me of Draco Malfoy’s in the sixth Harry Potter book/film.
Draco at least ends up with his family. Boba loses that possibility over and over.
While pretending to be just another clone (heartbreakingly named “Lucky”), Boba is befriended by a clone-brother, Jax (I would definitely love for them to meet up again!) and makes connections with clones both old and young. It’s important to note that all the adult clones look like Boba’s father, and all the young clones resemble himself. They are family and the more time he spends with them the more he feels like he belongs. But he is determined to avenge his father, and he would have to betray another pseudo-family in order to remain with them.
Aurra Sing is hardly a good mentor and mother for Boba, but she’s what he’s got. She provides him stability, supports his vendetta against Mace and has the means to help him, and is willing and able to build on the skills his father was teaching him. And she does seem to have some affection for him. While harsh, she’s more compassionate towards him than the others in her group, and she hesitates before leaving him behind when they are surprised by the Jedi on Florrum.
She does, however, leave him behind.
But it’s what happens next that results in the aforementioned #ugly sobbing.
I enjoyed Hondo in this earlier appearance. He was fun and I like meeting up with the inbetweeners in the war of Light and Dark. But now I’m a Space Pirate Dad fan for life. Even if every other appearance lets me down, he’s so perfect here I want to CRY. And all I want is the AU where the Jedi leave Boba with Hondo. He could still grow up to be a bad ass bounty hunter, Hondo’s a pirate and a criminal. But he would grow up appreciated and cared for.
Instead, Boba ends up in prison because the Jedi are so terrible at dealing with angry, fearful, emotional children. Boba is a CHILD. A child raised by criminals. A child who witnessed his father killed in action. A child orphaned by the war they are fighting, the war they began, the war that uses clones like this child as disposable soldiers. A child who, yes, killed a clone, destroyed a ship, and attacked multiple Jedi.
Me:
Where is the compassion the Jedi are supposed to be so good at? Hondo proves Boba can be reasoned with. He literally says he knows what he did was wrong!! If he has to “forgive” in order to move on then show him how! Explain what it means! Boba could be taught. He could be saved. But no. The Jedi once again ignore the obvious signs of emotional abuse and choose to wash their hands of the whole thing. I should probably be relieved they didn’t turn him in for reprogramming due to malfunction.
Boba Fett deserves better.
He deserves a family.