AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: THE DANGEROUS LONER...

Joe Johnston's gunslinger-esque Boba Fett concept art featuring the later discarded helmet 'eyebrows' idea.

As is well known in franchise history, the soon iconic, totally enigmatic, totally dangerous bounty hunter Boba Fett's early genesis came via Ralph McQuarrie's drawing board, worked on as a minor character - a helmeted figure with a single slit eye and a potential Stormtrooper (aka 'Super Trooper'/ 'Super Stormtrooper') variation, created to look like “he’d been through Hell!” The striking illustration quickly caught George Lucas's eye and imagination, ultimately leading to Fett's metamorphosing into the Star Wars equivalent of a 'spaghetti western' type bounty hunter figure, another of 'the man with no name' types pioneered onscreen in that genre by movie star legend Clint Eastwood, though a more lethal opponent in his capture missions. Though Fett indeed moved to being a forefront character for Star Wars II, he'd first be showcased via the memorable animated segment of 1978's The Star Wars Holiday Special, albeit with a largely different costume paint scheme than the one he'd ultimately wear on film by 1980.  

A very Samurai Warrior-esque idea from Ralph McQuarrie, almost Darth Vader-ish. One of two McQuarrie art pieces presented here from late 1977 onwards.

George Lucas's instinct for incorporating an enigmatic new villain, who'd been in prior regular employ for Darth Vader, for The Empire Strikes Back (their relationship established within the cartoon segment of the Holiday Special) soon proved a shrewd one, not only within the growing storytelling/character interactions of the saga itself but also as a great way to keep the merchandising and promotional elements of the new franchise fresh and lucrative in the gap between films.

After Ralph McQuarrie's work, the mystery but formidable skillsets of Fett would be refined further by an equally enthused Joe Johnston, resulting in a great deal of time and later expense being spent by ILM with the final locked-in creation of his costume, which would then be turned over to the technicians at Elstree UK for its original basic construction. From there it was then re-dispatched back to ILM, where the basic all-white helmet, suit and appliance (of which several back-ups had also been built) would undergo further refinements, as well as an applied new 'used universe' paint scheme, right up to principal photography for the character by April, 1979. 

Here is a selection of conceptual images from 1977-78 of Fett from his primary visual creator, Joe Johnston, showcasing Fett's lethal abilities...

Graphic designs for the helmet by Joe Johnston. The bottom right idea made it onto the helmet in early costume reference paintwork tests.