CLASSIC IMAGE: ON THE TRAIL OF THE FALCON!

It's an old trick that gets the better of his Imperial foes, as Han Solo pilots the Millennium Falcon out of its successful cover within the Star Destroyer junk field, but his nemesis in bounty hunter Boba Fett (aboard Slave 1) knows the escape technique too, soon trailing the non functioning hyperdrive freighter to its new destination of Bespin... 

Shot on 23rd August 1979, Jeremy Bulloch filmed his last scene as Boba Fett against blue screen, at Elstree Studios, captured by a second unit, with 19 days having been spent playing the character overall for The Empire Strikes Back, who, on theatrical release a year later, would make a huge impact with fans worldwide...

Original storyboard for the scene, by Joe Johnston.

CLASSIC IMAGE: SLAVE 1 DEPARTS!

 

Arriving too late at Cloud City's East Platform, Leia and Lando can only look on as Boba Fett makes his escape on Slave 1, with his 'special cargo' aboard in the carbonized Han Solo. A great storyboard for The Empire Strikes Back whose scene location would be altered visually by the time of Summer 1979 filming at Elstree Studios...

The shot has similarities to this exciting production painting done by Ralph McQuarrie for the scene, which shows Chewbacca and Leia breaking glass to shoot at the departing vessel.

Ralph McQuarrie's final painting from September 25th, 1978.

'ATTACK' AT 20: THE GEONOSIS CONNECTION!

Tracking Jango Fett's Slave 1 to the Geonosian asteroid belt, the hunter soon becomes the hunted when the Fetts' surprise attack him, unleashing heavy weapons and a seismic charge against him. Believed dead, Jango now pilots his ship to a a rendezvous with the Geonosians, unaware that Obi-Wan has generated his own survival trick...

Behind the scenes, the menacing delayed blast sound of the seismic charge was originally developed but never used by sound designer Ben Burtt back in 1976 for A New Hope, and the destruction of Alderaan by the Death Star.

Slave 1 emerges at Geonosis.

Father and son head to Geonosis but soon realize they've been tracked.

Obi-Wan in pursuit!

Slave 1 attacks Obi-wan's Jedi Starfighter.

Obi evades missiles.

The devastating seismic blast!

Hidden, believed dead, in the asteroid field.

A heavy Trade Federation presence embedded on Geonosis is discovered.

'ATTACK' AT 20: ENTER THE FETTS!

Art by Tsuneo Sanda

His investigations having led him to the mysterious Cloners of the Kamino water world, Obi-Wan Kenobi goes on to discover the identity of the armoured flying humanoid who killed Zam Wesell on Coruscant, the mysterious Jango Fett (played by Temuera Morrison, then winning acclaim onscreen for his intense performance in the art flick success Once Were Warriors), a bounty hunter in Mandalorian armour hired ten years previously for Clone Army genetics by an equally shady and unknown figure named 'Tyranus' through the Kaminoans - a secret initiation, supposedly for the Republic, taking place ten years earlier, and shortly after the unusual death of a former Jedi Council member Sifo-Dyas, a friend and confidante to the now leader of the Separatists, the former respected Jedi now known as Count Dooku! 

Jango Fett concept art by Doug Chiang.

With the rapidly developed Clone Army nearing its order quota, Jango Fett's considerable payment from the Kaminoans would also see his take a unique additional prize - a biologically created clone son to call his own and surely train in his own unique lifestyle and skill sets: Boba Fett (as played by Daniel Logan, in his first acting work).

They mystery and danger linked to the mysterious creation of the army, needed for a future war foreseen only by unknown forces, deepens for the overwhelmed Jedi and the now-influenced Galactic Senate in this complex section of the story arc whose ultimate motivations aren't fully explained until Order 66 and the later events of Revenge of the Sith.

Daniel Logan and Temuera Morrison in character for a posed publicity session.

“He (the classic saga’s Boba Fett) is a background character, but I needed a device, a bounty hunter to do things. That particular bounty hunter had become a rather popular character, and even though people were writing all kinds of things about where he came from, in my mind he was always connected to the Stormtroopers. I realized I could use Jango Fett as the Bounty Hunter (in EPISODE II), and he would be Boba’s father, and then it all fell into place.” 

George Lucas - the British Star Wars magazine Number 39 - July/ August 2002 

“Yes, he is the bad guy, but at the same time he’s also a dad and he loves his son. He is a bounty hunter, of course, so I guess he doesn’t see himself as being bad. I think I have one line in the film which sums it up: “I’m just a simple guy trying to make my way in the universe.” I kind of like that.” 

Temuera Morrison on Jango Fett - Total Film magazine - June 2002

'THE BOOK OF BOBA FETT' - TRAILER ONE HAS ARRIVED...

The last time we saw the notorious, back-from-the-dead bounty hunter Boba Fett he looked very comfortable on the throne room chair within the late Jabba the Hutt's palace on Tatooine. Now, let's see what happens next in this first teaser trailer for the Disney+ series, The Book of Boba Fett, debuting December 29th, 2021.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: THE DEPARTURE OF SLAVE 1!

The final preparations for Boba Fett's departure in Slave 1, with his special cargo aboard, begins, in this memorable establishing shot moment on Cloud City achieved with a matte painting that incorporated previous live-action filming accomplished at Elstree Studios.

Live action elements added to the plate.

ILM conceptual art.

Matte Panting genius Harrison Ellenshaw at work on the Slave 1 matte painting.

Note the movie poster for Disney's The Black Hole, the labour of love project for father and son Ellenshaw, which was worked on before Harrison joined Empire. 

Slave 1 departs the East Platform, and soon receives blaster fire from a desperate Leia and Chewbacca.

Storyboard of departure scene.

The departure as captured in a frame from an original 1980 70mm print of the movie.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: BOUNTY TRACKING!

Concept art for the Slave 1 cockpit. Just how much of it was actually built for studio filming is unknown. Note the periscope-like viewer which made it into the movie.

Within Slave 1, Boba Fett keeps close tabs on the Millennium Falcon, ultimately charting its course to Bespin. For this cockpit scene, in the barest of small sets at Elstree, Jeremy Bulloch played Fett, filming against blue screen. Bulloch told Star Wars Aficionado in a chat back in 2000 that he also filmed a later interior scene where Fett would apparently taunt the carbon frozen Han Solo within his ship's cargo hold, but we have not been able to find any call sheet information confirming that or anything in a so far released official shooting script.

Ease Owyeung with Boba/Cockpit interior model.

Close-up details of Boba Fett in the Slave 1 model at ILM.

Storyboard for the cockpit scene.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: CREATING 'SLAVE 1'

 

Art by Nilo Rodis Jamero.

A sinister and formidable bounty hunter like Boba Fett needs a similarly sinister and formidable ship to achieve his goals, and the memorable Slave 1 would soon prove an ugly-looking and intimidating, capable stand-out vessel of the Star Wars saga.

A selection of conceptual art pieces and model shots for the vehicle.

Further ship detailing of one of the ship's flap wings.

Behind the scenes at ILM's model shop.

Prototype.

Lorne Peterson at work.

Lorne Peterson works on the ship with ease Owyeung.

Ken Ralston preparing the model for filming on the ILM blue screen stage.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: DUMPING THE GARBAGE!

Han Solo knows all the smuggling tricks of the trade, as well as Imperial Star Destroyer procedures, hiding the Falcon in the Avenger's debris field before the enemy enters Hyperspace. Their next stop is Bespin, but Han and company are unaware of another talent aware of the same escape tricks: the bounty hunter Boba Fett!

ILM filming of the space junk.

Debris field revised shot incorporating Slave 1.

Slave 1 pursues the Falcon.