Despite spending most of his time standing around menacingly, bounty hunter Boba Fett quickly became a fan favourite after his debut in The Empire Strikes Back. As such, his creation has been documented extensively over the years — surely we know everything there is to know about the character? Well, perhaps not, at this video clip of Fett’s first costume test shows.
According to the clip’s description, the black and white footage was captured on June 28, 1978 at George Lucas’ home. Assistant film editor Duwayne Dunham wears the costume while sound designer Ben Burtt gives viewers the royal tour.
We all know Boba Fett was armed to the teeth. What you might not know is that he was armed to the legs as well; the clip gives us a closer view of dart launchers attached to the costume’s knees. A cool idea, but one has to wander how practical such a weapon would be.
I also didn’t know the radio voice stuff was built into the suit. I always assumed it’d been added in post-production — it’s not like there’s any lip-syncing to do.
The clip is interspersed with more recent interviews with the aforementioned production staff, where they provide us with a bit of back story to the screen test. As you’d expect, it’s fascinating viewing.