1977’s Star Wars, directed by George Lucas, captivated audiences worldwide with many falling in love with the galaxy far far away. While Luke, Leia, and Han Solo became fan favorites, the deaths of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader in the original trilogy moved fans because of their affection for the characters.
As a result, it must have been difficult for Lucas to pick the one death scene from the originals he regretted the most. However, according to Lucas’ statement, he failed to properly address the death of beloved bounty hunter Boba Fett in the original Star Wars trilogy. Here is why Lucas felt he dropped the ball with Boba Fett’s death and what he would have done differently in retrospect.
George Lucas Arguably Regrets Boba Fett’s Death Scene In Star Wars the Most
George Lucas first introduced bounty hunter Boba Fett in the 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special. Despite the poor critical and fan reception of the television special, Boba Fett was one of the few aspects that fans loved. The character was later featured in Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi.
During a segment for the DVD commentary of the last film in the original trilogy, Lucas revealed that killing off Boba Fett in the Return of the Jedi was the one death scene he regretted. Lucas stated:
“In the case of Boba Fett’s death, had I known he was going to turn into such a popular character, I probably would’ve made it a little bit more exciting.”
Lucas explained that in his mind, Fett was like any other minion that the protagonists dispatched. However, Fett had a large presence because of his popularity and Lucas failed to assess the situation, making him regret killing off the character in a lackluster way.
George Lucas Contemplated Showing Boba Fett Survived Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi
In the original trilogy, Boba Fett meets his end after a battle with Luke Skywalker, which sees him land in a deadly Sarlaac pit. However, Fett’s origin story was told through the prequel trilogy, which Lucas returned to write and direct.
“Now that his history has been told in the first trilogy, y’know, it makes it even more of a misstep that we wouldn’t make more out of the event of his defeat.”
Lucas made the above statement acknowledging Fett’s popularity among the fanbase, further highlighting his regret over how the character was killed. As a result, Lucas pondered rectifying his regret over the death scene by adding an additional shot that would have confirmed Fett’s survival.
“I’d contemplated putting in that extra shot in where he climbs out of the hole, but y’know I figure that’s . . . it doesn’t quite fit, in the end.”
Lucas made the above comment during the same DVD commentary segment. While Lucas opted not to show Fett survive, the character was revealed to be alive in The Mandalorian and even went on to headline his own spin-off series The Book of Boba Fett, proving just how popular the character remains to this day.
The Star Wars films and spin-off shows are streaming on Disney+.
