He wouldn’t make the leap to the big screen until The Empire Strikes Back in 1980, but a 1978 screen test shows Boba Fett was fully realized while A New Hope was still in theaters.
Filmed June 28, 1978 at George Lucas’ home, the nearly five-minute clip of footage shows the detail of the character who would go on to become a fan favorite and decades down the road inspire the current Disney+ series The Mandalorian.
Official concept art from Chapter 3 of #TheMandalorian by Brian Matyas (1/10) pic.twitter.com/pXqrjz1zN8
— The Mandalorian (@themandalorian) November 25, 2019
Based on Ralph McQuarrie sketches, the first costume for the test was completely white in color, but all the gadgets, such as the flamethrower and darts, were in place.
Star Wars sound designer Ben Burtt hosts the video that goes over all the functions of Fett’s weapons.
The costume was worn by assistant film editor Duwayne Dunham, and the attention to detail is impressive since the character was only known at that point in cartoon form, featured in the infamous Holiday Special.
Fett, of course, would appear in Empire and then Return of the Jedi, as well as be added into A New Hope via the 1997 special edition. However, the character did have a figure offered in the expanded, original line of 1978 toys.
Watch the screen test below.
