Star Wars is arguably the biggest franchise in film history, as George Lucas' epic space opera has enthralled generations of moviegoers, and accrued a massive and loyal fanbase. As such, every single frame of the franchise has been dissected-- especially the iconic original trilogy. Episodes IV-VI are still the most popular, and characters like Darth Vader, Han Solo, and Boba Fett are fan favorites. The latter is one whose appeal is partly based on his mystery, although Mark Hamill once pitched a bonkers backstory for him.
One of Mark Hamill's fans many Twitter followers asked the actor about a rumored plot point, which had Boba Fett turn out to be Luke's mother in Return of The Jedi. Hamill has now confirmed this, saying:
I once suggested it to George as the only way we could top Vader being my father. I envisioned her as a double-agent working clandestinely for the Rebels. SPOILER ALERT: He didn't like my idea.
Well, that would have been an entirely different franchise. Mark Hamill has a great relationship with George Lucas, and felt comfortable enough to pitch ideas to the Star Wars visionary. Unfortunately, they weren't all winners. Just ask poor Boba Fett, aka Mrs. Skywalker.
Mark Hamill's Tweet is sure to absolutely gobsmack Star Wars fans out there, especially the OG moviegoers who have been around since the beginning. Boba Fett's silent nature and Mandalorian armor made him one of the most popular characters when the original trilogy was being released. Plus, he was left almost a complete mystery when he eventually perished during the events of Return of the Jedi.
It seems that Boba Fett was one of the characters that George Lucas wasn't quite sure what to do with during the original trilogy. If he was fielding questions from Mark Hamill about the armored bounty hunter, than perhaps the actor was privy to Lucas' conundrum with Boba. Ultimately the character fizzled out after an early death, although that didn't hinder his popularity in the slightest.
In fact, Boba Fett was actually envisioned as a villain of his own Star Wars movie. George Lucas was originally going to do two trilogies in a row, but abandoned that idea before filming Return of The Jedi. As such, he didn't know what to do with Boba, who was eventually killed in the blink of an eye during Return of the Jedi's thrilling Sarlacc sequence. As Lucasfilm employee Craig Miller previously revealed:
When George decided not to make the third trilogy, he completely jettisoned that story line, which is why in the first ten minutes, Boba Fett gets bumped into and falls into the mouth of a giant monster.
It may be during this time of confusion that Mark Hamill suggested a story so outlandish even fan theorists wouldn't have come up with it: that Boba Fett was a lady, a double agent, and actually Luke's mother. It appears that Hamill thought this was the ultimate plot twist after Darth Vader's parentage of the franchise hero, but George Lucas was reportedly not keen on the idea. Thank goodness.
Ultimately, Boba Fett perishes during the heroes' mission to rescue Han Solo from Jabba's lair. Boba Fett is there during the conflict, and helps accompany Han Solo and his buddies to their execution at the Sarlacc pit. But R2-D2 has Luke's lightsaber, and the heroes turn things around. After facing off against Luke himself, Boba's jet pack is bumped by a blinded Han, and he ends up falling to his death in the Sarlacc's mouth.
Boba Fett's popularity was still so high after the release of Return of The Jedi, that the character ended up being given new life in future installments of the Star Wars franchise. First, the expanded universe novels (which are no longer considered canon) had Boba Fett survive his experience with the Sarlacc, and live new life. Unfortunately for the hardcore Fett heads (that's a thing, right?), Disney put the kabosh on these stories once it bought the rights to the Star Wars property.
Boba Fett's origin was also expanded with George Lucas' prequel trilogy. We met his father Jango, who was the original subject from which the Clone Army was created. But Boba was a special clone, who Jango raised as his own child. Unfortunately for the young boy, his time with his father was cut short when Jango Fett was decapitated by Mace Windu on Geonosis.
Star Wars fans were hoping that Boba Fett would finally get his day with a planned standalone film focused on the mysterious bounty hunter. This would finally give Boba a proper story, and time to steal the spotlight in his first major role in the franchise. Unfortunately, it appears that those plans are on hold, and Boba Fett might never end up getting his own movie, a la Rogue One or Solo. The latter was a box office disappointment, so it looks like Disney and Lucasfilm are planning their next moves a bit more delicately-- possibly cutting spinoffs altogether.
Mark Hamill's pitch for Boba Fett would have been a game changer for the franchise, and sounds a bit more soap opera than space opera. Still, the Star Wars franchise is one built on major twists and moments of melodrama, so it's not like it was completely out of left field at the time. Star Wars is ultimately supposed to be good fun for all ages, although the fandom may take the property a bit more seriously nowadays.
Just look at how Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi was received. The director brought a purposefully subversive project to theaters, which kept the fandom on its toes throughout its run last December. Unfortunately, purists took umbrage with his bold choices, and The Last Jedi has gotten a ton of hate in the process.
The next installment in the Star Wars franchise is J.J. Abrams' untitled Episode IX on December 20th, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your trips to the movies in the New Year.
