Warning: The following contains spoilers for The Book of Boba Fett, "Chapter 4: The Gathering Storm," now streaming on Disney+.
Boba Fett’s ship was a part of his identity from the beginning. It came as a part of the rapid expansion of the Star Wars universe in Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back and adhered to neither the Imperial starship designs nor those of the Rebels. It was singular and sinister and stayed with him from the prequels through Star Wars: The Clone Wars, becoming an indelible component of the character in the process.
Unfortunately, it also possessed a name -- Slave I -- that become problematic to the brand for complicated reasons. Well, the latest episode of The Book of Boba Fett returns the ship to its owner in spectacular fashion, and it also attempts to skirt around the issue of the name, with decidedly less than spectacular results.
The name itself always carried racist connotations, though Fett’s initial status as a flat-out villain made it more palatable. Though he didn’t belong to the Empire, he trafficked in sentient beings, and the ship’s title drove the point home quickly. Soon after the Original Trilogy, however, his status began to evolve from an utter blackheart to a more complicated antihero, and the name’s darker overtones quickly became untenable. The franchise endured a good deal of criticism over the years for it, even from series stalwarts like Billy Dee Williams, who gave it a sharp poke during a memorable sketch on Robot Chicken.
Disney kept quiet over the controversy following its purchase of Lucasfilm. It was easier before The Mandalorian brought Fett back into focus, with the sequel trilogy avoiding the character altogether and television efforts like The Clone Wars portraying him as largely evil without mentioning the name of his ship. But the name change became official in June 2021, when a new Lego set bore the title “Boba Fett’s Starship.” And while controversy ensued, the new "name" held.
The Mandalorian dodged the issue by similarly avoiding mention of the name, but all that did was defer the problem to The Book of Boba Fett, which waited until its first season was over halfway through before finally taking it on. Season 1, Episode 4, “The Gathering Storm,” finally gives the ship a new name, and it’s safe to say that they whiffed it. Fett referred to it as his “Firespray gunship,” a mouthful of a term that doesn’t exactly linger in the memory. He compounds it by continuing to refer to it in those terms, rather than simply calling it his ship. It’s tantamount to referring to a vehicle by the make and model instead of just using “car.” Fett sounds as if he’s promoting the starship brand in a commercial.
And it's all the worse because the vehicle itself gets a fantastic welcome back, with Fett using it to destroy the Sarlacc in the episode’s showcase action sequence. The moment carried countless opportunities to formally re-christen it with a new name, something fearsome and appropriate without the problematic connotations. Fett even refers to his escape from the Sarlacc as a rebirth. Yet, by using a four-syllable term to describe it, “Storm” draws attention to the issue without resolving it.
Star Wars remains a work in progress, and long-standing characters like Fett will constantly undergo revision as new stories are told about them. Issues like the Slave 1 controversy go along with that, and the franchise will need to address them when they arise. The Book of Boba Fett demonstrates the dangers of trying to skirt around the problem rather than addressing it head-on. The trouble it tried to resolve still lingers, and all the show got for its efforts was some jarringly awkward dialogue.
To see the ship receive its new name, new episodes of The Book of Boba Fett arrive each Wednesday on Disney+.