Star Wars lovers everywhere were shocked to learn this week that Boba Fett's iconic ship has had its name changed. The fearsome bounty hunter's vessel has been known as Slave 1 ever since its first appearance in the novelization of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes back. Now, it's simply referred to as "Boba Fett's Starship".
Fans first noticed the change after spotting a new LEGO set for The Mandalorian that features the classic ship. Sure enough, the packaging refers to it as "Boba Fett's Starship" rather than Slave 1, and this doesn't appear to be an oversight or a one-off, but an actual request from Disney.
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Seeking clarification, Jedi News spoke with LEGO designers Jens Kronvold Frederiksen and Michael Lee Stockwell, who confirmed the change came as a result of a direct request from Disney. According to Frederiksen, "everybody" is dropping the Slave 1 name going forward.
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"It's probably not something which has been announced publicly but it is just something that Disney doesn't want to use any more," he explained.
It's unclear exactly why Disney wants to distance itself from the name, but the most likely answer is that the family-friendly company doesn't want one of its most popular characters flying around the universe in a ship with "slave" attached to it. Regardless, the fans have made it known that they're less than pleased with this alteration to the Star Wars universe.
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Will Star Wars fans ever truly recover from this one? We'll have to wait and see. Keep them in your prayers, won't you? Thanks.
Featured Image Credit: Disney
