Summary

• Boba Fett's first appearance was at a local parade in San Anselmo, California, in 1978.
• Despite his initial obscurity, Boba Fett's unique armor captivated the crowd and sparked his popularity.
• Boba Fett's enigmatic aura, starting from his humble parade debut, contributes to his enduring iconic status in Star Wars.

planned Boba Fett movie for a while. Boba's trajectory into becoming a legend didn't start with The Empire Strikes Back, though.

Dedicated Boba Fett enthusiasts might know that the bounty hunter made his first appearance a few years before The Empire Strikes Back, in the Star Wars Holiday Special. The Holiday Special is now considered part of Star Wars Legends, so it doesn't count as Boba's first canon appearance. It also now seems that it doesn't count as Boba's first appearance at all. Boba Fett made his first public appearance before the Holiday Special, and even before most of the Star Wars movies, at a public parade.

Boba Fett Made His First Appearance In A Local Parade

According to Syfy and a Disney+ documentary titled Under the Helmet: the Legacy of Boba Fett, the legendary bounty hunter's first appearance technically wasn't in The Empire Strikes Back or even the Star Wars Holiday Special. Boba Fett's first appearance was technically in a parade in San Anselmo, California, in 1978. George Lucas lived in San Anselmo at the time, and he wanted to include some aspects of Star Wars in the parade, so both Darth Vader and Boba Fett made appearances there. This parade came a few months before the Holiday Special, making it the first public appearance of Boba Fett.

Boba Fett's first appearance also has quite a few interesting bits of trivia. The suit used for the parade wasn't a replica or recreation: it was the actual suit used on-screen in The Empire Strikes Back. Duwayne Dunham, one of the assistant film editors for the movie, wore Boba's Mandalorian armor at the parade. That armor also had a few differences from the final product, most notably a pair of jaig eyes on the helmet, and an absent dent. Those differences didn't go noticed at the parade, though, given no one had ever seen Boba before.

Nobody Knew Who Boba Fett Really Was

The San Anselmo parade happened in 1978, just a few months before the Star Wars holiday special was released in November 1978. That meant no one outside of Lucasfilm employees had ever seen him before, and none of the parade attendees knew who Boba Fett was. Interestingly enough, that didn't stop Boba from becoming a big hit with the crowd. Fans at the parade immediately asked for Boba's autograph, and George Lucas himself said that it was the start of the bounty hunter's popularity. That reception was almost a prediction of how Boba would be seen in The Empire Strikes Back - as a mysterious sensation.

Boba Fett's first public appearance at the San Anselmo parade is really a testament to why he became so popular in the first place. By nature of just his armor alone, Boba stole the show and made everyone who saw him wonder who he was. While the legend of Boba Fett has been fleshed out significantly more since 1978, he still has his trademark air of mystery, which will help ensure he stays a symbol of Star Wars for years to come. Boba Fett is proof that even bounty hunters from humble beginnings - like a parade - can still become legendary.

Source: Syfy