Lets talk all things Star Wars

[ScourgiousJinx]

History needs to be respected including Star Wars. Even for something as trivial as Boba Fetts ship name. We don't go through art museums to edit famous works or their titles to make them more pc. This is no different.

As of now it's still called Slave 1 on the starwars.com databank so we'll see how or if this progresses beyond merchandise. There's no issue with adding content advisories, supplemental material etc. but please leave the original names, stories & content intact. If people want to hear what Disney has to say about these things cool, offer the choice.

MSN

 

[harrisonp]

Apparently Lego boxes have altered ship names for a while, I just don’t pay close enough attention.

 

[JoeG]

Boba Fett actor? Sorry, but no. That guy was a glorified stand-in at best. I realize he had another, primary role at LFL at the time, but he is not Boba Fett. So, who cares what he thinks about any of this. The fact he's still tweeting about it shows this is just a desperate move to be seen as relevant.

Jeremy Bulloch is Boba Fett. Daniel Logan and Tem Morrison are Boba Fett. This other guy is an internet meme.

Seriously though anyone trying to conflate this into anything other than pure marketing is just reaching. Its frickin toy packaging. People seem to be desperate to look for something to be outraged over.

 

[Psab keel]

This like any change since the special edition is just unnecessary. That's the issue. It's not that any of this is earth shattering news, it just further degrades the artistic integrity of the films and being a fan of film, I think film history should be preserved rather than rewritten. I don't know of a single series that has had more revisions than Star Wars and why there is any "need" for it is ridiculous. For a property that is so beloved, you'd think at the least it would be given the same amount of respect that any other classic film has been afforded with a proper, officially licensed restoration . Instead we are told to just let it happen without question because it constantly needs revision and it's left to fans to preserve the original versions because Lucasfilm won't. What about letting movies be a product of the time they are made? Why is there a need to change or "fix" any of it?

That's what fans like me take issue with. Why does everything have to be "new and improved" and instead can't just be "tried and true?"

As for this change, I also said in a previous post that this is a marketing choice to appease fans into buying merchandise who normally wouldn't because they don't want to "condone slavery" when making a toy purchase because the word slave is on the box.

 

[Treadwell]

"Change"? It isn't a change. They aren't scrubbing it from prior mentions. They aren't giving it a new name. They just aren't mentioning the name anymore. BFD.

 

[Jagjaguwar]

There are definitely good discussions to be had surrounding changes being made to existing films, characters, whether that degrades the integrity of the original work, etc. But I think they have more to do with the many changes made by Lucas and others in the “Special editions” and the other subsequent releases, and less to do with boxes for LEGOs.

Will happily admit I was wrong if Boba announces his ship’s new name is “Emancipation One” the next time we see him, though.

 

[Psab keel]

I think that's what's so annoying about it, even if it's a small thing like the name on the toy packaging. It's just one more unneccessry alteration and this one has everything to do with marketing and not because it actually improves the story or product.

If it isn't broken, don't fix it. Is this the end of the world? Not by a long shot, but I will say whether it's Geode or Boba Fett's ship, there's nothing wrong with calling out stupidity.

 

[ghostryder]

 

[Darth Lars]

Will happily admit I was wrong if Boba announces his ship’s new name is “Emancipation One” the next time we see him, though.

I agree! It is just one box of toys. I'll refrain from screaming "bloody murder" for now ...

The franchise has mainstream appeal but the actual name "Slave 1" is pretty much only nerd trivia anyway. If you are upset about this toy box then you should be upset that the LEGO box sets 10030 and 75252 aren't named "Devastator".

 

[robn1]

I agree! It is just one box of toys. I'll refrain from screaming "bloody murder" for now ...

The franchise has mainstream appeal but the actual name "Slave 1" is pretty much only nerd trivia anyway. If you are upset about this toy box then you should be upset that the LEGO box sets 10030 and 75252 aren't named "Devastator".

Were those sets named Devastator previously then renamed?

 

[Darth Lars]

Were those sets named Devastator previously then renamed?

No set has been renamed. And no ship has been renamed either.
But let me ask you this: Did you know that name before? I consider myself a Star Wars nerd and didn't connect it to that ship, even though I had heard it before for sure. Do you think that a casual Star Wars fan would?

LEGO is for kids. This set in question is a pretty small set, not a big collector's set: It's for playing with.
The target demographic that LEGO thinks will buy this is a parent who has watched The Mandalorian with their kids. Do you think the average parent will know what a "Slave 1" is?

 

[robn1]

No set has been renamed. And no ship has been renamed either.
But let me ask you this: Did you know that name before? I consider myself a Star Wars nerd and didn't connect it to that ship, even though I had heard it before for sure. Do you think that a casual Star Wars fan would?

LEGO is for kids. This set in question is a pretty small set, not a big collector's set: It's for playing with.
The target demographic that LEGO thinks will buy this is a parent who has watched The Mandalorian with their kids. Do you think the average parent will know what a "Slave 1" is?

Casual fans are a mixed bag, some will know and some won't. Yes I knew the name, all the behind the scenes stuff at the time Empire opened mentioned the name as well as the MPC model kit of the ship. Round 2 is going to rerelease that kit as "Boba Fett's Starfighter", at the request of Disney/LFL.

 

[Lord Boron]

I’m horrified to think that I’ve been corrupted to my very core by having a toy called the SLAVE 1 when I was only 8. No wonder I turned out so evil.....

 

[Darth Lars]

Yes I knew the name, all the behind the scenes stuff at the time Empire opened mentioned the name as well as the MPC model kit of the ship.

I asked if you knew "Devastator", which is the name that you commented to, but never mind ...

I thought the unmention of Slave 1 was just speculation, because nobody had posted a proper source among all the angry ranting ...
Regardless of Disney's actual motive (which hasn't been disclosed), I still think it makes more sense these days to use the names that people recognise directly from the show than the ships' in-universe names on toy boxes if you want them to sell.
Star Wars-branded toy lines can't rely on the manic collecting nerds alone, at least not anymore. Those days are gone (and was a bit of a weird situation to begin with...)

 

[Laspector]

You're saying we don't know Disney's motive in this? Are you serious? No one can be that naive.

 

[Laspector]

 

[Psab keel]

I'm offended by that commercial. How could you Laspector ?

 

[Jagjaguwar]

You're saying we don't know Disney's motive in this? Are you serious? No one can be that naive.

I don’t think anyone knows, one way or the other. You can infer whatever you like from what’s happened, and what a third-party (Lego) said, but until Disney says something, nobody actually “knows.”

I do think that the reasoning previously offered that this was a movie to “win over” some segment of fans isn’t quite right. I have never seen anyone take issue with the ship name, ever, and I have not seen anyone responding to the news by saying “Finally!”

Instead, I think Disney is just terrified that any little thing like this could become an issue that goes viral and costs them money, somehow. So, someone made the decision to make this change, disregarding the fact that the negative backlash to moving away from the “controversial” name is probably greater than any negativity towards “Slave-I” would ever have been, and certainly greater than whatever opposing positivity has resulted from this half-measure (whoever those people would even be, if they exist.)

In the end is the distinction a matter of semantics? Sure. The same result either way, and the reality is we probably won’t ever know what the exact reasoning was. Probably a combination of things, but almost certainly some sort of potential for lost revenue was ultimately the deciding factor.

 

[robn1]

Anyone who's paying attention to what's going on in the current culture knows exactly why this change has been made. Descriptions of hard drives and camera flash units as "master" and "slave" have been under fire for several years now. I'm not aware of any complaints with regard to Slave 1, but this change is clearly Disney/LFL's attempt to avoid possible controversy.

 

[Psab keel]

I saw an online petition by fans requesting Disney to change it. When I get a chance I'll post a link.