Star Wars Bounty Hunters: 5 Interesting Details About The Trandoshan Bossk
Bounty hunters are amongst the most beloved subset of characters in the "Star Wars" galaxy, and it's easy to see why. There's something appealing about operating for one's self while still having some odd code of honor, operating in the gray somewhere between bad and good. It certainly doesn't hurt that so many of them just look cool, which is part of what made Boba Fett one of the most popular characters in the franchise in the first place. But Boba Fett doesn't have a monopoly on bounty hunting and today, we're here to talk about one of his counterparts; Bossk.
The reptilian-looking alien is a member of the Trandoshan race. He was first introduced to audiences in "The Empire Strikes Back" during the scene where Darth Vader assembles a group of bounty hunters to track down Han Solo and the Millennium Falcon. While he was only on screen for mere seconds, Bossk became a fixture of the franchise for years to come, appearing in TV shows, books, comics, and games. But how much do you really know about Bossk? We're going to shed some light on the character with a handful of fun facts pulled from his surprisingly rich history. Let's dig in.
Bossk once teamed up with Boba Fett during the Clone Wars
Bossk was introduced right alongside Boba Fett in "The Empire Strikes Back" as part of that legendary bounty hunter lineup put together by Darth Vader to track down Han Solo. But years before that fateful moment in the "Star Wars" timeline, Bossk actually teamed up with Fett and several other bounty hunters for a mission in "The Clone Wars" animated series. The arc kicked off in the season 2 episode titled "Death Trap." It also involved Aurra Sing and Castas, with the group seeking to ambush Mace Windu as Fett wanted revenge for his father's death, which happened during "Attack of the Clones."
Bossk ultimately appeared in six episodes of the animated series in total, which helped flesh out his character a bit more, given how little screen time he actually had in the original trilogy. So often, bounty hunters are at odds with one another as they're after the same target. But, in this case, it was advantageous for these two fan-favorite characters to work with one another.
His ship is called the Hound's Tooth
While his ship might not be as infamous as the Millennium Falcon, Bossk does indeed have a signature ship to call his own. Dubbed the Hound's Tooth, Bossk's personal ship is a modified Corellian Engineering Corporation YV-666 light freighter that has been featured in "The Clone Wars" in addition to being mentioned in several canon "Star Wars" novels. The official StarWars.com database entry describes the ship thusly:
Imposing, deadly, and reliable. The bridge sits high atop an elongated, rectangular hull, giving Bossk a commanding view of landing fields or spacebound prey. The vessel's engines, power core and weapon systems take up the lower decks.
Bossk was once a monarch
As far as his on-screen history goes, not much was explored in the movies when it came to Bossk. Nothing was said about him specifically in "Empire" and it's only through merchandise and other supplementary materials that we learned more about him, including his name. One thing that was revealed in 1982 is that the Trandoshan is (or at least was) royalty of a sort.
In "Star Wars" #67 published by Marvel Comics and written by David Michelinie, Bossk is referred to as the Monarch of the Qotile system. While the story is largely focused on Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2, this is a fascinating little nugget that helped flesh out the character a bit more. Unfortunately, these older comic books are no longer considered canon as they are part of the old expanded universe, now dubbed "Legends" tales by Lucasfilm. But it's certainly something that could be revisited at some point.
There was a Bossk action figure before The Empire Strikes Back
Two things happen frequently in "Star Wars." One: characters with little or no screen time will get action figures because someone out there will buy them. Two: characters who will eventually appear in one of the movies appear first in action figure form. Bossk checked both of those boxes as Kenner originally produced an action figure based on the bounty hunter that was sent out to fans who sent in four proofs of purchase. Originally billed as a "Secret Star Wars Action Figure," the figure was eventually revealed to be Bossk. The figure is exceptionally rare these days and worth a small fortune. There was also a flier for the figure, which featured the following text:
Bossk is an alien bounty hunter — one of many commissioned by Darth Vader to seek out the Rebel Alliance. Darth summons Bossk, Boba Fett, and other stranger bounty hunters (including a droid) to his command ship, Executor. Here, Darth orders them to find the Millennium Falcon containing Han, Leia, Chewie, and C-3PO as they attempt to escape Darth's Vengeance.
Bossk's costume has a direct connection to Doctor Who
Bossk shares a connection to another legendary sci-fi franchise in the form of "Doctor Who." The connection in question is the costume that the alien is seen wearing in his introductory scene in "The Empire Strikes Back." It's a yellow space suit with white accents that might look familiar to Whovians out there. That's because the very same suit was used in the 1966 episode of "Doctor Who" entitled "The Tenth Planet." The suit is known as a Windak suit and was originally manufactured for the Royal Air Force. It eventually made its way to a galaxy far, far away.