Today's entry is Leia - wait for it - in bounty hunter Boushh disguise! Yes, for all you guys out there, this is a woman figure, but for figures back then this was pretty darn good. Of course, when we first saw this character in the movie, everyone was trying to figure out who it was, until she started to free Han - that made it pretty obvious before she took the helmet off. It was also a little hard to believe a character as short as this was holding Chewbacca at bay. I mean, really? I was once told a Wookiee would tear your arms off if they lost.
Five reasons that this figure is still cool (despite being a girl):
1. The helmet. Not only is it removable and Leia's head is still in proportion, but if you want to pretend it's the real Boushh, you can just leave the helmet on.
2. The helmet is packaged in a separate bubble on the card. It makes it look like it's floating above the figure's head, as if anointing her with a crown or some lofty purpose. Yeah, I know, weird reason, huh?
3. Blaster rifle. Holy cow - what other character carries a blaster that's as big as them? No wonder Han marries her later (in the novels)!
4. This figure just makes it cool for boys to actually own a woman doll, I mean, action figure.
Negative 1: No thermal detonator. Although the later release of this figure in the 1990's had a thermal detonator, it was permanently built into her hand. Oh, what a choking hazard we missed out on!
Backstory:
The novel and graphic novels Shadows of the Empire explained what happened in between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi (It was a big media blitz for LucasFilm at the time. Anyone remember it? Anyone?). A bounty hunter named Boushh was killed by the crime syndicate Black Sun (led by Xizor, a wannabe successor to the Emperor) after trying to embezzle funds. His killer happened to keep Boushh's uniform, which Leia took to wearing as a disguise in plot point of the story. She later used it to infiltrate Jabba's palace and do a poor, but well-intentioned attempt at saving Han - although it is unclear if this went according to plan or not with Luke coming and Lando already there.
Boushh was a member of a near-human race called Ubese, from Uba IV that often worked as mercenaries. Due to their secretive nature they often wore helmeted breathing masks, like the one in the film. Interesting tidbit: the same guy who did Leia's Boushh voice in ROTJ also did E.T.'s voice. No word though on why Boushh had to be spelled with two "H's." I mean, honestly, who does that?
Want more? Leia's Wookieepedia article. Boushh's Wookieepedia article.
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