Wednesday, 30 June 2021

Disney is 'changing the name of Boba Fett's iconic Slave-1 ship to the safer and more sanitized 'Starship'

 Disney is dropping the name 'Slave 1' from a new television show on its Disney+ streaming service based on the Star Wars franchise.

The ship, which has been called 'Slave-1' in previous iterations of the Star Wars franchise, is character Boba Fett's. It will be renamed for the premiere of 'The Book of Boba Fett,' which premieres in December, according to fan site Jedi News.

Toymaker Lego revealed the name change after it unveiled a new 478-piece Lego set, which includes the new name: Boba Fett's Starship, according to the site.


'We're not calling it Slave I anymore,' LEGO Star Wars Lead Designer Michael Lee Stockwell announced, Jedi News reported.  

'Everybody is [dropping the Slave I name],' LEGO Star Wars Design Director Jens Kronvold Frederiksen said.

Boba Fett's signature 'Slave-1' ship, pictured, is reportedly being renamed 'Starship'

Boba Fett's signature 'Slave-1' ship, pictured, is reportedly being renamed 'Starship'

Boba Fett made his big-screen debut in 1980's 'Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.' He is seen in a still from 'The Mandalorian'

Boba Fett made his big-screen debut in 1980's 'Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.' He is seen in a still from 'The Mandalorian'

'It's probably not something which has been announced publicly but it is just something that Disney doesn't want to use anymore,' he said, according to Jedi News.

DailyMail.com has contacted Disney for comment. The company didn't immediately respond.

Boba Fett's ship renaming is just the latest in a move toward sanitizing cultural staples that are now seen by some to be offensive.  


Disney yanked older cartoons that it said had racist connotations from children's profiles on its Disney+ service. Movies hidden included Dumbo, Peter Pan and Swiss Family Robinson.

The company that looks after Dr. Seuss's books said it would stop publishing six of them that they said were racially problematic. And Hasbro said it would stop branding its line of potato toys as 'Mr. Potato Head' to make room for same-sex and single-parent variations.

Meanwhile, Disney also has been holding monthly meetings with advocates from women and minority groups who comb through hundreds of hours of Disney-streamed content looking for potentially offensive material to flag on its Disney+ service.  

LEGO announced that Disney asked the company to change the name of Boba Fett's ship in its new 478-piece LEGO set

LEGO announced that Disney asked the company to change the name of Boba Fett's ship in its new 478-piece LEGO set

The ship has retained the name 'Slave-1' throughout the 'Star Wars' franchise 


As for the warnings on its Disney+ service, the company said: 'These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now. Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together. 

'Disney is committed to creating stories with inspirational and aspirational themes that reflect the rich diversity of the human experience around the globe.'

The warning directs customers to their Stories Matter website to 'learn more about how stories have impacted society.'  

Disney+ profiles for children do already limit the content for kids to watch to titles rated G, TV-Y, TV-Y7/Y7-FV, or TV-G. 

The 'Book of Boba Fett' is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ in December

The 'Book of Boba Fett' is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ in December

When launching Disney+ in 2019, the company put an advisory on a number of titles they said 'may contain outdated cultural depictions.' 

Then last fall, Disney launched Stories Matter in a bid to focus on telling stories from a diverse perspective while acknowledging past grievances in cinema.  

As for the new Boba Fett streaming show, it will be set within the timeline of 'The Mandalorian' and star Temuera Morrison as the titular bounty hunter, along with Ming-Na Wen as Fennec Shand, according to StarWars.com.

Boba Fett made his big-screen debut in 1980's 'Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back,' becoming an instant fan-favorite thanks to his visually arresting armor and cool demeanor, the site reports.


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