My FIVE Favorite Star Wars Bounty Hunters
“Bounty hunters. We don’t need their scum.”
Today is the 38th Anniversary of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. While the prequels would show that bounty hunters have been hired to do the dirty work for a long time, it was Empire Strikes Back that first introduced the concept to the Star Wars cinematic world. So, in honor of the 38th anniversary, here is my list of my FIVE Favorite Star Wars Bounty Hunters.
5. IG-88 from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
There was something very interesting about IG-88 to me growing up. We knew very little about him, but I always love the droids. Maybe it was all about his action figure that made him look so cool to me. While most of my action figures had similar body types, you had this lanky droid with guns and I loved playing with him. Even his Funko Pop Vinyl! figure has a unique shape and one that I proudly display on my shelf.
4. Embo from Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Embo has such a cool look to me. He was like a space Samurai. Or Ronin. And why wouldn't he? He comes from a race with a strong sense of honor and justice. They are even named after a character from Akira Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai. He's got his bowcaster and his hat that acts as a shield. While he has found himself hired to fight against the Jedi, when the farmers of Felucia were under attack by Hondo Ohnaka, Embo was hired for protection and worked with them due to his sense of justice.
3. Asajj Ventress from Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Asajj Ventress has always been one of my favorite Star Wars villains because she was so well developed. At times, you almost felt bad for her or even rooted for her. She started off as a Sith Apprentice wielding two light sabers. But, after Darth Sidious orders Count Dooku to kill his apprentice because he sensed her too powerful, she goes on the run. She ended up a little aimless until she takes up being a bounty hunter, even working with the likes of Boba Fett, Bossk and Dengar. But, despite her having both been a Sith apprentice and a bounty hunter, Ventress is not all together evil having let Ahsoka Tano go even though she was hired to find her because she understood her plight.
2. Cad Bane from Star Wars: The Clone Wars
While Boba Fett might be the most famous bounty hunter, in all honesty, I find Cad Bane to be both the most ruthless and terrifying. He looks like a cowboy and has the same kind of frightening swagger that the best black hats do. He is so formidable that he has been hired by the best of the crime world, including the Hutts. Even Darth Sidious hired him to hunt down Force-sensitive children. While he's never appeared in any of the live action films, his legend lives on.
1. Boba Fett from the Star Wars Saga
Boba Fett is definitely the most famous of the Star Wars bounty hunters. I remember when I was younger and seeing him on screen and thought he was the coolest. I could not wait to get his action figure. I don't know why, but he just exuded mystery. Who was under that mask? Where was he from? And, while his time was short in the original trilogy, he made a big impact. He became the stuff of legends with his origin story also being told in the prequel trilogy and a whole race of warriors was born.