In light of my paper-in-progress (which will include, to some degree, a comparison of Firefly and the Star Wars episodes 4,5, and 6) I would like to use this post to put to writing some interesting parallels between Jubal Early and Boba Fett. As a big Star Wars fan diving into a sci-fi series whose main character flys an outdated (yet beloved), hunk o' junk-resembling spaceship used to smuggle goods to the far reaches of space, I was (and still am), on the lookout for parallels to Lucas's epic trilogy. It is therefore completely accurate to say that as soon as I saw a suspicious, sleek, and upright spaceship following Serenity, I thought to myself, "We're in for some bounty hunter action here, folks!" This was, of course, pure conjecture on my part, which, as the episode continued, I was pleased to see validated.
So, here are my Fett-Early parallels in order of appearance. Firstly, their mode of transportation. Fett's Slave 1 is a very unique ship in that it keeps the pilot relegated to a cockpit located at the top of an upright body with wings on the sides and exhaust ports on the back. Essentially, a mech with wings. Early's ship mirrors the design of Slave 1 in almost every way, merely adding an extra set of lower wings and ditching the green paint job. Next, we come to the personal appearance of the two bounty hunters. Both are black and both wear a tightly fitting suit of armor with a singular color scheme (Fett sticks with his green, while Early busts out a manly maroon. Good stuff). Finally, both hunters have personal experiences from their past that seriously affect their current career. Early has his obsession with control, leading to his torture of animals and subsequent rejection by his mother. Fett saw his father, the only person in his life occupying the role of mentor/ caretaker, beheaded in a brutal fight with a Jedi master. In conclusion, there are plenty of interesting similarities between these two figures, and even more between Star Wars and the show as a whole. As a fan of both offerings, I revel in the opportunity of discovering more.
6 comments:
I must admit that I have never seen any Star Wars episodes so I don't know who Boba Fett is. However, I did think this was an interesting post. I did like the character of Jubal Early in the episode we wathced. Throuogh your comparisons of the two characters I was able to better understand the character of Jubal Early. Thanks!
I love the character of a bounty hunter, mainly because it always seems to be this jaded, tortured, kind of individual. I mean, they'd have to be right? What else leads you to choose that kind of life.
On the other hand It's hard to say the 'typical bounty hunter' because this kind of character hasn't really been fully explored, but the choices of Firefly and Star Wars as the ground work for a new archetype is a great idea.
Boba Fett is by far my favorite character from the Star Wars trilogy, and I could also pick up on some similarities between him and Jubal Early in this episode of Firefly . However, Early talks way more than the soft-spoken Boba Fett, and I feel like this is one of the major ways in which they contrast. Thats one of the main reasons I like Boba Fett so much, Early really got on my nerves with his excessive dialogue.
To build on Andrew's comment, another major contrast is how they show themselves to the world/galaxy/universe. Fett never allows himself to be seen without his helmet. Early wears a helmet early in the episode, but it doesn't hide his face. His mask of transparency makes him seem more reasonable and human.
His ship is called "Slave 1"? That's so very interesting...
Also, "manly maroon" made me laugh.
Sounds like Whedon was certainly inspired by Star Wars when he made his own bounty hunter.
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