Behind the Scenes Origin Questions

[ArchStanton]

Hi all, awesome site, glad to be a part of it. I'm doing some research for an article and all links lead back here as the final authorities on the origin of the character.

I have a few behind the scenes questions for the historians among you:

1. Does anyone have a date for McQuarrie and Johnston's original Super-Trooper concept art?
2. Known date for when Lucas asked Johnston to adapt the Super-trooper concept to Boba Fett?
3. Does anyone know the date when David Acomba introduced Lucas to Nelvana Studios for the Boba Fett "Story of the Faithful Wookiee" cartoon during the making of the Holiday Special?
4. Date of Clive Smith's original story concept pitch to Lucas, and whether it included Boba Fett?
5. Known date for Lucas's notes to Nelvana to include Boba Fett in the Nelvana Wookie cartoon?
6. Any other random info about the earliest mention of Boba Fett as a bounty hunter, and where Lucas got the concept?

Thanks!!

 

[woodman]

I don't have these answers but I love your username. Great film I have cats named Bill Carson, Angel Eyes and Tuco

 

[RafalFett]

Hi all, awesome site, glad to be a part of it. I'm doing some research for an article and all links lead back here as the final authorities on the origin of the character.

I have a few behind the scenes questions for the historians among you:

1. Does anyone have a date for McQuarrie and Johnston's original Super-Trooper concept art?

1. The earliest McQuarrie concept arts dates from the first movie, as the Shock Trooper/Supertrooper drawings were inspired by rejected Darth Vader concepts, but the first drawings made by McQuerrie for the new character were made in the fall of 1977 (October-December), while Johnston had its first drawings in January 1978. You can find more info here ==> The Boba Fett Suit Fact Files.

2. Known date for when Lucas asked Johnston to adapt the Super-trooper concept to Boba Fett?

2. At the end of June 1978.

3. Does anyone know the date when David Acomba introduced Lucas to Nelvana Studios for the Boba Fett "Story of the Faithful Wookiee" cartoon during the making of the Holiday Special?
4. Date of Clive Smith's original story concept pitch to Lucas, and whether it included Boba Fett?
5. Known date for Lucas's notes to Nelvana to include Boba Fett in the Nelvana Wookie cartoon?

3-5. I know almost nothing regarding The Star Wars Holiday Special, but you can find more info here ==> http://www.starwarsholidayspecial.com/

6. Any other random info about the earliest mention of Boba Fett as a bounty hunter, and where Lucas got the concept?

Thanks!!

6. The earliest mention of the bounty hunters, including Boba Fett, is in the second draft (somewhere in April 1978). The name Boba Fett was inspired by one of the characters from George Lucas' movie, American Graffiti, named Bob Falfa (played by Harrison Ford), while the concepts were taken from early rejected Darth Vader drawings (see answer #1). The earlier suits (the Supertrooper and Pre-Pro #1) had some inspiration by the character the Man with No Name played by Clint Eastwood in the movie A Fistful of Dollars.

 

[ArchStanton]

This is hugely helpful, thank you very much. This lines up with what I've been researching

The only thing I'm having a hard time with is the timeline for the Christmas Special cartoon. Its a rewrite of issues #11-16 of the Marvel Star Wars comic, but the last of those weren't released until July of '78. I have found where Marvel originally submitted the comic ideas to the Lucas team for approval, so I suspect the early comic book approval submissions were repurposed for storyboards for the Holiday Special cartoon. It appears the Lucas team bundled up the SuperTrooper concept art as a reference for Fett, added in the name, and then the Nelvana cartoon team went from there. I can't find any dates on the production of that cartoon, though.