In yet another bow to political correctness, Disney has removed the name “Slave I” from Boba Fett’s spaceship.
The revelation came as fans noticed that a new LEGO set was called “Boba Fett’s Spaceship,” with no mention of “Slave I.”
As it turns out, this was a deliberate move by Disney to scrub the name from all merchandise. In a report by Jedi News, LEGO confirmed that Disney has told their merchandising partners not to use the name. During a LEGO Fan Media Days event last month, LEGO Star Wars Design Director Jens Kronvold Frederiksen revealed the mandate during an interview. The quote didn’t seem to catch anyone’s attention at the time, but has come to light after pictures of the “Boba Fett’s Starship” boxed set (with the name change) hit the internet.
Here’s an excerpt from the interview.
Jens: Then, the next one, also from The Mandalorian, is Boba Fett’s Starship.
Michael: Yes, I built another. We’re not calling it Slave I any more. This is Boba Fett’s Starship.
James: OK, why are we dropping the Slave I name?
Jens: Everybody is. It’s probably not something which has been announced publicly but it is just something that Disney doesn’t want to use any more.
As you might expect, the change did not go over well with many fans, who see it as Disney erasing random aspects of Star Wars lore to appease a vocal minority who get triggered by microaggressions. They see it as the same “cancel culture” mentality that had “Mandalorian” actress Gina Carano fired for posting a meme.
Here are some responses to the change, posted on Twitter.
Someone even referenced the “Slave Leia” action figure, a term which has also been retired from use on merchandise.
Perhaps the best responses, however, came from Mark Austin, who played Boba Fett in Star Wars: A New Hope Special Edition. He found the change ridiculous, and posted a number of tweets to make his feelings known.
Interestingly, StarWars.com still has a page dedicated to the Slave I, complete with a gallery, with the original name intact.
Neither Disney, Lucasfilm, nor LEGO have commented on the controversy.
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