Star Wars has undergone a number of fundamental changes since Disney acquired the IP back in 2012. A great deal has been welcomed; others scorned, but a recent decision made by the House of Mouse definitely belongs in the latter camp for many fans of a galaxy far, far away.
As reported by JediNews last week, the company has reportedly issued a notice to all business partners involved in manufacturing toys and other merchandise branded with the franchise’s logo to omit the name of Boba Fett’s ship, the Slave I. For reasons unknown – but heavily speculated to be a result of the word’s strong connotations – Fett’s iconic cruiser is now referred to as a generic Starship, a move which some believe to be utterly unnecessary, serving only to dilute the character’s well-established history.
It comes as little surprise, then, that reactions from certain corners of the internet have been less than positive, leading to the creation of a campaign calling for the bounty hunter’s most prized possession to get its original designation back. In a brief description over on Change.org, petition-maker Cody Pirkle urges fellow community members to sign the digital document, which currently has in excess of 1,100 signatures.
Not a negligible figure, by any means, but definitely not anywhere near a total large enough to make decision-makers sit up and pay attention. Ultimately, it likely matters little how much pressure is placed on Disney to revert the change, especially if one is to look back and consider similar circumstances in the past.
Whatever the outcome, you can likely expect Slave I (the name, at least) to be retired when Star Wars spinoff The Book of Boba Fett releases later this year.
