Disney and LEGO Reportedly Rename Boba Fett’s Iconic Star Wars Ship

Disney has reportedly given a new name to an iconic part of the Star Wars universe. A new report from Jedi News reveals that LEGO is now dropping the Slave I moniker from merchandise, instead opting to call the vehicle Boba Fett’s Starship. According to details that were revealed at LEGO Fan Media Days last month, the decision was made at the instruction of Disney. A new 478 piece set, which showcases the new Boba Fett’s Starship name and features minifigures of Boba Fett and The Mandalorian, will be available in August.

“We’re not calling it Slave I anymore,” LEGO Star Wars Lead Designer Michael Lee Stockwell revealed. “This is Boba Fett’s Starship.”

“Everybody is [dropping the Slave I name],” LEGO Star Wars Design Director Jens Kronvold Frederiksen added. “It’s probably not something which has been announced publicly but it is just something that Disney doesn’t want to use anymore.”

While the name change has yet to be confirmed or addressed by Disney, some have begun to speculate that it could be in preparation for The Book of Boba Fett, a live-action television series that is set to debut on Disney+ later this year. There’s a chance that the name change on Boba Fett-related merchandising could be to remove an association to the more common connotation of the word “slave”, particularly when tied to the history of African-Americans being enslaved in the United States. Following the Black Lives Matter protests last summer, certain industries began to phase out “slave”, “master” and other related terminology from their work. This also wouldn’t be the first time that Star Wars phased out an aspect of the franchise that has potentially problematic ties to slavery, as Leia Organa’s “Slave Leia” costume from Return of the Jedi was retired from merchandise after fans acknowledged its sexist and objectifying roots.

“The father who flipped out about it, ‘What am I going to tell my kid about why she’s in that outfit?’ Tell them that a giant slug captured me and forced me to wear that stupid outfit, and then I killed him because I didn’t like it,” Carrie Fisher, who portrayed Leia, said in a 2015 interview. “And then I took it off. Backstage.”

There’s also the chance that the name change is just to make the ship more recognizable to general audiences, especially as The Book of Boba Fett will help make the character even more of a household name.

Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett is set to debut exclusively on Disney+ later this year.