Star Wars: 7 Live-Action Characters Who Debuted In Animation
Some of the most beloved Star Wars characters debuted in animation - including Boba Fett.
Star Wars as a franchise is absolutely massive. In addition to the main saga of live-action feature films, there are a myriad of books, comics, video games and of course, television shows.
Up until this point, the vast majority of Star Wars' small screen output had been animated, with canonical examples including series such as Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. Shows like this not only tend to bring new faces to the galaxy far, far away, but also offer the opportunity for new adventures starring established fan-favorites.
Every once in a while, though, it actually works the other way around. To date, there have been a select few Star Wars characters to debut in an animated capacity and later make the jump to a live-action project.
This rare occurrence has seen a noticeable influx in recent years, with Star Wars' live-action efforts expanding to include ideas that were once exclusive to animation.
There are a few earlier examples as well, and while their canonicity is questionable at best, they are part of this exclusive club all the same.
7. Boba Fett
Let's get this one out of the way early, shall we?
What was once a little-known fact has now spread like wildfire thanks to the internet: that the first-ever appearance of the notorious bounty hunter Boba Fett actually came in animated form.
More specifically, during the animated segment of the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special from 1978.
In the special, Boba Fett initially makes it seem like he's on Luke Skywalker's side, claiming he has "no love" for the Empire. It soon becomes clear that this is a bald-faced lie, with the bounty hunter later being revealed to be in cahoots with Darth Vader.
Boba famously made his first canonical appearance in 1980's The Empire Strikes Back, in which he was played by the late, great Jeremy Bulloch. The character returned in 1983's Return of the Jedi, in which he initially met his demise during the film's opening act. A young Boba, played by Daniel Logan, later appeared in 2002's Attack of the Clones as the cloned son of Temuera Morrison's Jango Fett.
Boba Fett made his return to animation in the canon animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Most recently, an adult Boba -- who was revealed to have survived the events of Return of the Jedi, like in the old Legends canon -- has been seen mixing it up as part of the live-action TV series The Mandalorian, with Morrison returning to take on the role.