Watch a ‘Star Wars’ film editor test out Boba Fett’s first costume

In 1978, George Lucas had approved a new character for The Empire Strikes Back: a bounty hunter known as Boba Fett. The character had been sketched out by designers Ralph McQuarrie and Joe Johnston, and it was finally time to show off a prototype of the costume. The results of that early exhibition — in which assistant film editor Duwayne Dunham played Fett — have been floating around online for some time, but a new video of the test was posted on YouTube today.

There’s a definite thrill of geek joy in seeing somebody go over the minutiae of an early Star Wars costume, but the best part is how the matter-of-fact screen test contrasts with the mythology that would grow up in later decades. Boba Fett would prove one of the trilogy’s most enduring characters with a backstory to match, but here, he’s just a guy with a robot voice and a Star Wars beach towel, dressed in a suit that shoots darts from practically every joint. “They wanted a character that could make public appearances,” says sound designer Ben Burtt, “and I think Boba was kind of designed as a character between Star Wars and Empire that they could get the public excited about.”