Popular retailer Hot Topic has managed to make an embarrassing mistake regarding a new Star Wars product. Trying to get in on the buzz currently sounding the franchise, Hot Topic did what most retailers would, and began selling a t-shirt based on the upcoming Disney+ show The Mandalorian. The only problem? They overlooked a major error someone made in the product description, one which might accidentally contribute to some false impressions about the show.
The Mandalorian is set to be the first live-action television series set in the Star Wars universe. Created by Jon Favreau and starring Pedro Pascal of Game of Thrones fame, it follows a lone gunslinger known only as "the Mandalorian" as he collects bounties and encounters the remains of the Empire, in the decades between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. The show, which also stars Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad) and Werner Herzog (best known for his work as a director), has been described by Favreau as taking place in a "gritty world" and being akin to a western, heavily inspired by the aesthetics of the original trilogy. One of those aesthetics is, of course, the iconic Mandalorian armor worn by the protagonist - the same sort of armor worn by the galaxy's deadliest bounty hunter, Boba Fett.
Diehard Star Wars fans know the Mandalorians very well, but for general audiences (and even some cast members), there's a good chance that Boba Fett is the only bounty hunter they know of who sports the iconic T-shaped visor and alien skull symbol. That might be why Hot Topic's staff referred to the protagonist of the show, featured on their shirt, as if he were Boba Fett - something which is decidedly not true. Check out an image of the error below.
In fact, it's been said many, many times that Boba Fett is not the main character of The Mandalorian, nor is he slated to appear on the show in any capacity. As far as the Lucasfilm Story Group (which is in charge of overseeing the official Star Wars canon) is concerned, Fett might be forever trapped inside the sarlacc pit. Regardless, Pedro Pascal's Mandalorian isn't Boba Fett, Jango Fett, or any other Fett (who aren't even technically Mandalorians, it turns out). But it's pretty clear that this wasn't a well-known fact over at Hot Topic - someone there probably saw the helmet, figured they wouldn't be making a whole TV show if it wasn't Boba Fett, and assumed it was safe to put the character's name down.
To be fair, should Hot Topic be expected to keep tabs on every detail of every new Star Wars thing? Maybe not, though a basic fact check like "Is Boba Fett in The Mandalorian?" is pretty easy to search online. It seems as though it didn't occur to the staff at all that a character in that armor might be anyone other than the iconic bounty hunter, though, and that could say something bad about how well The Mandalorian, as a product, has communicated itself to general audiences. Dedicated Star Wars fans are certainly excited for the show's 2020 premiere on Disney+, but do regular people looking for a fun new series to stream - the unaffiliated market that any show should appeal to if it wants to succeed - have any awareness of it? Do they know, or even care, who the Mandalorian really is? If Hot Topic's blunder is anything to go by, Favreau and company have a lot more marketing to do before the series premiere next year.
Source: Hot Topic
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