BoShek - POTJ - Basic

BoShek is a smuggler and starship technician who flew illegal ships for Tatooine monks. He helped Obi-Wan Kenobi by pointing out Chewbacca in the Mos Eisley cantina, when the Jedi was looking for transportation to Alderaan for himself, Luke Skywalker and the droids.

It's the Elvis Presley of space. And it also was the Star Wars action figure that came close to unhinging Adam Palwus. With his long-running (and well-known) opposition to BoShek getting made in the basic figure line, it's both interesting and rewarding to get such an obscure figure like this from Hasbro. We must conceded that Adam has review ownership of this figure because it feels as if no other Star Wars fan site is worthy to add their two cents to it. Adam may have unwittingly intercepted all editorial rights to it. We’re going to take a stab at it however because we think it’s a fine release and really no more surprising than any other cantina patron like Momaw Nadon (Hammerhead) or Zutton (Snaggletooth) getting made in the Kenner era (and again in the modern Star Wars line). It is BoShek we see having a conversation with Obi-Wan Kenobi and BoShek directs him to his friend Chewbacca in Chalmun’s Cantina. And that’s about the last we see of him ever again. So why make an action figure of this character then? To claim that BoShek was a risk in the Power Of The Jedi line is really a bit of a stretch. What cantina patron at all is a safe bet? Many of these deeply buried characters did not utter a single word in the film, and some are so difficult to locate in production stills that you might not even know they exist even today. One thing is for sure however. Hasbro developed a fine action figure of him for the Power Of The Jedi line as one of the final figures in the very last wave.

BoShek was difficult to find at the retail level, but if you were one of the fortunate ones to find him you discovered that Hasbro did a fantastic job generally speaking. With a great likeness, accurate scale and an excellent paint job, BoShek looks vaguely familiar as an action figure despite sporting an all-new sculpt. We say that to mean that his costume is immediately reminiscent of Bossk’s (even though he appeared in the Star Wars saga before Bossk chronologically) but just a black version this time around. BoShek comes with only seven points of articulation, but as a character that stands around a bar drinking the latest space beverages, this is really all of the articulation you will probably ever need. (Any update to this figure is welcomed however.) As mentioned, BoShek really has a fantastic sculpt. It physically looks like the actor. Lots of details have been added to the sculpt like the expertly recreated ribbed bib on his flight suit and the tubing and wires that give him his outer space appeal. He comes with a blaster and a removable helmet. Both are functional and interactive and are the perfect items to complement this Correllian. What’s nice about the removable helmet is that it’s solid and you cannot see through the visor. You can effectively create an all-new character is you’re so inclined. Once the helmet is on his head, BoShek would round out any display in your collection, up to an including any sequence in Return Of The Jedi that involved Jabba The Hutt. This figure certainly offers versatility.

As part of the very final wave of the Power Of The Jedi line, BoShek and company were a bit difficult to secure at the retail level. In fact, many collectors were only able to find this wave in novelty stores at the mall, like music and video stores for example. But if you were one of the fortunate collectors to find this wave, you were rewarded with some impressive characters and sculpts. BoShek certainly doesn’t scream “popular” for an action figure candidate, but neither did the action figures we received in the vintage Kenner line. That’s what makes Star Wars collecting so unique and diverse. It’s always the blink and you’ll miss it characters in the films that make some of the best action figures in your collection and give Star Wars collecting that extra edge over other properties. We find it hard to fault Hasbro for taking a chance on BoShek. We’re impressed with how well the likeness came out and we even appreciate the inclusion of the helmet and a sculpted holster to hold his blaster. The more cantina patrons we get in the line, the better our displays will look. BoShek brings an “alternate human” aura to the Star Wars line. Because BoShek shares an almost identical costume to Bossk, it seems as if Hasbro could kill two birds with one stone in the future should they ever decide to revisit these characters. It’s nice to know that other human characters that frequent the shadier places in the universe aren’t just the main characters in the film seeking refuge or assistance. This is his local hangout and he loves it. And we love him for that.