Moff Jerjerrod - TSC - Basic (SAGA 040)

One of our most favorite Imperial commanders of all time is Moff Jerjerrod who made a debut appearance in Return Of The Jedi. Some interpreted his sneers and grimaces as arrogance, but we saw something empathetic about him in his mannerisms. Although many scenes including him were deleted from Episode VI, his limited screen time did reveal a humanity that seemed to be lacking in so many other Imperials. And perhaps it is for this reason alone that we’re royally disappointed with Hasbro’s interpretation of him in The Saga Collection. OK, so maybe “royally” is too dramatic of a description here, but Hasbro didn’t do the greatest job with Moff Jerjerrod and it’s upsetting because we waited a long time to get him into the basic figure line. What’s frustrating about the production samples of Moff Jerjerrod is the fact that the prototype shown at Toy Fair in 2006 looked so much better. The expression on his face was reserved and not so angry like how the final product came out. And to further put salt in the wound is it is very unlikely that Hasbro will attempt this character again in the basic figure line. We’re not too hopeful at least.

Moff Jerjerrod is an all-new sculpt and comes with a decent 10 points of articulation. It’s rare occasion for us to admit this since we typically despise this articulation, but we are actually glad that Hasbro decided to include swivel elbow joints on him for the sole purpose of tucking his arms behind his back in typical Imperial officer form. On top of those joints, Moff Jerjerrod also comes with swivel shoulders, wrists, hips and a swivel waist joint. He also comes with a ball-socket head. The cap on his head is non-removable and unless Hasbro can make caps look fitted on the figures, this is the ideal way to proceed here. There has been years of debate on the color of the Imperials’ uniforms. The answer of whether it’s a deep olive green of a very unique shade of grays seems to remain elusive in the collecting community, but we think Hasbro is wise to go with gray for the basic figure line. Just glancing at any random Imperial in any of the Star Wars films will make your eyes think you are seeing gray anyhow, so that is definitely the safest choice for action figures.It still may have been better if Hasbro was less noncommital about the color they use for Imperial officers.

As we have mentioned, Moff Jerjerrod does not have a great likeness. His expression looks like something you'd see on the Grinch to be quite honest with you. His exaggerated eyebrows capture anger and resentment more than a diplomatic and slightly nervous expression like we saw in the films. Even his facial structure could use some work. He was nervous and respectful around Darth Vader, not angry and ready for a fight. Some have claimed that human faces are much harder for Hasbro to nail down and achieve with positive results in the basic figure line. We would only partially agree with that sentiment. The earlier released 2006 TSC General Veers (SAGA 007) figure has a dead ringer likeness to actor Julian Glover. So we wouldn’t expect anything less than the same expectation for Moff Jerjerrod to look just like the actor in Return Of The Jedi. Perhaps the safest way to go for these characters is with an "expression-less" expression, if that makes sense to you. Hasbro definitely has more work to do on Imperial officers. Moff Jerjerrod is a small step in the right direction, but more articulation and better character specific likenesses going forward are indeed expected. Let’s hope the next one is a bit better.