This new LEGO Star Wars set has a really weird name

One of this summer’s LEGO Star Wars sets bears a product name you probably weren’t expecting from the initial images.

We’re talking about 75312 Boba Fett’s Starship, the latest iteration of a ship that the LEGO Group has never previously had a problem with just calling Slave I, as it’s known in-universe. That goes all the way back to the very first edition from 2000, 7144 Slave I, and also includes the Ultimate Collector Series version, 75060 Slave I.

So, why has this latest set abandoned traditional naming convention for the way more generic ‘starship’? Well, we can think of a couple of reasons – not that any of them make much sense.

First and most obviously, the LEGO Group may have decided that Boba Fett has way more name recognition than his ship. And that’s totally fair – of course more people would know the name of a character who dates back to 1980 above his ship – but then why not simply call it 75312 Boba Fett’s Slave I, for double the punch?

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That the LEGO Group has stayed away from Slave I entirely suggests there might be something more at play here. Could it be that ‘slave’ is now a no-go term for the company in all contexts, just as Disney was once rumoured to be clamping down on ‘slave Leia’ merchandise?

And if that is the case, can we expect to see all mention of Slave I stripped from LEGO merchandise forevermore? Will the inevitable Ultimate Collector Series remake in 2025 (or whenever) simply be called seven-five-something UCS Boba Fett’s Starship? It’s not really a name that speaks to the invested, attuned Star Wars collector, and the accompanying plaque just wouldn’t be the same.

We’ve reached out to the LEGO Group for comment, but for now, it’s a puzzling stance to take. A quick glance at the wider summer range suggests there’s no real pattern to it, either: 75316 Mandalorian Starfighter goes generic while 75311 Imperial Armored Marauder gets a bit specific; 75314 The Bad Batch Attack Shuttle eschews ‘Havoc Marauder’ (perhaps to avoid two Marauders in one wave) while 75310 Duel on Mandalore leans into the setting rather than the characters, where Ahsoka and Maul are arguably more recognisable.

All that said, the name of this wallet-friendly rendition of Boba Fett’s ship – sorry, Slave I – shouldn’t put you off picking it up when it launches August 1. Read our review to find out why 75312 Boba Fett’s Starship is a set worthy of the galaxy’s most venerable bounty hunter, regardless of whether it actually has the right name.

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Chris Wharfe
I like to think of myself as a journalist first, LEGO fan second, but we all know that’s not really the case. Journalism does run through my veins, though, like some kind of weird literary blood – the sort that will no doubt one day lead to a stress-induced heart malfunction. It’s like smoking, only worse. Thankfully, I get to write about LEGO until then.

Chris Wharfe

I like to think of myself as a journalist first, LEGO fan second, but we all know that’s not really the case. Journalism does run through my veins, though, like some kind of weird literary blood – the sort that will no doubt one day lead to a stress-induced heart malfunction. It’s like smoking, only worse. Thankfully, I get to write about LEGO until then.

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