Star Wars: Museum Asks for Help Restoring Original Bossk Costume

Part of what made the original Star Wars trilogy so memorable was that the filmmakers had to use practical effects to bring otherworldly characters to life, with the downside of this approach being that those physical items have deteriorated over the years, which has caused the National Film and Sci-Fi in the United Kingdom to turn to fans in hopes of finding help restoring an original Bossk costume from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. While the organization has the iconic head and arms of Bossk, conveying his reptilian attributes, it’s the outfit of the character that needs help being crafted in order to display the props in a compelling pose.

“We wanted to reach out and see if there are any skilled costume makers out there that would like to be involved in the Museum. We have several items that are missing parts that we need to have made to complete them ready for displaying within the museum,” the museum shared on Facebook. “Here is one item. We own most of the original parts of Bossk the Bounty Hunter from Empire Strikes Back! We own his head/mask, his arms, and feet, as well as his gun, all screen-used. What we do not own is his material yellow jump-suit and white life vest. We would like to hear from individuals that feel they have the skills to help us replicate this material outfit. We are not asking for a list of companies that you know make costumes for sale as we know them all.”

They add, “What we need is real, talented fans that care and have the right skills to replicate this outfit. If you are that person we would love to hear from you. Or if you know someone that you feel can do this kind of work them do share this with them as that will help us to be able to find the right person to help us with making Bossk complete and ready to meet you all when the museum opens later on this year.”

In that first Star Wars sequel, Bossk did little more than stand in one place, looking frightening, as Darth Vader asked for assistance in tracking down the Millennium Falcon. In the years since that debut, fans have seen a number of adventures featuring the figure, as chronicled in both canonical and “Legends” adventures.

Adding more significance to the restoration is that actor Alan Harris, who played the bounty hunter in the film, passed away earlier this year, making Bossk fans even more vocal about their passion for the figure.