On the subject of bounty hunting ‘trophies’

As I’ve talked about a few times before, when reenacting any setting (historic or fictional) one of the best ways to add depth to an impression is by including small details or items of ‘pocket trash’! One of the ideas I frequently see discussed in online Star Wars cosplay circles is the idea of ‘hunting trophies’, and a recent thread made me realize I definitely have some thoughts on the subject!

Whether it’s bones and claws from critters, crystals from Jedi lightsabers, battle droid fingers, or actual lightsabers, the notion that a bounty hunter or mercenary character should have a collection of tchotchkes taken from past kills dangling from their belt, blaster, or backpack is one of those trends that the costuming community has really latched onto. However, I submit that this type of decoration is A) actually an impediment to such work, and B) a fan reenactorism not seen in either primary or secondary sources. Be sure to stick around til the end for some ideas on how to more authentically portray these kinds of character in true ‘living history’ style!

Let’s remember that the job of a bounty hunter is to capture and sometimes kill wanted criminals for pay; such work requires patience, subtlety, skill, and stealth, as well as physical strength (as might be needed in chasing down and subduing a quarry on foot). Whether using a blaster rifle, pistol, vibroblade, or one’s own fists, an effective bounty hunter needs to be efficient and unencumbered in their actions, and having a bunch of small items clattering about and cluttering up one’s person is a surefire way to hamper smooth movement. If on a big game hunt as many Mando costumers like to talk about, the sound or movement of objects hanging off a rifle might alert animals to a hunters’ presence, while drawing a belt knife may be difficult if the trophy collection dangling from the hilt gets snarled in your belt.
In short, trophies are great ‘engagement hooks’ for interpretation, but from an in-universe perspective, being slung with copious knickknacks make one look more like a typical encumbered Renaissance Faire attendee than an efficient, high-speed/low-drag Operator.

Now, let’s take a look at our reference materials for examples. We can start by looking at the group of bounty hunters (ostensibly a pretty elite and accomplished group) assembled in Episode V; of them, only Boba Fett displays any ‘trophies’ on his person, and these are pretty inconspicuous: a few Wookiee braids hanging over his shoulder. None of the others—Dengar, IG-88, Bossk, 4LOM, and Zuckuss—on the Executor‘s bridge have anything besides clothing and weapons.

If we extend our sample to include the other bounty hunters seen or featured in the highest-tier Saga materials—Aurra Sing, Zam Wesell, Jango Fett, Greedo, and ‘Boushh’—none of them have any trophies on their persons either. Of these, Wesell has the ‘busiest’ design most similar to the trophies frequently seen with cosplayers. On the other hand, Aurra Sing and Boushh—despite not being decked out in trinkets—nonetheless have solid, visually-interesting character designs with plenty of details.
Even the most prominent bounty hunter/mercenary of the post-Prequel era, Cad Bane, likewise opts for an unencumbered style.

When primary sources fail, secondary sources are useful, especially role-playing materials which are great for giving an idea of what a generic character archetype might look like. Fantasy Flight Games’ Edge of the Empire game includes both ‘Big Game Hunter’ and ‘Bounty Hunter’ as character classes (with Martial Artist, Operator, and Skip Tracer specialties), as well as related mercenary classes like Hired Gun and Heavy. Note again, the no-nonsense character designs free from clutter. I even combed through FFG’s dedicated bounty hunter sourcebook and found no examples of hunters encumbered by mementos of past hunts.

So: what can we take away from this? This fixation on hunting trophies tells me that people are thinking about how to tell stories using their in-universe characters, and it speaks to the desire to go deeper than simply Looking Cool In Photos; unfortunately, this is one of the times when the current cosplay paradigm is a serious limitation. Because the only opportunities the average Star Wars costumer believes they can take part in are to dress up for pictures (to be shared on social media) in the backyard/convention hall/parade/charity event, then they’re going to focus all of their energy on purely visual storytelling: thinking “if it doesn’t come across and immediately inform you about my character, it’s not important.” (Besides easy access to affordable vinyl-cutting machines, this also explains the explosion among fans of Aurebesh on clothing in recent years…you don’t have to explain who your character is if you have ‘DARTH VENGALOUS’ in four-inch red letters down the front of your tunic).
However, if these folks kitted up and say, went hiking in a local state park, rabbit hunting with their slugthrower, or trapping for furbearers, they’d pretty quickly see that having a bunch of gewgaws dangling at your belt might look ‘cool’ or ‘badass’ in pictures but are a hindrance to a hunter.

Where, then, do these trophies belong?
As a native of rural Kentucky, I know tons of hunters, and none of them decorate themselves with trophies from their past hunts – they decorate their homes with them, and if you visit and ask them about one of the deer heads mounted on the wall, they’ll be delighted to give an elaborate breakdown of the hunt that landed Bambi in the freezer.
Why then should the Star Wars setting be any different? If cosplayers would simply move their trophies from their person and onto a display table (at a convention booth, library, or historical society) and shared the stories behind those hunts in First-Person, we would have a richer and more rewarding experience (for everyone involved) than simply ‘dress up with cheesy clanking doodads’.

I’d love to hear what You think about ‘hunting trophies’ – regretable reenactorism or great opportunity for interpretation? Leave a comment below, or come discuss with us at the SWLH facebook group!

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