Princess Leia Organa (Boushh) — Star Wars The Black Series #16
The Black Series Princess Leia Organa in Boushh disguise — Blue Wave #16, 2015. Removable Ubese bounty hunter helmet, thermal detonator that pegs to belt, force pike, backpack. The ROTJ Jabba's Palace infiltration figure.
Overview
Blue Wave #16 closes the numbered Blue Wave sequence with Princess Leia Organa in her Boushh disguise — the Ubese bounty hunter identity she assumes to infiltrate Jabba’s Palace and rescue Han Solo from the carbonite in Return of the Jedi. The Boushh disguise is one of the most beloved Leia configurations in Star Wars collecting: the fully enclosed alien helmet, the thermal detonator, the cape and armour that completely conceal her identity in the film’s opening Jabba sequence.
The helmet is removable to reveal the pre-Photo Real Carrie Fisher portrait beneath — the same production-era limitation that affects all Blue Wave human character releases. The Boushh configuration has a specific advantage over most Leia figure releases in this regard: the helmet-on display, which is the primary display context for this figure, has no portrait quality concern because the face is entirely hidden. The helmet-off reveal is a secondary option that shows the era’s portrait limitations, but for the defining display pose — Leia as Boushh in Jabba’s Palace — the pre-Photo Real face is irrelevant.
The 2022 Archive Collection reissue updated the paint applications on this figure, making it available at standard retail pricing. MSRP $19.99. ASIN B00RI3H0M2.
The Character and Scene Context
The Boushh infiltration is the opening sequence of Return of the Jedi’s Jabba’s Palace act — and it’s where the film establishes that Leia is not going to be a passive presence in the rescue operation. She walks into Jabba’s throne room as a bounty hunter presenting Chewbacca as a prisoner, negotiates a payment for him with Jabba, and holds a live thermal detonator to her own body when Jabba tries to lowball the price. Jabba laughs and pays. The detonator gambit is the first indication of what Leia is actually doing — she’s in charge of this operation and she knows it.
The Boushh identity is that of a real Ubese bounty hunter whose identity and armour Leia appropriated for the mission. The Ubese are a near-human species from the planet Uba — the design of the helmet references the alien species’ protective headgear tradition while remaining visually dramatic enough to work as a Star Wars costume design. The thermal detonator is a Class-A thermal detonator, the most powerful explosive in the Star Wars universe — powerful enough that even Jabba, who has seen most things, respects its threat.
Accessories
Four accessories: a removable Ubese bounty hunter helmet, a thermal detonator, a force pike, and a backpack.
The Boushh helmet is a very tight fit that covers the head completely when positioned. The backpack plugs into a hole in the figure’s back. The thermal detonator pegs into a dedicated mount on the belt — this is the specific display detail that makes the figure work, the grenade clipped to the belt in the same position it appears in the film when Leia levels it at Jabba. The ammunition bandolier is a separate piece but is not practically removable without force. The cape hangs behind the right shoulder.
The force pike fits both hands but holds best in a two-handed grip. For the Jabba’s throne room display pose — Leia standing with the force pike, detonator on belt — all four accessories are essential.
Sculpt and Articulation
The Boushh armour sculpt captures the film prop design accurately: the layered chest armour, the Ubese helmet’s specific surface detail and viewport, and the cape drape that characterises the costume’s silhouette. The armour panels have visible surface texture that adds depth to what could otherwise be a flat plastic surface.
Articulation covers 19 points: ball-jointed neck, swivel neck, ball-jointed shoulders, ball-jointed elbows, ball-jointed wrists, ball-jointed upper body, ball-jointed hips, swivel thighs, above and below knee swivels, ball-jointed ankles. The upper body ball joint enables the slightly forward-leaning posture that characterises Boushh’s careful-bounty-hunter-walk appearance in the film.
The pre-Photo Real Carrie Fisher portrait beneath the helmet is the figure’s portrait limitation — at close range the approximation shows. At standard display distance with the helmet on, this is completely irrelevant.
All Black Series Leia Boushh Releases
Two releases: this Blue Wave #16 original (2015) and the Archive Collection reissue (2022) which brought updated paint applications to standard retail. The figure sculpt is identical between the two; the Archive version’s paint is generally considered improved. If you’re sourcing from secondary markets, either version is appropriate for display purposes — the Archive version’s updated paint is the advantage for collectors who care about that distinction.
Display Recommendations
The Jabba’s Palace throne room display is the primary context — Boushh presenting Chewbacca’s chains to Jabba’s court. For the complete ROTJ Jabba’s Palace scene: Boba Fett (ROTJ Deluxe), Bib Fortuna, Gamorrean Guard, and Chewbacca. See the Jabba’s Palace scene guide.
The thermal detonator on the belt is the specific display detail that reads instantly to any Star Wars viewer. Ensuring it’s correctly pegged to the belt mount rather than loose or absent is the critical accessory placement for this figure.
Secondary Market
The Blue Wave Boushh is available at modest secondary market prices. The 2022 Archive reissue brought it back to standard retail pricing, which limits the premium on the original. Loose complete examples with all four accessories are the primary market; sealed carded examples command the standard Blue Wave completionist premium.
Verdict
The Archive Collection Boushh (2022) with updated paint is the recommended version for collectors sourcing new stock.
Buy the Blue Wave #16 original for: completing the Blue Wave numbered sequence; or if you specifically want the original 2015 Blue Wave packaging and don’t need the Archive paint updates.
The Blue Wave Boushh and the 2022 Archive reissue are functionally identical for display purposes beyond the paint application update. For collectors who missed the Archive release at retail, the original Blue Wave version at secondary market pricing is a straightforward substitute. The thermal detonator peg-to-belt detail, the force pike, the helmet reveal — all identical across both versions. Neither the Blue Wave nor the Archive version includes a Photo Real Carrie Fisher portrait; that update would require a new Galaxy Collection release that hasn’t been produced as of this writing.
Product codes: ASIN B00RI3H0M2
Part of Star Wars The Black Series | Blue Wave. Related: All Princess Leia figures | Return of the Jedi | Jabba’s Palace scene | Rebel Alliance faction.