Luke’s adoptive family tree was fleshed out during the Prequels.  It turns out, despite fan speculation at the time, that Owen was neither a blood relative of Luke, nor was he Obi-Wan’s brother.  He was the son of Cliegg Lars, a character nobody had really imagined before.  We got to see the familiar Lars Homestead, and learned that Anakin’s mother, Shmi, was released from slavery and married Cliegg.  In the process she became Owen’s stepmom, who in turn then became Anakin’s stepbrother.  Tragically (for the galaxy) this didn’t turn out to be a happy reunion when Anakin returned to Tatooine to find his mother, meeting the Lars family for the first time.  In the end, Luke had no blood relationship with Owen or Beru. 

Owen was an ornery old man during his brief role in A New Hope.  He was less so during the PT, but even in his short appearances in both PT films, you could sense a sadness around the character, as his life seemed to be filled with tragedy and difficulty.  He and Beru must have been happy to have a child that they had been previously unable to have, but Owen also seemed consumed with trying to protect what was left of the Lars family.  He toiled away on a farm that hosted a lot of bad memories while he was fearful of what would happen because their nephew was potentially a new source of destructive power that would somehow bring more misery to his family.

But enough about the depressing tale of the Lars family.  The figure was a very welcome addition to the line in 2008.  The face sculpt wasn’t bad for a figure, but it isn’t Joel Edgerton, who went on to have some big roles after Star Wars.  Hasbro had often struggled to get that five o’clock shadow look, but nevertheless, it’s not bad.  The body sculpt is decent, and seems to be a very accurate representation of the character in Attack of the Clones.  He, of course, is wearing a very different outfit in Revenge of the Sith.  Hasbro has not made an Episode III version of Owen, but the Expanded Universe “middle aged” Owen comes reasonably close, even if the face sculpt is too old for that time frame. 

The articulation is suspect.  First of all, he has no ankles. That’s a sin.  Again, for the millionth time, the figure might as well not have either hips or knees if the ankles aren’t included as well, and then we’re getting into statue territory.  So while it might be easy to keep ringing the “he just stands there” bell, you should reconsider that thought process for the majority of your “ACTION” figures.  Sure, Padmé in a gown doesn’t benefit from superarticulation below that waist, but most figures do.  And I’m not asking for rocker ankles, ball jointed wrists, and a barbell neck, here.  I’m just asking for the basics, and ankles should be part of that.

Also, the lower tunic (“skirt”) is a hard plastic, and very much inhibits the movement of the swivel hips.  So Owen can’t sit.  You know what Owen did in AOTC that was his big move?  He sat at the table just like he did in ANH.  But this figure cannot do that.  So in that sense, it falls short.

Owen comes with two accessories.  One is the insanely long rifle that Tatooiners seemed to be so fond of.  It might even be the same one that he passed on to Luke eventually.  Owen can perform a casual THWG, but he can’t really aim the weapon meaningfully.  The other accessory is his outer robe.  It’s actually pretty cool, and while it is a bit bulky, it really comes close to capturing the worn look of its on screen counterpart.  It’s made of a hefty burlap material, and I think works well, despite it suffering from the same oversizing issue that plagues most removable robes.

I’m really glad this figure exists.  I would have preferred a bit more articulation, and the ability to sit.  But it also brings to light 2 things that we are in dire need of in our 3.75” collections.  The first is a collector-worthy Lars Homestead, with a dining area and seats.  The second is a figure of Cliegg Lars.  We can’t complete the Skywalker family tree without it.  And a Star Wars figure in a wheelchair would be a first.  Cliegg Lars is actually one of my personal top figure wants in the entire line.  I hope someday he makes it into the club.

I’ll give Owen a 6.  He looks pretty great, and is a fine addition to your displays, but the sub par articutation and inability to perform his signature sit-at-the-dinner-table move will keep it from achieving the baseline 7 for a collector grade figure.  By no means should you pass this figure up, but it’s not Hasbro’s best figure by a long shot.

Build-A-Droid 

Owen Lars contains the left leg for HK-47.  This murderous and snarky droid terrorized meatbags during the Old Republic Era.  Source:  Knights of the Old Republic.