Figures That Make Me Happy:  Rum Sleg

The first six episodes of the Skywalker Saga were frequently shot "documentary style". For me, that's part of what make them so great and timeless. Another way to say this is that the camera is not omniscient. It's just there. It doesn't know what to fame in a shot. The lens doesn't find the action; the action finds the lens. An example of this, and the shot that George Lucas himself cites, is the "weesa goin' home" scene. At this point in the sequence, Jar Jar becomes the focus, but the camera doesn't know that. It doesn't recenter on Jar Jar. Instead he stays to the far right of the frame:


I think this is one of the reasons we hardcore fans are so in love with background characters. It's because this style of filming makes that designation a bit of a misnomer. An omniscient camera would never allow much focus to fall on characters that are not integral to the shot and/or plot. But in Star Wars, these characters can "happen" to the camera, and thus draw our attention. A cynic would say this is just the filmmaker showing off the craft (and expense) of the costume and creature departments. Boo to that. I say the "documentary style" decision is made for its own artistic reasons, and the fact that it shows off these characters is a huge benefit. Enter Rum Sleg:


The story telling reason for this particular shot is to show Darth Maul's seeker droids patrolling the streets of Mos Espa, but because the camera lingers for a moment, we get to see Rum Sleg saunter by. I don't know of any hardcore Star Wars fan who wasn't instantly drawn to the skull-faced Astronaut. I have to imagine that this design is a fulfillment of what Lucas wanted the Episode IV cantina spacers to look like if he had the budget. Speaking of which, Rum Sleg would integrate seamlessly into any cantina diorama (* cough * grunt * cough *).

I wanted a Rum Sleg figure from that first moment I saw The Phantom Menace. As with Gragra, when he didn't crack that somewhat expansive Episode I line, I though the moment had passed, but The Legacy Collection was a miraculous line. Ten years later, we'd finally get our Sleg figure. The only pain point is the lack of ankles.

Finally, yes, I know that he's also seen in the stands of the Boonta Eve Classic, but that's a more subtle appearance.

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