There is a moment in Star Wars: Masters of Teräs Käsi when a Gamorrean guard can punch Darth Vader unconscious. Not distract him. Not knock him into a conveniently placed reactor shaft. Not survive long enough for someone more qualified to arrive. Just beat him in a fight. That tells you almost everything you need to know about LucasArts’ 1997 attempt to turn Star Wars into a PlayStation fighting game. Almost. Because while Masters of Teräs Käsi has spent decades being treated as a punchline, it is not merely a bad game with a famous license. It is a fascinating collision between Star Wars, 1990s fighting-game fever, unfamiliar hardware, Expanded Universe enthusiasm, and the dangerous belief that any franchise could become the next Tekken if you gave everyone enough special moves. It did not become the next Tekken. It did, however, give us Boba Fett firing missiles at Luke Skywalker…
