Although the franchise itself has grown more expansive in recent years than it ever was before, few characters in the Star Wars saga are more enigmatic than the bounty hunter Boba Fett. Ever since his cinematic debut inThe Empire Strikes Back, Fett’s merely wordless nature and signature costume design suggested a rich history to the character which has been expanded on extensively; betweenthe telling of his backstory inAttack of the Clones, working him into a guest role inThe Mandalorian, and finally making him the protagonist inThe Book of Boba Fett, theStar Warsfranchise can’t get enough of Boba Fett. As his backstory is now much less enigmatic than it once was, it’s now known thatBoba Fett’s armor contains symbols and sigils that reference his cultural heritage.
What Do Boba Fett’s Armor Sigils Mean?
Despite wearing their signature armor,Boba Fett was not actually raised as a Mandalorian. While traditionally, Mandalorian warriors hail from the planet Mandalore, Fett was an identical clone of his father, Jango Fett, who was created on the planet Kamino. Unlike theother clone troopers who served in the Grand Army of the Republic, Boba Fett was raised by his father, who taught him some of the values that he had learned during his experiences growing up within the Mandalorian culture. Jango Fett’s prominence as a bounty huntermeant that Fett was taught more practical skills about combatas opposed to traditional Mandalorian chivalry. Jango Fett’s death at the hands of Jedi Master Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson) meant that his sonhad to take it upon himself to learn about the armorthat he had inherited.
A majority of theStar Warsexpanded universe content that was released before the purchase of Lucasfilm by Walt Disney Studios in 2012 has been relegated under the non-canon, “Legends” banner. However, Fett’s armor contains many allusions to Legends content, some of which have been made a part of the official canon through appearances in recent Disney-approved content.The sigil on Fett’s chest is the crest of Jaster Meerl,a Mandalorian Journeyman Protector from the planet Concord Dawn introduced in the 2002 comic book seriesJango Fett: Open Seasons.Meerl was Jango Fett’s mentor and a member of the “True Mandalorians,” an honorable warrior sect that was unique fromthe violent Death Watch group.
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The infamous skull on Fett’s armorrepresents the Mythosaur beast, a powerful creature native to the planet Mandalore. While ancient Mandalorian warriors had tamed and ridden these creatures during battle, they became essentially extinct by the time Fett first adopted the symbol. The symbol’s prominent placementreflects Fett’s conscious awareness, and perhaps fascination, with the heritagehe never fully understood, and emphasizes the importance of his relationship with his father. While Fett himself never encountered a Mythosaur before declaring his armor, Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) crossed the powerful creature inThe Mandalorianepisode “The Mines of Mandalore.” By conquering it, Djarin absolved himself of the crime of removing his helmet.
Fett’s costume has evolved throughout the franchise,as each of its owners has revamped and refurbished the armor. While Jango Fett had originally earned the armor on Concord Dawn during his adolescence, he customized the suit with a flamethrower, wrist laser, and mini concussion rocket launcher to advance his career as a bounty hunter.Mandalorians use their armor as an expression of their identity, and the advancements Jango Fett made to his armor earned him the reputation as one of the galaxy’s most fearsome bounty hunters. It was due to his terrifying reputation that Fett was selected by Count Dooku to become the template for the Clone Army on Kamino.
Fett obtained his father’s armor after the Battle of Geonosisbut did not immediately adopt it as his own.As seen inStar Wars: The Clone Wars, a young Fett disguised himself as a clone cadet to help the bounty hunters Aurra Sing and Bossk lead an attempted assassination attempt on Windu. While the mission’s failure landed Fett in prison, he later escaped and refurbished the armor with green paint.In the Mandalorian culture, a color change may indicate a change of intention or state of mind. Here, the green would represent the duty and honor by which Boba lives. By adding his own customizations to the armor, Fett was able to establish his own reputation whilst still honoring the memory of his father, which can be seen through the red trim.
While the suit served him well throughout his career,Fett temporarily lost his armor after being swallowed within the Sarlacc PitinReturn of the Jedi. Although the armor succeeded inprotecting Fett from being digested by the Sarlaac, it was later taken by Jawas who discovered him wandering the desert of Tatooine and bartered. While the armor eventually made its way into the possession of Marshal Cobb Vanth (Timothy Olyphant), it was exchanged to Djarin and eventually returned to Fett.
Boba Fett Is an Overexposed ‘Star Wars’ Character
WhileThe Book of Boba Fettfirmly established him as one of the franchise’s heroes,Fett’s future within theStar Warssaga is unclear. A second season ofThe Book of Boba Fettseems unlikely giventhe initial installment’s tepid response, and Fett did not appear in the third season ofThe Mandalorian. While it seems possible that he could have an appearance in the upcoming feature filmThe Mandalorian & Grogu, Fett’s journey may have come to an end.
This isn’t an entirely unwelcome scenario, asFett is far less interesting as a character now that his backstory has been revealed.As with many of the classicStar Warscharacters that have appeared on Disney+ shows, Fett often felt like he was intruding on a narrative that was not his own. Regardless, Boba Fett will certainly remain one of the saga’s most popular anti-heroes and a prominent part of Mandalorian lore withinStar Wars.
