Star Wars Made Jango Fett A Mandalorian, But Not Boba

After years of being ridiculed as a common bounty hunter, Jango Fett has been retconned as a true Mandalorian in Star Wars, but the same can’t be said for his son, Boba Fett. Jango was first introduced in George Lucas’ Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, and it was, unfortunately, the only film in which he appeared in as well. The thing is, he certainly was a bounty hunter in the movie, as it was discovered he was involved in the plot to assassinate Padme Amidala on Coruscant.

At the time, Star Wars fans were excited to learn more about Boba Fett’s origins (in canon), which were inherently tied to the Jedi and their Grand Army of the Republic. Through some deception, Jango Fett was recruited by Count Dooku to become the genetic template for the Kaminoans’ clones. He was paid a considerable sum for the use of his DNA, but as part of the contract, he stipulated that they give him one clone that was entirely unaltered, meaning no genetic manipulations that would accelerate the clone’s growth or make him more obedient. That clone ended up being Boba Fett.

In The Mandalorian season 2, episode 6, “The Tragedy”, an older Boba Fett revealed that his father, Jango Fett, was a foundling, fought in the Mandalorian Civil Wars, and was bestowed the beskar armor that he now wears – and armor that is rightfully his. What’s interesting is that by retconning Jango’s origins, Star Wars made him a real Mandalorian, in every way that Din Djarin is a Mandalorian. But that’s where the retcons stopped. As Din expressly asked Boba, one can only be a Mandalorian if they follow the Mandalorian Creed, which Boba doesn’t. After all, Boba Fett, like his father before him, is a simple man making his way through the galaxy – nothing more, nothing less.

By rejecting the Mandalorian Creed and swearing allegiance to no one, Boba Fett can’t be a Mandalorian according to every version of the Mandalorian Creed/Code (including the Way of the Mandalore, which is what Din Djarin follows). Mandalorians are a race of people, but their identities aren’t determined by their blood; rather, they are determined by their clans and allegiances to one another, which is why The Mandalorian series has heavily emphasized foundlings as a part of Mandalorian culture. In a way, Boba was Jango Fett’s foundling.

Because Boba Fett was taken in as Jango’s son, even though he isn’t Jango’s son by birth (despite the fact they’re genetically identical), the beskar armor is Boba’s to take. Similarly to how Bo-Katan Kryze’s armor has been passed down through her family for generations, Jango’s armor was rightfully passed down to Boba upon his death in Attack of the Clones. However, according to “The Tragedy”, Boba Fett still isn’t a Mandalorian, not like his father was. He would need to adopt the Mandalorian Creed in order to become one. He already has the honor code down, but getting him to give up his autonomy may be difficult.

About The Author

Mansoor Mithaiwala
(1888 Articles Published)

Mansoor Mithaiwala is Screen Rant’s TV Lead Editor. He originally joined the site as a freelance writer on the Lists team before moving over to News and Features, eventually becoming an editor in 2018. Over time he’s done quite a few different things, including helping launch gaming on the site, often handling news, features, and guides simultaneously. Now he sticks primarily to movies and TV, and spends way too much time looking at analytics. It sure seems like he’s put his Political Science degree to good use, huh?

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