WARNING: Contains spoilers for The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett below.
As The Mandalorian burst onto Disney+ and became an immediate pop culture sensation thanks in no small part to Baby Yoda, and also the show’s wielding of iconic imagery from the original Star Wars trilogy, the streaming series offered fans the first live-action deep dive into Mandalorian culture and history, which had only been explored in the animated series. Until this point, the classic bounty hunter Boba Fett and his father Jango Fett were the only on-screen representations of the warrior creed, but their true place in that culture has been… murky.
Despite the main character in The Mandalorian looking a whole lot like Boba Fett, he’s actually an entirely different character named Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) or Mando, as he affectionally called on the show. However, it didn’t take long for Boba to appear in the second season, and with him, came some long-awaited answers about his Mandalorian heritage. Most importantly, the revelation that his father Jango Fett was a foundling like Mando.
In The Mandalorian Season 2 episode, “The Tragedy,” Boba Fett finally regains his armor, which had been lost following his escape from the Sarlacc Pit where he was last seen seemingly dying in Return of the Jedi. After helping Mando fight off a wave of Stormtroopers and vowing to help him rescue the now-captured Baby Yoda, Boba Fett revealed a secret hidden in his armor. Inside his gauntlet is coding that proves his father, Jango, was a Mandalorian foundling who fought in the Mandalorian Civil Wars. Foundlings are exactly like they sound. Young children who are adopted in a Mandalorian clan or “Covert” as they’re referred to in the series.
Jango Fett’s Mandalorian heritage is a significant change in canon because, until now, The Clone Wars animated series claimed he was not a Mandalorian and had stolen his armor. With Boba Fett’s revelation to Mando, that explanation is now out the window.
As for whether or not Boba Fett is a Mandalorian, that’s where things still remain unclear. As a clone of his father, Boba Fett is not a true member of the Mandalore race, and he even tells Mando that he’s not a Mandalorian. However, as the series continues to show, the true definition of being a Mandalorian is a highly contested topic between followers of the creed. Not to mention, the concept of foundlings allows anyone to become a Mandalorian.
That definition is even more in flux as The Book of Boba Fett Episode 5 shows Mando’s desire to make Baby Yoda a Mandalorian while he struggles with the cult-like doctrines of his sect. As the current wielder of the Darksaber, Mando is poised to become the new leader of the Mandalorians and with that could come a change in what truly means to be a member of the fierce warrior group.
The Book of Boba Fett is currently streaming on Disney+.
