There’s long been a sense that Boba Fett’s reputation was punching way above his onscreen behavior. Sure, he displayed some cunning in The Empire Strikes Back by pursuing the Millennium Falcon, but in his big scene in Return of the Jedi, he suffered a humiliating defeat when a blind Han Solo sent him plummeting into the Sarlacc Pit.
But now, The Mandalorian has given him a credible action sequence, showing an older (and partially digested) version of the character demonstrating his skills on a squad of hapless Stormtroopers. This obviously impressed Din Djarin, as the pair had been at odds earlier in the episode over the fate of Boba’s armor. Said armor was the subject of the season opener and has been kept in storage on the Razor Crest (RIP) ever since. With Djarin a strict Mandalorian, he initially refused to accept the helmetless Boba Fett as worthy of the beskar, only being truly satisfied when Boba showed him a coded message proving the Fett family’s Mandalorian lineage.
In the episode, this was presented as a hologram in the written form of Mando’a, the spoken language of the Mandalorian people. Some enterprising fans have now translated it, though, and it reads as follows:
1: Fett
2: Boba
3: Father Fett
4: Mentor Jaste- (The E is slightly cut off)
5: Concord Dawn
6: The Year
7: Took Into
8: Foundling
The interesting element here for hardcore Star Wars fans is the mention of Jaster Mereel, who was born on the planet Concord Dawn and was the warrior who saved the young Jango Fett’s life and trained him in combat arts, eventually going on to become the Mand’alor, leader of all Mandalorian clans. It’s likely this bit of information that convinced Din Djarin that Boba Fett was a true Mandalorian and had the right to wear the armor.
This also addressees a little wrinkle about the character. In the current continuity, it’s never been clear whether the Fetts were true Mandalorians or merely bounty hunters who wore the iconic armor for its offensive and defensive capabilities. Now that we know Fett’s lineage, though, we can expect him and Djarin to bond more easily, especially as Jango was also a foundling.
Still, Moff Gideon having captured Grogu and destroyed his ship means things look bleak for our hero, but I certainly wouldn’t want to be the Empire if both Mando AND Boba Fett are teaming up against you.
