When we first meet Boba Fett in the original Star Wars trilogy he was a pretty different character from the man we know now. The bounty hunter got a fresh origin story and background in the prequels. But first, a little background.
The Book of Jango Fett
In Star Wars Episode II: The Clone Wars we are introduced to Jango Fett, a famed Mandalorian human male bounty hunter. Due to his skills and renowned abilities, he becomes the clone template of the Grand Army of the Republic (a clone template is in essence the genetic source upon which a clone was created).
During the final years of the Republic, the Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas reached out to the government of Kamino to task them with creating a clone army. Sifo-Dyas was convinced that the galaxy would be consumed by war.
Guess he never heard of a self-fulfilling prophecy.
The Grand Army of the Republic was formally established once Palpatine got his war powers and the army comprised thousands of clone soldiers with millions more being developed. The clones were altered to grow double the rate of a human and to be obedient. The exception was Boba Fett.
So, is Boba Fett a clone?
Yes! But a unique one. Originally code-named “Alpha”, Boba was an unaltered clone (meaning he aged normally) and Jango raised him as his son. Boba became a bounty hunter like his father and wore a customized suit of Mandalorian armor.
However, despite that, there are some other Mandalorians like Princess Bo-Katan Kryze, who reject that mentality as shown in The Mandalorian “Chapter 16: The Rescue”
“This armor belonged to my father.”
“Don’t you mean your donor?”
“Careful, princess.”
“You are a clone. I’ve heard your voice thousands of times.”
A lot of aspects of the Fett family have been changed retroactively to incorporate elements of Temuera Morrison’s Maori heritage into the role. One of the best aspects of the characters has been the familial devotion Boba shows for Jango and the exploration of humanity as well.
Another character who would have been great to see Finn interact with in the sequel series, but you know, Lucasfilm isn’t always that smart about how to make diversity work and interesting in this franchise.
(featured image: Disney)
