To some fans Boba Fett is a villain, while to others, he’s an anti-hero, with films, comics, and novels that vouch for each categorization. But whichever way his moral compass points (which we’re certain is dictated by the size of the coin purse), it can’t be denied that he’s one of the most notorious bounty hunters in the galaxy. Introduced as a minor antagonist in Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back as a hired gun to track down Han Solo, he quickly became a fan favorite for his mysterious background and rugged demeanor.

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Since his first appearance, Star Wars fans have learned different things about Fett, from his origin story as son of famous bounty hunter Jango Fett, to his early days taking up the family business. And while the blanks surrounding Fett have been filled in pretty extensively, there’s always room for more obscure tidbits of information, such as all the random facts about his helmet. Here’s ten things fans may not know about the bucket everyone’s favorite intergalactic gunslinger wears on his head.

HE DENTED IT IN A DUEL WITH CAD BANE

Many fans have speculated over the years about the prominent dent in Boba Fett’s helmet. The silver crater is roughly the size of a golf ball and is a noticeable blemish on a suit full of blaster scorch marks and regular wear. The reveal of its origin is rather convoluted for such a simple thing.

In a duel straight out of a classic Western, Boba Fett faced off against Cad Bane, a fellow bounty hunter from The Clone Wars series, and received the glancing blow instead of a blaster bolt to the head. The footage was never released, but shown to fans at Star Wars Celebration XVII.

IT'S BASED ON TRADITIONAL MANDALORIAN ARMOR

Fett’s helmet, like the rest of his armor, is based on the armor worn by Mandalorians for centuries. The Mandalorians were an ancient warrior race that existed in the Outer Rim, but often brought their turmoil into the rest of the galaxy through conquest and battle. Their lifestyle posed a perceived threat to the Old Republic, who dispatched their Jedi to curtail the Mandalorian raiding.

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The helmet style has changed throughout the centuries, most notably in regards to the T-shaped vizor, as well as the color scheme. Though both Fett -like his father before him- wears a set of Mandalorian armor, they both were not considered Mandalorian by the government of Mandalore.

IT HAS A BUILT IN H.U.D.

You don’t get to be one of the most infamous bounty hunters in the galaxy by being dead. In order to survive in a cutthroat business like retrieving bounties on pour soul’s heads, you have to take serious precautions. If you aren’t getting blasted by the bounty your trying to collect, you’re getting blasted by rivals trying to collect it too.

It’s for that reason that Boba Fett had his helmet specially designed with an advanced HUD, or Heads Up Display. This gave him 360 degrees of sight in any direction, preventing ambushes, double crossings, and surprise attacks. Of course, a lot good it did him against a blind and crippled Han Solo...

IT UTILIZES VOICE COMMAND

Boba Fett is anything but unprepared, with a weapon and gadget for every eventuality he comes up against. His armor is strapped down with everything from a flame thrower, to a rocket launcher, to a sonic disruptor, to darts that shoot out from specially designed metal pads on his knees. Gear like that would require too much effort in a dangerous situation when seconds count, which is why he lets his helmet do the talking.

By utilizing the voice command built into his helmet, he can activate various gadgets and weapon functions with ease. This leaves his hands free to do whatever is needed to reel in his prey, from firing his blaster rifle, to firing the guns on Slave 1.

IT USED TO HAVE A LOT OF STRANGE SYMBOLS ON IT

While Mandalorian anything often has a lot of symbols carved on it like intergalactic runes, Boba Fett’s original helmet almost had more symbology that would have thrown off its aesthetic entirely. Alternative helmet designs were done by conceptual artist Joe Johnston for Empire Strikes Back and made Boba Fett look much less intimidating.

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One sketch makes it look like he has a third eye in the middle of his vizor, while another makes it look like he has a Christmas bow attached to the side of it. We’re glad Fett’s helmet stayed sinister and uniform looking, rather than like someone doodled on it while he was sleeping.

IT'S MADE FROM DURASTEEL ARMOR

Boba Fett and Jango Fett Armored

The Mandalorians usually made their armor (and subsequently their helmets) from Beskar, a Mandalorian Ore that supposedly was impenetrable to even lightsabers. Neither his father Jango Fett's armor, nor his own set, was made of Beskar (though Jango's looked a lot better). Boba's simply existed from found pieces scattered around the galaxy.

The fact that Fett’s helmet can be dented proves it’s not made from Beskar, but rather Durasteel, the most common metal alloy in the galaxy. It’s reasonably tough (it’s also what Darth Vader’s armor is made from), and can take a beating, but it won’t stop a lightsaber, and can barely stop a blaster bolt.

IT'S BASED ON AN ANCIENT MASK

The Mandalorians have a rich history, wear their armor and their helmets with pride, and take great honor in representing their houses with them in battle. Suits of armor are often passed down from father to son, and the helmets are based on Mandalorian helmets from before the Old Republic. Their unique T-shaped vizor is a direct copy of the first helmet, or Mask of Mandalore.

This mask resembled something between Boba Fett’s current helmet and the helmet of a knight from Medieval Europe; somewhat longer [ast the neck, and more pointed at the top. The Mask of Mandalore was passed down from leader to leader for centuries before it was lost to the annals of time.

IT HAS AN ENVIRONMENTAL FILTER

Boba Fett in Star Wars 1313 Concept Art.

As a bounty hunter, Boba Fett has no idea what environments he might find himself in while on a job. Whether it’s in Cloud City, Jabba’s Palace, or the Sarlacc’s stomach, Boba Fett relies on the environmental filter system in his helmet to make sure toxins don’t destroy him.

As far as the Expanded Universe is concerned, Boba Fett survived being slowly digested in the Sarlacc Pit because of his armor, and because of his helmet protecting him. The helmet also offers up to two hours of reserve oxygen funneled up from an air tank, which sure beats holding his breath.

IT HAS A TARGETING RANGEFINDER

You may have noticed the external targeting rangefinder that juts out of the side of Fett’s helmet like the Seattle Space Needle. That little fella can track up to 30 targets at the same time, allowing Fett to determine and prioritize his target based on new information he constantly receives through his HUD.

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Once his rangefinder locks on to potential targets and hostiles, he can start determining who’s a friend and who’s a foe. He can either decide everyone’s a target until they cooperate, or wait for the correct one to emerge. Luckily Boba Fett has enough patience for that to happen.

IT HAS A WEB OF SENSORY EQUIPMENT

MAFEX Boba Fett

Aside from his external targeting rangefinder and environmental filtration system, Fett has a web of sensory equipment to help him locate his targets. His helmet also comes with a broadband antenna which he uses to intercept and unscramble commlink transmissions, as well as communications from starships.

One of his helmets primary features is the Macrobinocular Viewplate with Infrared Scanner, which he can use to magnify a potential target or object up 50 times. This helps display the range and movement of targets from away, while the electronic rangefinder feeds data to his overhead display. Additionally, it can display heat gradations,as well as scan for weaponry, relaying the firing capacity and range.

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