George Lucas had no idea how popular Boba Fett would become. Originally, he only existed to advance the plot by providing a means for Jabba the Hutt to capture Han Solo, but even after 40 years, Boba continues to be a Star Wars icon. For years, fans have wanted to know more about the enigmatic badass, and slowly details have trickled out. Attack of the Clones revealed his origins, and The Clone Wars provided a window into his violent youth. Yet, the best glimpse at who Boba is comes not from any of the films or TV series but rather a 2002 video game: Star Wars: Bounty Hunter.
Bounty Hunter follows the exploits of Boba's father Jango Fett. According to Bounty Hunter creative director Jon Knoles, the game's story was inspired by the need to answer two questions raised in Attack of the Clones: Why was Jango chosen to be the template for the clone army, and why did he want an unmodified clone for himself? The answer to the first question formed the basis of Bounty Hunter's story, with Jango proving himself by defeating a deranged dark Jedi/drug lord. The answer to the second question, however, is all about character, and answering it would not only define Jango, but also Boba.
Stoic and reserved, Jango Fett never divulges his true feelings but he still longs for connection. During an exclusive interview with Screen Rant, Knoles shared how Jango's handler and ally, Roz, expresses Jango's feelings on his behalf. She cares for Jango and routinely tells him to “settle down” and “find something else to live for besides the money.” At the end of the game Jango does just that, emphasized by his decision to father Boba. According to Knoles, Jango takes her words to heart because she gives voice to an “internal dilemma [that] he’s always had.” When Knoles began working on the game, Lucas told him that Jango wants Boba to pass on his legacy. “The gist of it was that Jango is a mercenary, motivated by money, but he’s also human,” explained Knoles, “we all want to pass on something of ourselves.”
Jango & Boba Fett's Relationship Defines Their Characters
In Star Wars: Bounty Hunter, it is revealed that Jango had a mentor named Jaster Mereel (Boba Fett's real name in the EU prior to Attack of the Clones). Jango isn't the sentimental type but whenever his old teacher is mentioned, he remembers him fondly. Jaster reflects Jango's aspirations and, as Knoles said, accounts for some of “Jango's motivation for wanting a son.” Jango wishes to be to Boba what Jasteer was to him. This fatherly bond is evident in Attack of the Clones with their relationship being depicted as intimate and even fun. When Obi-Wan pursues Jango into the asteroid field he turns it into both a lesson and game for Boba; they play together.
However, no scene better captures their bond then a deleted sequence from Star Wars: Bounty Hunter. The original ending to the game, said Knoles, involved Jango and Boba looking out at the newly minted clone army. Boba expresses concern over his clone nature and being “different,” so “Jango tells him, putting a hand on his shoulder, 'You are different, Boba. And you’re my son.'”
Jango's defining character trait, according to Knoles, is his “fierce independence.” Jango does many terrible things but he “has his own moral code.” Jango doesn't recoil from the dirty deeds his job demands but he is loyal and honors his word. When the rival bounty hunter Zam saves Jango's life, he honors her request to be brought onto the hunt for Komari Vosa. Jango prides himself on his individuality, and that is why he asks for Boba to be unmodified. Jango wants “Boba to become a lone hunter with a mind and a moral compass of his own, just like him,” Knoles said.
Jango's independent morality rings true in Boba and is evident in The Clone Wars. Boba develops a respectable reputation as a bounty hunter and has his own sense of honor. In the series, Boba works with Ventress on a mission and is ultimately betrayed by her as her conscience stops her from selling their target into slavery. Then, in Dark Disciple, when Ventress comes to Boba and his team seeking aid (and offering lots of money) Boba puts aside his hurt feelings and honors their new contract, even when he has the opportunity to betray her. Boba, like his father, is his own man.
Boba Fett will soon be making his grand return to the Star Wars universe as a key character in season 2 of The Mandalorian. He will be played by Temuera Morrison which will only amplify Boba's connection his father (Morrison played Jango in both Bounty Hunter and Attack of the Clones). While the new story may alter some of the history present in Bounty Hunter, like the reveal that Jango and Boba are not Mandalorians, the character implications can never be undone. Released as a companion to Attack of the Clones, with the blessing of Lucas himself, Star Wars: Bounty Hunter amplifies the relationship evident in both that film and The Clone Wars. They define each other.