The greatly feared and incredibly fierce bounty hunter Boba Fett quickly became a fan favorite after his appearance in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back. The strong-yet-almost-silent trope cast an undeniable wave of mystery over the Clone that left an immediate want for more, as he would interlude into the series throughout an array of Star Wars media. A young Boba was briefly teased on Kamino during Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, and he would later re-establish himself as an active figure in the universe, well-known by all who inhabit it. The popularity of Boba’s character earned great celebration and excitement around his featured return in the second season of The Mandalorian, which later shared the announcement of The Book of Boba Fett. The growing addition to Lucasfilms’ select television series crafted for Disney+ divided fans who had increasingly high expectations for The Book of Boba Fett that were not completely satisfied by the show’s direction and tone of choice. Nevertheless, the latest look at Boba offered an even more intimate look at the character on a totally new level.
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Symbolism in Star Wars has become prominent across both physical and metaphorical significance. It’s breathed even more life into a franchise that teems with rich lore and overflows with a creativity unique to its brand. The practice of weaving symbolism so heavily into the canon of Star Wars has supplemented the vast intricacies of the series since its conception. The symbols seen throughout the series have intrigued audiences with their unique, highly-recognizable designs that give way to even more unique stories behind them. Each contributes to the endlessness of the franchise in its own ways. Boba Fett’s armor is marked with symbols of its own that were never quite fully addressed during his time in Star Wars. Much like most in the saga, these symbols have been chosen for a reason. Here are the meanings behind the symbols on Boba Fett’s armor.
The Sigil of Jaster Mereel
Lucasfilm / Disney
The history behind Jaster Mereel may be foreign to the casual fan and requires a bit of research to understand fully why the symbol is personal to the character and goes beyond the sake of aesthetics. Mereel was the former leader of the True Mandalorians and belonged to the Journeyman Protectors prior to his exile from the planet Concord Dawn. It was Mereel who was responsible for saving Jango Fett after his family was slain during the relentless forces of the Death Watch, deeming Jango as his newly-adopted son. Jango has later bestowed the honor of ruling Mandalore after the passing of his mentor-figure and honored him by including his sigil prominently upon his armor. The armor was passed onto Boba, who retained the sigil on the armor’s design in honor of his father and Mereel.
The Mythosaur Sigil
The Mythosaur skull has become synonymous with The Mandalorian after the show spurred on the popularity behind sporting the sigil. These unfathomably large beasts were most commonly found on Mandalore before they were hunted into extinction by a warrior race from Coruscant known as the Taung. It was here where the history behind the Mandalorians truly originated after Mandalore the First was behind the elimination of the species. The Mandalorians began to fashion weapons out of Mythosaur remains and later elected to use the skull as their official icon. The Mythosaur is mentioned within the early moments of The Mandalorian, and Fett sports the skulls on his armor. Fett does not self-identify with as a Mandalorian, he honors his Mandalorian foundling heritage by displaying the Mythosaur symbol on his person.
Are the Mythosaur and Jaster Mereel Canon in Star Wars?
Lucasfilm
Star Wars is not always direct when clearly explaining what events are considered to be canon, and what lies at the mercy of fan speculation. Canonized information in the Star Wars universe is considerably fluid due to how frequently the franchise shuffles new information to align with its history. The Legends saga, where Mereel was first viewed as a prominent character, was not always accepted as canon, though The Mandalorian calling such awareness to Boba Fett’s upbringing may now change that, too. The second season of The Mandalorian shone a spotlight on Boba, who fully articulated Jango’s backstory as a Mandalorian foundling. The story correlates with Jango’s background in Legends, which now means that this piece of Star Wars lore can be accepted into the greater scope of the saga’s universe.
Much like Jango’s freshly-accepted Legends backstory, the Mythosaurs were a creature briefly mentioned in Legends storytelling. Originally, they were rejected from earning their spot in canon as the Legends arc was were received as just that: left as legends that would fill the gaps with context and flesh out the occurrences of more monumental events. The Mythosaurs were later welcomed into canon through Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon and its magazine circulation. Despite their Legends origins, both Jaster Mereel and the Mythosaur are now viewed as canonical in Star Wars media.
