Jango Fett

Jango Fett was a human Mandalorian bounty hunter from the colony world of Concord Dawn, widely regarded as the best bounty hunter in the galaxy. He became the genetic template for the clone army of the Galactic Republic, and from that template he raised an unaltered clone as his son, Boba Fett. Fett fought for the Confederacy of Independent Systems at the Battle of Geonosis, where his long career came to an end at the hands of Jedi Master Mace Windu.

Origins and reputation#

Jango Fett came from the Mandalorian colony planet of Concord Dawn. As a boy he was a prodigy in unarmed combat. Following the murder of his parents, he was raised by Mandalorian warriors to become a warrior himself, taught by a mentor known in part as Jaste, and he participated in the Mandalorian Civil Wars. Over his career he earned a reputation as the best bounty hunter in the galaxy, telling his son that reputations are not given at birth but earned over a long time.

Fett took work from clients across the galaxy and counted the pirate captain Hondo Ohnaka and the bounty hunter Aurra Sing among his associates. He frequently partnered with the Clawdite changeling Zam Wesell, joining her on jobs to worlds such as Snugano and Fytoun, where her shapeshifting abilities complemented his marksmanship. When the thief Phaedra robbed the Galactic Bank of Coruscant, Jabba the Hutt hired Fett to track her down; he followed her to Malastare and ultimately struck a more profitable deal with her instead. Around 33 BBY, he was hired to recover the stolen statue known as the Hope of Glee Anselm. He flew a Firespray-class attack craft, Slave I, which he outfitted with laser cannons, projectile launchers, and seismic charges and used as his personal transport.

The clone template#

The Sith Lord known as Tyranus recruited Fett to serve as the genetic template for an army of clones secretly commissioned on Kamino. Because Fett was known as the best bounty hunter of the era, the Kaminoans did not question Tyranus's choice. As payment, Fett requested an unaltered clone for himself, one free of the growth acceleration and behavioral modifications given to the clone troopers. He raised this clone, Boba, as his son. Fett provided input on all of the clones' training programs, and his armor inspired the equipment of the soldiers cloned from him.

When Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi tracked the clone conspiracy to Kamino and confronted him, Fett claimed never to have heard of the Jedi Sifo-Dyas, saying only that he had been recruited by someone called Tyranus. After Kenobi left, Fett and Boba attempted to depart, but Kenobi ambushed them on the landing platform. The two fought briefly before Kenobi went over the edge, allowing Fett to escape. Kenobi pursued him to Geonosis through an asteroid field, where Fett locked onto his ship with a missile and believed he had destroyed it.

Death at Geonosis#

On Geonosis, Fett captured Anakin Skywalker and Senator Padmé Amidala as they tried to rescue Kenobi, who had been taken prisoner by the Separatists. In the Petranaki Arena, during the scheduled execution of the three captives, Mace Windu led a Jedi assault team to rescue them, beginning the first battle of the Clone Wars.

Fett protected Count Dooku during the skirmish, killing the Jedi Master Coleman Trebor before joining the melee and attacking Windu. He tried to take Windu's lightsaber but was run over by a stampeding reek, then dispatched the beast with a single shot to the eye. When Windu rushed him, Fett opened fire, but his jetpack, damaged when the reek trampled him, failed to ignite as he tried to flee. Windu cleaved the bounty hunter's armored head from his shoulders with a single sweep of his amethyst blade, ending Jango's long and storied career.

Legacy#

Fett's clones became the soldiers of the Grand Army of the Republic, loyal to the Republic and the Jedi, who encouraged them to embrace their individuality rather than think in lockstep. The Sith would ultimately turn that same army against the Jedi as their secret weapon.

His death inspired his son to pursue a vendetta against Windu. Teaming with Aurra Sing, the Trandoshan Bossk, and the Klatooinian Castas, Boba sabotaged Windu's Star Destroyer Endurance above Vanqor and planted a bomb in Jango's helmet for the Jedi to find, though both attempts failed. Boba followed in his father's footsteps to become a freelance bounty hunter and, like Jango before him, came to be seen as the galaxy's best. He inherited Slave I, which passed through the hands of Aurra Sing and Hondo Ohnaka before Boba reclaimed it, and he kept his father's armor, growing angry when other hunters disrespected the ship that had belonged to Jango. On Mandalore, Prime Minister Almec dismissed Fett as a common bounty hunter rather than a true Mandalorian, despite the armor he wore.