Why Does Boba Fett Take Off His Helmet In ‘The Book Of Boba Fett’?
The Book of Boba Fett is a new Disney+ series that allows us to see more of Boba Fett as a central character rather than just a cool minor character with limited lines and screen time. However, as we get to see more of Boba Fett’s character, what we also see is the fact that he is not shy about taking his helmet off in this series. So, why is it that Boba Fett takes his helmet off quite often?
Boba Fett takes his helmet off from time to time and does not keep it on even in front of other people because he is not a true Mandalorian and was not raised as a Mandalorian. His father, Jango Fett, might be a Mandalorian foundling, but both he and Boba were never traditional Mandalorians.
If you have seen the other Star Wars series involving Mandalorians, one of the things you will notice is that the Mandalorians are not really shy about taking their helmets off and revealing their faces to other people. In that regard, Din Djarin of The Mandalorian tends to be a rarity, as he is not the same as Boba, who doesn’t mind showing his face.
Why Does Boba Fett Take Off His Helmet?
Boba Fett is no doubt one of the most popular characters in the entire Star Wars canon. One of the reasons why he was as popular as he was back in the first trilogy can be attributed to the cool and stern attitude he carries. Of course, the fact that he wears cool armor and never shows off his face in the original trilogy is one of the reasons why plenty of people are drawn to him.
That said, one of the things you will quickly notice in The Book of Boba Fett, which focuses on Boba Fett as the central character, is that Boba Fett is not shy about taking his helmet off and showing his face to other people. We saw this in The Mandalorian when he was not afraid to show his face to other people. But he had a good excuse back then, as he didn’t have his armor for a few years.
However, in The Book of Boba Fett, he takes his helmet off regularly and in front of other people, even as he walks the streets of Tatooine. This may come as something surprising to old-school fans who loved the faceless Boba Fett of the original trilogy. So, with that said, why does Boba Fett take his helmet off in The Book of Boba Fett?
So, if you want to understand why Boba Fett takes his helmet off in The Book of Boba Fett, you need to look at Mandalorian culture on a deeper level. Of course, the fact that you are questioning why Boba Fett takes his helmet off means that you have also seen The Mandalorian.
When talking about Mandalorian culture, there are actually two different types of Mandalorian, and that is similar to our society today in the sense that there are those who are more modern and those who are more traditional.
In Mandalorian culture, the Mandalorians who adhere to the code in the strictest manner and are not allowed to show their faces to any person are the ones who are more traditional in their approach. At the same time, these are the Mandalorians who don’t look at being a Mandalorian as something that is tied to race or heritage. Instead, being a Mandalorian is more of a religion in the sense that those who were raised to follow the Mandalorian code are Mandalorians, regardless of whether or not they were born in Mandalore or to Mandalorian parents.
Meanwhile, there are Mandalorians who are more modern in their approach and are not shy about taking their helmets off to show their faces. These Mandalorians represent almost the entirety of Mandalorian society.
In a way, Boba Fett belongs to the Mandalorians, who are more modern. While Jango Fett may be a Mandalorian foundling and was raised as a Mandalorian, he grew up in a more modern Mandalorian culture that isn’t quite as strict as the traditional one. And given the fact that Jango was not a traditional Mandalorian and was not shy about showing his face to other people (as seen in Attack of the Clones), Boba was also raised in the same manner.
Can Other Mandalorians Remove Their Helmets?
As mentioned, the Mandalorians that can remove their helmets and show their faces to other people comprise the vast majority of the remaining Mandalorians in the galaxy. On the other hand, the ones who look at Mandalorian culture as a religion or a code are the ones that are rare.
In that regard, almost all of the Mandalorians in the galaxy can remove their helmets. Aside from Boba, we also saw Mandalorians such as Bo-Katan and Koska Reeves taking their helmets off in The Mandalorian. On top of that, if you followed Star Wars: Clone Wars, you will see that almost everyone on the planet of Mandalore is not shy about taking showing their faces.
Why Some Mandalorians Can Remove Their Helmets While Others Can’t
Going back, we mentioned that there are Mandalorians who are more traditional in their approach, as they look at being a Mandalorian as following a code. So, in a way, these Mandalorians are similar to the modern-day religious zealots that may be few in numbers but are very devout and loyal to their beliefs.
So, in that sense, Mandalorians like Din Djarin and the rest of the other Mandalorians we saw in season 1 of The Mandalorian belong to that rare classification of Mandalorians. Most of such Mandalorians were actually foundlings that were raised to follow the Mandalorian code, which basically prohibits them from taking their helmets off and showing their faces to other people.
What Happened To Boba Fett’s Helmet?
If you have watched the episodes that involved Boba Fett in The Mandalorian, you would understand that Fett was not in possession of his armor for the longest time. In The Book of Boba Fett, it was revealed that Jawas stole his armor when he collapsed right after he escaped the Sarlacc.
So, in that regard, another reason that might explain why Boba Fett was now more comfortable taking his helmet off and showing off his face whenever it was possible can be attributed to the fact that he did not have his helmet and armor for years. In a way, he might have gotten used to living without wearing his helmet all time, even after he recovered his armor from Din Djarin.