As a fan of the galactic bounty hunter Boba Fett, I am constantly impressed with the number of people who try to fashion themselves after him. As a costumer, I have seen women and men, young and old, all trying to recreate the Mandalorian look. Some try to imitate his armor, others go for his helmet or jetpack and still others even try to act like him.
Thing is though, there is no cultural reason for any of this . . . yet! Fandom has given us some of the most iconic characters in science fiction history, but where are all the Boba Fett Fan Clubs? Why not a Boba Fett con? What’s a Mandalorian New Year’s Eve without an authentic Mandalorian party?
Yes this sounds like I’m being snarky or sarcastic but I’m not. It is my hope that by creating more information about the Mandalorians and their culture that everyone will be able to put on their costumes with more accuracy and respect for what they are doing. For those who would say “But I like it how it is!”, please continue reading.
Below are 5 things that I feel should be done before dressing up as your favorite character and calling yourself a Mandalorian
I know I’m not alone in this, but sometimes I wish there was a list of things that Mandalorians should do before they go out to the Cantina and pretend to be our favorite character or wear that cool armor. There is a huge thing missing in our culture, and it’s called respect.
Treating something as a costume, not just head to toe but even accessories like blaster or throwing knives make us look like we are pretending to be someone we aren’t. Like any other living culture the Mandalorians have real people with real values and real passions. We can learn from those people without pretending to be them.
In the past two years I’ve met many new people within the Mandalorian community and its fantastic. They are really friendly and enthusiastic about joining the community. They always want to know what costume pieces to buy next, how to pronounce Dha Werda Verda, how best how to wield a Mando’ade weapon, etc… But one big problem is that most of them don’t seem to get the importance of respecting our culture.
If you want my advice on what Mandalorians should do before they dress up as someone they’re not:
1) Learn Basic Mando’a
I don’t expect everyone who reads this blog
Why do people want to dress up like Boba Fett? Is it because they think they will somehow become like him? I don’t think so. It’s more that they are in love with the idea of being a Mandalorian, and more importantly being a Mandalorian just like Boba Fett.
To be clear, this is not me bashing Star Wars fans or even the Mandalorians for that matter, I’m a huge fan of both and I could go on for days about them. This blog is merely an observation of what it means to be a Mandalorian and how some people may not know it as well as they think they do.
1.) A Mandalorian is a very unique culture with its own language, weapons, armor and views on honor. However, without knowing these things you’re not really dressing up like one. You’re dressing up in costume armor that looks like Boba Fett’s armor.
2.) Being a Mandalorian (if such a thing were possible) would be a full time job. It’s more than just the armor and the helmet; there’s also history to learn, customs to follow and possibly even a master to serve under. A true Mandalorian would know how to fight with their own weapons, how to
As a fan of the Star Wars saga who is also a Mandalorian (the order of warriors from the planet Mandalore), I’ve noticed that there are some things that those who want to dress up as Boba Fett or other characters haven’t done. This article gives you five suggestions to help you get started on your costuming journey.
1. Research the culture of the Mandalorians
Mandalorians were nomadic warriors who traveled around with their families in clans, or “spurs,” of several hundred individuals at a time. They spoke Mando’a (the language spoken by Jango Fett in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones) and lived by a set of codes called The Resol’nare . This code included five tenets, called ghaal’dul, meaning “old ways.”
2. Make friends with the Mandalorians in your area
This might seem like an odd suggestion, but it will help you learn about what it’s like to be part of this group and also give you some people to roleplay with. If you live near one of the groups (or if there is one nearby) reach out through Facebook and see if you can go to a meeting or two. It’s always good to have friends!
Before you dress up like Boba Fett and show up at a convention, there are some things you should know.
First of all, Star Wars isn’t about dressing up like a character and showing off how awesome that character is. It’s about the story, and how awesome characters are a part of that story.
Star Wars is primarily about people who do not dress up like Boba Fett, or any other character. They’re farmers, and soldiers, and mechanics, and cooks. Those people are just as much a part of Star Wars as anyone else. They’re just as awesome as any Mandalorian or Jedi or Sith Lord. Maybe more so because they had to work harder to get where they ended up than the Force-sensitive folks who could just leap into hyperspace at the drop of a hat.
Let’s be honest: if you’re dressing up to look like Boba Fett, then you want to be Boba Fett. And really, there’s nothing wrong with that; it’s perfectly natural. But you can’t be him. You’ll never be him, even if you have the costume down perfectly (and let me tell you from experience that costume is not easy to get right), because he’s different from everyone else in
Mandalorians are a mysterious and misunderstood culture. For example, most people think of them as little more than a group of bounty hunters that wear “cool” armor. This is true, but there is so much more to it than that.
