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Why Boba Fett Removes His Helmet (But The Mandalorian Doesn’t)

Boba Fett has no problem taking his helmet off & showing his face in Book of Boba Fett, but it's a big issue for Din Djarin in The Mandalorian — why?

Warning! Spoilers ahead for The Book of Boba Fett.

Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) constantly removes his helmet in The Book of Boba Fett, but not Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) in The Mandalorian — why? After Jon Favreau delivered Lucasfilm’s first live-action Star Wars series, the producer returns for its first spin-off series that centers on the fan-favorite bounty hunter. This time, however, Book of Boba Fett delves deeper into Boba Fett’s story, including revealing how he survived the sarlacc pit fall in Return of the Jedi in relation to his present mission to be Mos Espa’s new crime lord.

The return of Boba Fett had long been rumored before his own show on Disney+ was greenlit. For a while, he was supposed to star in a solo movie but it didn’t push through. When The Mandalorian was first announced, many presumed that it would primarily feature him which also wasn’t the case. Lucasfilm finally put all the speculations to rest when The Mandalorian season 2, episode 1, “Chapter 9: The Marshal” ended with the confirmation that Boba Fett did manage to get out of the sarlacc pit. The Book of Boba Fett follows him after his encounter with Din and Grogu, revealing his next move alongside his trusted assistant, Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen).

However, the decision to let Boba Fett and Din’s paths cross in The Mandalorian inevitably raised a new question: why does Mando have a difficult time removing his helmet but not his bounty hunter predecessor? The answer lies in the pair’s different upbringing. While both are so-called younglings, they were raised differently. As Din learned in his initial encounter with Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff), he was a Child of the Watch, effectively making him a part of a “cult of religious zealots” who wanted to stick to the Mandalorian’s stricter code. This included the non-removal of one’s helmet. Meanwhile, Boba Fett, although taught of the ways of the Mandalorians, doesn’t really adhere to any of their rules. As a clone, he doesn’t have any home planet and wasn’t immersed in Mandalorian culture to be invested in them. In fact, Boba Fett doesn’t see himself as a Mandalorian as he claimed in The Mandalorian. This backs up Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ idea that Jango Fett wasn’t also a Mandalorian, but merely a bounty hunter who got a hold of an armor.

Interestingly, between Din and Boba Fett, the latter’s stance on the removal of helmets is more aligned to actual Mandalorian principles as the former is following an outdated rule. Like most Mandalorians throughout Star Wars history, the fan-favorite bounty hunter has removed his helmet in almost all of his appearances. Bo-Katan, Koska Reeves (Sasha Banks), and, Sabine Wren, who’ll make her live-action debut in Ahsoka, among others, have freely shown their faces. From a storytelling perspective, Boba Fett removing his helmet offers The Book of Boba Fett better opportunities to tell compelling stories. Had it not been for it, the show wouldn’t have been able to properly reveal what happened following his survival from the sarlacc pit and his subsequent bout with the Tusken Raiders. Similarly, the show wouldn’t have been able to convey the obvious physical and psychological pain he’s going through every time he gets himself inside the bacta tank. It also gives Morrison the chance to flex his acting muscles as Boba Fett in the show.

As for Din, The Mandalorian season 3 will continue to challenge his existing beliefs in terms of being a Mandalorian. His stance on the helmet rule is evolving and he could completely break it moving forward. This would play an important part in his next adventure now that Baby Yoda is gone and he’s positioned to be the leader of the Mandalorians being the righteous owner of the Darksaber. From there, it’s curious if his and Boba Fett’s paths will ever cross again.

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