-Levi Peterson
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If you’re familiar with Star Wars, then you know about the two main factions that most of the stories revolve around: the Jedi and Sith. But there is actually a third “main faction” in the universe as well! The Mandalorians were meant to act as a counter to the other two factions, a warrior race that could usually stand toe to toe with the force wielders of the universe, all while just being normal people themselves. They have not appeared much in the live action movies, but they are very important in the animated series set in the Star Wars universe.
They first appeared in an animated sketch from the Star Wars Holiday special, when we got our first glimpse at the soon to be infamous bounty hunter Bobba Fett. From there, the character was expanded more in The Empire Strikes Back. Darth Vader enlists several bounty hunters to hunt down the Millennium Falcon, and Bobba Fett is among them. Then, during the prequel movies, we are introduced to his “father” Jango Fett, who is the template by which the Grand Army of the Republic creates their clones. Clearly, Mandalorians are a fan favorite (andBobba specifically) but why? He had very little dialogue in Empire and not much else is said about him.
Personally, I attribute the fascination to his unique costume design, as well as his general interactions with the other characters, specifically Darth Vader. In A New Hope, it’s shown that not many characters who defy Darth Vader live long enough to regret it, and earlier in Empire Strikes Back, he had already killed several officers for failing him. However, during the lineup when the bounty hunters are first introduced, Vader stops in front of Bobba specifically to tell him “No disintegrations.” Ok cool, so that most likely means that he has a pretty brutal reputation, but hey, they are bounty hunters; it’s the name of the game. Next, we see the Falcon make its escape with Han Solo and the gang on board, only to have Bobba Fett follow them. This is significant because not only did he figure out where they were going, he did it quickly enough to contact Vader so they could arrive BEFORE them,with storm troopers in tow. Clearly, this guy is good.
Finally, the last interaction we see between him and Vader I feel really cements his reputation. Before they freeze Han Solo, they do not know if he will survive; when Bobba Fett remarks on this Vader replies “We will adequately compensate you,” instead of simply forcechoking him or tossing out a line about how ‘that's not the Empire’s concern.’ learly, even Vader respects him enough to make sure he still gets paid. And since then, Bobba Fett and the Mandalorians have been a growing part of the fandom and series as a whole. They have also been a popular subject of Star Wars cosplay since they are highly customizable; there are some very unique and amazing costumes out there!
The first step to starting a project is asking yourself what story this costume or prop will tell? In the case of Bobba Fett, his armour tells a story of a long and difficult career, from the dents and scratches in his armour to the Wookiee braids on his shoulder showing that he has at the very least beat some in a fight. When I was approaching the construction of my, kit I had no idea what story I wanted to tell; I had some vague concepts and ideas but that was about it, so my early attempts were a mess that didn't really fit together. Did I want to make a heavy weapon soldier carrying around a big gun, or was I going to make a city fighter who looked like he had been through the ringer? Eventually I decided to go back to the source material; I looked into uniform and vehicle designs from WWI & II since that was wear the majority of inspiration for Star Wars originated.. Finally, I settled on a WWI inspired “trench warfare specialist”.
And this is where I landed! A mostly brown or earthen color palette with some highlights to break up the monotony. But I ran into another problem; I have been working on this costume for so long that my crafting skills in general have gotten better than when I started, so I’ve been going back to improve certain aspects of the construction or adding new items to help me better tell my story. There is so much to cover in this one costume that I will expand upon it in future articles, to better show my creative process and to show how it's totally fine to scrap a project and start over even when you’ve spent almost a year working on it!
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