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We see in AotC that Jango shoots down a Jedi Knight pretty quick, but besides just being a gun-toting thug, is he actually good at the other elements of his job (bounty hunting)?

In the movie, he uses a sabredart unique to only 1 planet, that just so happens to be where he currently lives with his son. The planet also houses a bunch of secrets his employer presumably wants hidden.

Then, when he gets traced back, he very poorly tries to hide his armor after it's been clearly visible for a while. Then after battling Obi-Wan, he flies straight to his boss at the other secret base, leading the Jedi straight to them.

What, if any, is the canonical evidence that Jango Fett isn't just an idiot who is good with a gun?

CLARIFICATION: If it exists, canonical evidence from outside AotC is preferred, to create a sort of 'track record' of the character, in case Jango's actions in AotC were just inept writing as opposed to him being an inept character.

Buzz
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TVann
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    Your best bet is probably to find a comic he stars in or something, where plot allows him to be badass instead of an idiot. – DisturbedNeo Apr 06 '17 at 15:04
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    This answer makes the claim that Jango was deliberatedly leading the Jedi on and following orders in doing so. – Raidri Apr 06 '17 at 15:04
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    @Raidri, that question has some mixed answers, with good arguments on both sides. I was kind of hoping there might be other evidence of either Jango's ineptitude, or aptitude, which could actually help answer that question (aka, is it more likely he did it on purpose, given his track record X). – TVann Apr 06 '17 at 15:05
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    I think someone was inept in writing AotC, but that's besides the point – Machavity Apr 06 '17 at 15:05
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    We also see his son's jetpack get easily destroyed because he wasn't watching his own flank. That's Bounty Hunting 101: always watch your back. Then he doesn't even try not to get eaten by the Sarlacc. Simply rolls on in. Whatever Jango has, it must be genetic. – DCOPTimDowd Apr 06 '17 at 15:09
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    He must have done something right to be selected as the clone template. – Null Apr 06 '17 at 15:52
  • He had cool armor. That's genetic, right? The inferior clones just had the white stuff. – Michael Richardson Apr 06 '17 at 18:42
  • @Null wasn't that something related to the fact that he was good with a gun? –  Apr 06 '17 at 19:38
  • @Michael Canon is silent on why Jango was chosen to be the template. It's impossible to know how much of a factor his gun-toting skills were vs. other bounty hunting skills in Dooku's mind. In Legends (which this question excludes), Jango was selected after he killed a Dark Jedi named Komari Vosa, who had a bounty placed on her head by Dooku as a way to find a good candidate for the clones' template. – Null Apr 06 '17 at 19:44
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    @Machavity I joined this community just to upvote your comment. – Yatrix Apr 06 '17 at 20:59
  • @Null - perhaps clone templates were selected the same way US government does its job: lowest bidder? :>) – DVK-on-Ahch-To Apr 07 '17 at 04:05
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    Just as a side note, Boba Fett is also pretty inept in the original trilogy. He mostly stands around looking cool without really accomplishing much and then gets eaten by a sandworm in the end because he cannot properly control his own jetpack. The whole badassery was added later through EU material. – ComicSansMS Apr 07 '17 at 07:07
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    @ComicSansMS I don't know if this counts, but in a novelization I read, (and I havn't seen the film) Boba is the only one who isn't tricked by the Falcon's crew taking a trip through a Trashteroid field because he had fallen for that trick before. – Mark Gardner Apr 07 '17 at 17:08
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    @ComicSansMS - Oh let's not forget he has a clear shot at Luke and chooses to shoot a thin wire wrapping around him instead of an actual weapon that might kill him, like the blaster on his wrist clearly fired off right before Han smacks his top quality jet pack with a stick. Boba Fett is the biggest hoax in the original trilogy. That little creature on Jabba's tail is more of a bad ass than Bobatard fail. – Kai Qing Apr 07 '17 at 17:22
  • As some of the less popular answers are pointing out, Jango Fett's mistakes in AotC are not really mistakes. Look at the very convenient timing and how Darth Sidious' plans succeeded so elegantly as a result of these mistakes. It was all part of the plan. – Brandon Apr 09 '17 at 22:38

5 Answers5

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Inept is probably a bit too harsh, but Jango's attitude and actions certainly demonstrate a clear lack of competence and care.

  • He takes on dangerous assassination contracts despite being deeply embroiled in a long-term plot to take over the galaxy.

    He had been surprised when the Trade Federation had approached him with the offer. They had been adamant, explaining only that the death of the Senator was critical to securing necessary allies, and they had made an offer too lucrative for Jango to refuse, one that would set him and Boba up forever on a planet of their choosing.

  • He hires an incompetent assassin who allows herself to be seen by the Jedi and tracked.

  • His method of assassination is breathtakingly stupid. Why use poisonous centipedes when you could just plant another bomb?

  • He kills Zam Wessell but allows himself to be seen in his distinctive Mandalorian-style armour in the process.

    enter image description here

  • He uses a highly distinctive weapon that allows the Jedi to track him right to his door.

    enter image description here
    Episode II: Visual Dictionary

  • When the Jedi arrive, his armour (previously seen when he killed Zam Wesell) hasn't been put away safely.

    Unfortunately, in an unusual oversight, Jango had left his Mandalorian armour sitting in his bedroom's doorway and had not shut the door behind him. Consequently, when he realized that the Jedi had spotted it, Jango was forced to give ground.

    Star Wars: Fact File Vol 1. #82

  • When he talks to Obi-Wan, he doesn't have a suitable cover story and in fact admits to Obi-Wan that he's been to Coruscant recently. An outright refusal might have put him off the trail.

    Obi-Wan: Ever made your way as far into the interior as Coruscant?
    Jango: Once or twice.
    Obi-Wan: Recently?
    Jango: Possibly.

  • When escaping from the Jedi, he allows his ship to be bugged. Instead of stopping at a nearby asteroid or planetoid to inspect his ship after the conflict, he travels directly to the Separatist stronghold.

  • On realising he's being followed, he fails in his attempt to blow up his pursuer. He doesn't make certain they're dead, just assumes it, then travels directly to the Separatist stronghold HQ.

  • Despite functioning as Dooku's bodyguard, he's too interested in what's happening in the arena to notice the arrival of a Jedi Master directly behind him.

    Mace Windu stood next to Jango, his lightsaber glowing a clear purple. The noise of the crowd must have covered the sound when he ignited it, Dooku thought. He hid his surprise with an elegant nod of welcome. “Master Windu, how pleasant of you to join us. You’re just in time for the moment of truth.” He gestured at the arena. “I think these two new boys of yours could use a little more training.”

  • When confronted by Mace Windu, he allows himself to be killed because of a malfunctioning piece of equipment when he could have simply run away.

Valorum
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    While these are all good points, out of curiosity, are there any others (canonical) besides what we see in AotC? – TVann Apr 06 '17 at 15:18
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    Did Fett know Obi-Wan had arrived on Kamino? If not then I hardly see it as an oversight that he left his armor sitting around in his own home. And regarding his death, I don't think running away would have done him any good -- Windu is a Jedi who could either use the Force to outrun him or throw his lightsaber at Fett; Fett's best chance was probably exactly what he did -- fire at Windu to try to stall him and hope that someone else attacked/distracted Windu. Frankly, I've always thought that Windu performed awfully poorly against Fett for such a vaunted Jedi. – Null Apr 06 '17 at 15:50
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    @Null - The novelisation indicates that he had extensive time to clean up his crap. He spotted Obi-Wan's ship on the dock, inspected it, determined that it was probably a Jedi vessel, then went back to his quarters to await the arrival of the Jedi who he was hoping to pump for information. – Valorum Apr 06 '17 at 15:56
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    @Null - Chasing Windu down into the arena was a substantial tactical error. When your enemy jumps into a crossfire, joining him seems deeply unwise. – Valorum Apr 06 '17 at 15:58
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    Fett could fight well against Jedi as long as he had his jetpack, so that wasn't a tactical error. Fett was doing fine against Windu until his jetpack was destroyed by a reek. The fact that Windu needed help from a reek to kill Fett is why I consider Windu's performance in that fight awfully poor. – Null Apr 06 '17 at 16:04
  • Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat. – Null Apr 06 '17 at 21:40
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    I always thought that Jango's incompetence was feigned. After all, if he wasn't so "incompetent", the Clone Wars would not start on schedule. And starting Clone Wars is what his employers wanted. He led Obi-Wan around to provoke the battle on Geonosis. – Petersaber Apr 06 '17 at 21:58
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    Leading a Jedi to Kamino is needed for the plot. Otherwise, the clone army will never be found and the takeover of the galaxy will never happened. – Donny Kurnia Apr 07 '17 at 07:08
  • @DonnyKurnia - Palpatine knows about the army. He can arrange to have it "found" whenever he pleases. Jango leading the Jedi there was wholly unexpected. – Valorum Apr 07 '17 at 09:08
  • @Petersaber - All the evidence points to the Clone Wars not starting on schedule. They actually started rather earlier than Palpatine had intended. It didn't matter though because he still got what he wanted. – Valorum Apr 07 '17 at 09:20
  • Great answer but I take a different view of the "Have you been in Coruscant?" issue; at that point is clear that Obi-Wan suspects of Jango Fett and he does not know what Obi-Wan knows or not; if Obi-Wan knows for a fact that Jango had been indeed in Coruscant denying it would mark Jango as guilty; an ambiguous answer does not give much information (Coruscant is a big world and the capital of the Republic, so there must be lots of beings visiting for lots of reasons). – SJuan76 Apr 07 '17 at 13:28
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    Doesn't the quoted Fact File seem to indicate that Jango just had a bad day rather than he was chronically inept, since it calls it "an unusual oversight"? – TVann Apr 07 '17 at 13:39
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    @TVann - Yes but taken along with his other mistakes, perhaps we might be a little less generous than the Fact Files writer. – Valorum Apr 07 '17 at 14:07
  • @Valorum Some thoughts: First bullet - Does Jango know anything of the plot beyond simply being on retainer for Tyrannus and helping w/ the Clones? Second bullet - Is Zam really incompetent when being seen is irrelevant (shapeshifter) and she would have escaped had it not been for Jedi magic cheatery (sensing her)? Third bullet - The centipedes were Zam's I thought, not Jango's. Final bullet - Without a jetpack, would he have been able to run away from Mace Windu, a Jedi Master? – TVann Apr 10 '17 at 14:19
  • @TVAnn - Why would you program the droid to come back to you? Zam knew there were Jedi so being seen is a really big deal. – Valorum Apr 10 '17 at 14:31
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    @Valorum It is likely that there are non-Force techniques of investigation Zam was more worried about (forensics, recover the droid's memory, perhaps more). It stands to reason that Zam would have been more familiar with mundane/technological investigation methods than with Jedi abilities, and would have wanted the droid in her own control to dispose of in an untraceable manner (memory wipe, incinerate, etc.). Also as a shapeshifter on Coruscant, assuming she is unaware of how Jedi powers work (which seems plausible), shifting and blending into a crowd to escape notice (as she did) is easy. – TVann Apr 10 '17 at 14:46
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    @TVann - Jango gave the centipedes to Zam. It was his idea, and her execution. – Valorum Apr 10 '17 at 14:49
  • @Valorum For the sake of completeness, could the answer include examples of other bounty hunters that are more competent, especially in dealing with a Jedi, so its clear these are Jango's mistakes and not simply the usual "Jedi win because they are better"? – TVann Apr 10 '17 at 15:16
  • @TVann - That's really beyond the scope of the question. Perhaps you might like to ask something like "Has anyone outwitted a Jedi?" as a new question. – Valorum Apr 10 '17 at 15:40
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    @Valorum yet he chooses Jango to play as his pawn, to reveal the clone army to the Jedi council. This is his plan all along, to "try" assassinate Padme over and over time. – Donny Kurnia Apr 11 '17 at 19:03
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    @DonnyKurnia - I appreciate that you may feel that way, but there's simply no proof in any level of canon that Palpatine intended for Jango to reveal the army to the Jedi. There's no evidence that it was anything other than a happy coincidence that it worked in his favour. – Valorum Apr 11 '17 at 19:15
  • @Null In fact, if you look closely, it seems pretty visible that Jango was timing his escape with the jetpack perfectly - and was surprised when it didn't work and he lost his head. That's why it seemed like he just stood there waiting to be killed - he didn't notice his jetpack was damaged by the reek. As for Windu's performance... it was pretty clear that battles like this are extremely unfavorable to the Jedi, given how many otherwise easy to deflect blasts killed so many Jedi. Windu in particular also uses a rather heavy combat style designed to fight other force/saber users. – Luaan Oct 31 '17 at 13:57
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Jango Fett is actually extremely skilled in looking inept. His employers are Sith. And what do Sith really want? To kill Padme and free Anakin of attachments? To hide Kamino forever from the Jedi? To let the Separatist plans be undiscovered and therefore postpone war? Or something entirely opposite? Think outside the box, think like Palpatine. And remember, Jango Fett is among the best bounty hunters in the entire galaxy.

EDIT: For those who doubt Fett's abilities, he was selected to be genetic template for Clone Army by Dooku (and paid handsomely). He managed to kill Jedi Master Coleman Trebor, member of Jedi High Council. Some time before he captured Anakin Skywalker, although Anakin didn't have lightsaber at that time. This is all part of the Canon, so there is no doubt he was top notch bounty hunter. And I don't even want to go to Legends, where his character is much more developed.

rs.29
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    "remember, Jango Fett is among best bounty hunters in the entire galaxy" - that assumption is exactly what OP questions, and Valorum's answer provides evidence that this is not true. You could improve your answer by adding some facts that would support you - maybe anything fro Legends? – Gallifreyan Apr 06 '17 at 17:58
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    @Gallifreyan The OP is specifically excluding Legends. Fett is among the best bounty hunters in the galaxy in Legends, but Disney has made him a Mandalorian poser in canon. – Null Apr 06 '17 at 18:34
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    @rs I think this is the right answer, but you need to provide some details. Raidri linked an answer in a comment on OP's question that had pretty much all of the details you need. – BlackThorn Apr 06 '17 at 19:11
  • @Null I think blame is on Lucas Arts not Disney for this one. – CodingFeles Apr 07 '17 at 02:30
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    he was selected to be genetic template for Clone Army by Dooku

    "Idiot with a gun" could be precisely what Dooku was after, and remember they fixed it to make the clones able to follow orders.

     – Odalrick Apr 07 '17 at 13:37
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    He's so skilled in looking inept he lets the Jedi chop off his head. Now that's devotion to the job! – Schwern Apr 07 '17 at 18:14
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    @Schwern - I guess that's one way to .... get ahead? – Valorum Apr 07 '17 at 19:53
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    @Valorum YEEEAAAAAHHHHHH!!! – Schwern Apr 07 '17 at 20:18
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    @Schwern Ok, Fett is idiot with gun, and he cannot do anything right, he just piles up mistake after mistake. But somehow all those mistakes turn to be right choices for his masters - the Sith ;) Sort of like Jar Jar in reverse. – rs.29 Apr 07 '17 at 21:44
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    This sort of thing comes up a lot in Sith plans. Everyone mocks the Death Star stormtroopers in ANH for being terrible shots, but they were under orders to put on a good show and let the rebels escape. – Phasma Felis Apr 08 '17 at 06:17
  • "For those who doubt Fett's abilities, he was selected to be genetic template for Clone Army by Dooku" - I don't think that quite makes the point you want it to make. – aroth Apr 10 '17 at 05:42
  • @aroth Stormtroopers are not clones, they just wear a similar armor (SW: Rebels shows us imperial cadets and their training, and they are non-clones). – TVann Apr 10 '17 at 14:21
  • @TVann Actually, some are - including many of Vader's Fist (who were present on the Death Star, and possibly involved in the play). It's just that cloning wasn't nearly fast enough to fill in the ranks needed for the new roles of the Repu... Imperial Army, so they also instituted conscription. – Luaan Oct 31 '17 at 14:01
  • @Luaan Canon or Legends? – TVann Nov 05 '17 at 00:18
  • @TVann It was certainly in Legends; Vader's original troops stood with him as long as they lasted - and those were the guys who stormed Tantive IV. The old Battlefront II had some script from Vader's Fist that included quips like "these new non-clone guys just aren't the same". Other Legends works note that while the old clones are mostly retired now, there are some imperial generals who still prefer clones - but the old clones are too old now (not sure if new are being produced). Canon... certainly the first troopers were. By the time of ANH? No idea. It's too mixed up in my head :D – Luaan Nov 06 '17 at 09:34
  • @TVann I just found a recent canon reference - Smuggler's run (2015) has the last clone trooper in service, TX-828 - a sergeant in the Stormtrooper corps. He's still in service after the battle of Yavin. He is certainly treated as an exception, though - and only capable of service because he was bred right before the end of the clone wars, putting his biological age at around 40 years, while his average surviving brothers could be 60-80 years old at this point. – Luaan Nov 06 '17 at 09:54
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Sidious' grand scheme included making sure the clone army was to be usable by the Republic at just the right moment when a war-caused state of emergency gave chancellor Palpatine full control over said army. And Jango did a great job for him here - in one turn, he:

  • led Obi-Wan to Kamino via a uniquely originated weapon, providing the Republic with an army no one remembered ordering
  • led the same Jedi directly on to Geonosis, leading to the Clone Wars which suddenly made said army very convenient

But that was Sidious' plan, not Fett's. I don't think there is actual evidence to truly support or deny Jango's competence. But the fact that he was chosen to be the clone template suggests he was both physically capable and competent at following orders (while the Clones' upbringing made them obedient anyway, I don't think a genetic trait for obedience might harm). It stands to reason that he was specifically ordered to use the Kaminoean dart to lure the Jedi to Kamino.

Sidious would however not be the Sith Lord he was had he told Jango Fett the full truth about his plans. But his plan did very precisely play out, so it stands to reason that he also ordered Fett to not only convincingly fail at killing his pursuers but even give them a realistic window of opportunity to track him a second time. The Sith don't take failing lightly, so Jango Fett would very likely not have been standing next to Count Dooku later on. Or stand at all.

tl;dr: Jango Fett was competent enough to play a significant part in Darth Sidious' plan (both as clone-template and in giving him his Clone army), though probably not actually clever.

Zommuter
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  • I've reluctantly downvoted. There's zero evidence that Fett was told to botch the assassination and loads of evidence to show that he was trying really very hard to kill Padmé. – Valorum Apr 09 '17 at 18:06
  • @Valorum Fair enough, though my view on that is that he just was very convincing ;) Your own answer is quite exhaustive, but still I'm still not convinced... – Zommuter Apr 09 '17 at 18:26
  • I'm tempted to ask a new question "Was Jango really trying to kill Padmé" and self-answer it. Suffice to say the answer is "*Yes, of course he bloody was"* – Valorum Apr 09 '17 at 18:30
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    The last point, about Jango paying no price for what would be a pretty serious fluff-up if it weren't the plan, is quite telling. It's also a lot harder to make a deliberate failure look like a real attempt than it is to just plain succeed, so he was apparently quite intelligent and competent at more than just shooting things if he was able to pull this off. – jscs Apr 09 '17 at 18:45
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Jango Fett was most definitely not inept. At least, he was not intended to be, at the time.

As another answer has brought up, Jango was used as the template for the clone army. While this does not necessarily shed light on his own ability, the means in which he was chosen certainly does. The story is told through the video game, "Star Wars: Bounty Hunter"; it certainly does not constitute canon, these days, but it was written and developed by Lucas Arts at the same time as Attack of the Clones; and thus it gives insight into the author's intentions, regarding the character.

In order to be chosen as the template for the clones, Jango Fett has to complete a particularly challenging bounty task, set up as a 'competition' of sorts among several bounty hunters who were considered 'the best'. The penultimate task was to kill a Dark Jedi. In other words, Jango Fett was chosen as a template for the clone army due to his ability, specifically his ability to kill a Jedi. This is certainly not a skill you would equate to 'being inept'.

Fett arrives on Kohlma, the hideout of the Bando Gora. He arrives at Vosa's castle, where he finds Montross waiting for him. They duel a final time with Montross wearing his Mandalorian helmet and jetpack. Jango finally defeats Montross, who wishes to have a warrior's death. Fett, as a means of revenge for his murder of Rozatta, lets the Bando Gora tear Montross to pieces as he walks away. Upon entering the castle, he is taken prisoner. He is tortured both physically and mentally by Vosa. However, Wesell then arrives, but is injured by Vosa. As Vosa moves to kill her, Wesell blasts Jango's restraints, freeing him. Fett follows a fleeing Vosa through the castle and ultimately fatally wounds her. As she lies defeated she is force choked by Darth Tyranus, who then steps from the shadows. Tyranus explains that the entire ordeal was a test, and that Fett has passed with flying colors. He offers Fett a considerably larger sum to go to Kamino, to be the template for a clone army. Fett agrees, on the condition that he gets the first unaltered clone for himself.
- Ending summary for "Star Wars: Bounty Hunter" @ Wikipedia

Again, one might consider the above a moot point, considering this lore has since been disowned. However, it certainly gives us insights into how Lucas Arts were attempting to portray the character.

Gnemlock
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If you remember back to when Count Dooku was a Jedi, he and a bunch of other Jedis were sent to Galidraan to deal with a purported Mandalorian attack. Scheming and what not aside, basically it ended with the Jedi fighting the Mandalorians, led by none other than Jango Fett. It's said that Fett killed several Jedi with his bare hands before being captured, and this was what led Dooku to recruit him for the Clone Army.

Therefore I would attribute Jango Fett's ineptitude more to the terrible writing of the non-original trilogy Star Wars movies.

As a side note, his son, Boba Fett, also took down 4 IG-88 droids single-handedly, 3 of them simultaneously.

Ethan P
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  • Didn't he take down only 3 IG-88s of which 2 simultaneously? (1 on bespin, 2 on tatooine.) – Andy Apr 07 '17 at 09:36
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    Are these events from Legends, or canon? If canon, can you provide sources? Thanks. – TVann Apr 07 '17 at 13:36