In Star Wars lore, the Mandalorians were an ancient warrior class, stretching thousands of years back to the early days of the Old Republic. As we see in The Mandalorian, wearing the helmets at all times was a sacred duty to warriors who followed the Mandalorian code. The helmets were crafted from blaster- and lightsaber-resistant beskar steel, which alone makes it a must-have to increase your odds of surviving the dangerous Star Wars galaxy. But they also supported a whole array of other technology and tools to make Mandalorians feared opponents in battle. It’s no wonder why the renowned bounty hunter Boba Fett would adopt the Mandalorian armour for himself, following in the tradition of his father, Jango Fett — neither of whom otherwise subscribed to the Mandalorian creed. If you manage to get your hands on an authentic Mandalorian helmet, here’s what superpowers you could have.
See over great distances
The most common feature of the Mandalorian helmet is a robust telescopic zoom lens and rangefinding function. It’s shown in just about every Mandalorian helmet in Rebels and The Clone Wars, and we also see Din Djarin use it several times in The Mandalorian. On many helmets, the magnification ability seems to be linked to their targeting rangefinder, which looks like a sort of antenna when it’s stored in the up position. You often see Mandalorians flip the rangefinder down in front of their eye if they need a good look at their target. Djarin, however, does not have the rangefinder mounted to the side of his helmet like Boba Fett, and instead the telescopic zoom function is controlled by an interface he wears on his left arm.
Track a starship
Boba Fett’s most clever move is also the first time we really see him in action: After Han Solo announces his plan to finally escape Darth Vader’s pursuit in The Empire Strikes Back by floating away with Star Destroyer garbage, we spot Fett’s ship the Slave I following close behind. In his cockpit, we see Boba Fett with his targeting rangefinder down and peering into some sort of scope or monitor. In all likelihood, Boba Fett uses the combination of his targeting scope and the Slave I’s navigation computer to analyze the Millennium Falcon’s course and beat Han Solo to Bespin with enough time to set up a trap in Lando Calrissian’s dining room.
Scan footprints
Back down on the ground, the thermal imaging capability of the Mandalorian helmet could penetrate thick walls. At the same time, the thermal enhancement was sophisticated enough to be able to spot fresh footprints while pursuing a quarry. In The Mandalorian episode “Sanctuary”, Din Djarin tracks former Rebel trooper Cara Dune after he suspects she’s captured the Child. Djarin mentions using his helmet to find footprints again in the season finale episode “Redemption” as he’s searching the tunnels for a way back to the Mandalorian covert.
Watch your back
According to Star Wars: Attack of the Clones: The Visual Dictionary, Jango Fett’s helmet includes a novel feature that was never shown in the movies. Around the crown of the helmet is a “pineal eye sensor” that allows Jango Fett to see behind him. Handy to have if you’re worried about someone sneaking up behind you, or to keep total tactical awareness during a fight.
Set a trap
Mace Windu beheaded Jango Fett during the Battle of Geonosis, and the child Boba Fett swore revenge against the Jedi master. After infiltrating a group of young clone trainees, his first attempts on Windu’s life only resulted in crashing a Republic cruiser — which Windu survived. But when Windu and Anakin Skywalker inspected the wreckage in the Clone Wars episode “R2-D2 Come Home,” they spotted Jango Fett’s helmet. Anakin picked it up to investigate, triggering a bomb the young Boba Fett had hidden inside. The explosion trapped the Jedis under the rubble, until R2-D2 could bring help to rescue them.
Listen in on conversations
In The Mandalorian episode “The Lie,” Din Djarin uses the powerful thermal imaging scope of his rifle to look through the walls of a building to see the Client and Dr. Pershing discussing the Yoda-like Child. What’s even more impressive, the Mandalorian presses a button on the side of his helmet, allowing him to clearly hear the Client instruct the doctor to “extract the necessary material and be done with [the Child.]” Hearing that they plan to kill the creature spurs Djarin to rescue it, severing his relationship to the Bounty Hunter’s guild and forcing him to go on the run.
Mount a headlamp
You might be wondering why, if your helmet already has thermal vision to grant the ability to see in the dark and through walls, a Mandalorian would need to attach a torch to their helmet as Din Djarin does in the season finale episode “Redemption.” But while thermal vision is helpful for tracking warm bodies, it’s less useful in the cold vacuum of space where you might need to repair your spaceship on the fly or work the ship controls after a sudden power failure. Djarin seems to attach his headlamp mostly out of courtesy, allowing Cara Dune and Greef Karga to follow him in the tunnels below Nevarro.
Trick it out
Mandalorian helmets are instantly recognizable throughout the galaxy, with a rounded top and a T-shaped visor that completely covers the face. Yet few of these helmets are identical, leaving the wearer considerable flexibility to customize the exact look of their armour. Compared to Din Djarin’s relatively unadorned bucket, Boba Fett has painted his helmet red and green. Sabine Wren covered her helmet with colourful designs. While that personal flair reflected her independent personality, even Sabine’s no-nonsense mother, clan leader Ursa Wren, sports a detailed yellow design on her helmet. In The Mandalorian, the humourless Armorer has adorned her helmet with spikes and ornate metalwork. It’s a surprising amount of personal freedom considering the Mandalorians’ strict code and reverence to their armour. But in a society where everyone must keep their helmet on at all times, the customization is probably necessary to distinguish who’s who.
Launch a missile
In the Rebels animated series, Manadorians frequently attack with the single missile from their jetpacks. But only in the most recent “The Marshal” episode of The Mandalorian do we see someone actually use the helmet to target the jetpack missile. The episode’s titular Marshal, using Boba Fett’s helmet that he acquired from some Tatooine Jawas, tilts down the targeting rangefinder and uses it to get a missile lock on a fleeing landspeeder. The Marshal fires the missile again later in the episode against a krayt dragon. Fans might even recognize that when Boba Fett’s helmet locks in a target, it makes a similar trilling chime tone as Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter does during the Death Star attack in A New Hope.
