It’s been 23 years sinceStar Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clonesfirst premiered, and I can’t believe that thisStar Warsmystery from the movie still hasn’t been solved. One thing aboutStar Warsis that it often finds a way to explain every minute detail of the movies, to the point where those who are the most well-versed inStar Warsknowledge can identify just about every species, object, and more - with few exceptions. This is especially true for theStar Warsprequel trilogy, which was certainly placed under a microscope.
Oddly enough, though, one specific mystery inAttack of the ClonessurroundingJango Fettdid not receive this same treatment. Fans have been left wondering for years how they can solve this mystery, and in the two decades since this movie was released,Star Warsstill hasn’t aided in that effort. What mystery has the franchise continued to leave unanswered even today, and what are the possible explanations fans have been trying to come up with?
Jango Fett’s “Boba, Rood Eht So-Heeck” Still Hasn’t Been Translated
Most Star Wars Languages Have Been Identified & Translated
While conversing with Obi-Wan Kenobi onKaminofor the first time inAttack of the Clones, Jango speaks to Boba and says “Boba, rood eht so-heeck” - a phrase with a specific spelling that’s shown in the captions, but is never given a translation. For a galaxy as big asStar Wars, it’s not surprising to hear different languages, butthe franchise hasn’t even gone to the lengths of sharing what language Jango is speaking here. That’s extremely odd, given the fact thatStar Warshas not only identified plenty of languages before, but has also translated several key phrases.
Why Didn’t Obi-Wan & The Jedi Council Question The Creation Of The Clone Army On Kamino?
The prequel trilogy Jedi Order made a number of mistakes, but perhaps their gravest error of all was accepting the clone army so willingly.
Though the context in which Jango uses this phrase can help to deduce what it may mean, in that it has to do with Boba helping to hide Jango’s armor, that’s not the major takeaway here. What’s significant is thatStar Wars, for whatever reason, has seemed to completely ignore this mysterious language for decades, despite how precise they are usually in identifying things like that. While there are a few possibilities as to what this language could be, none have been confirmed, and are in fact far from that.
Is This Mando’a, Another Language, Or Their Own Secret Code?
There Are Several Possibilities, But No Confirmation
Given the fact that Jango was canonically aMandalorian foundling, as shared inThe Mandalorianseason 2, then it stands to reason that Jango would have known Mando’a. This is especially true when looking at his armor, which utilizes Mando’a lettering - something even Boba continues to use. It would make sense, then, if this phrase was Mando’a, thoughthat language has been quite fleshed out in the years followingAttack of the Clones, and none of these words, or the phrase as a whole, have ever been identifiedas such.
Despite being fleshed out in novels and more, Mando’a is rarely used inStar Warsitself, having only been heard inStar Wars: The Clone WarsandThe Book of Boba Fettat the time of writing.
It could be, then, thatStar Warssimply hasn’t decided what new language this is, or that Jango and Boba made up their own secret code to maintain secrecy. The latter seems especially likely, given thatJango would likely have wanted to keep some secrets from the Kaminoans, among others, like Obi-Wan. Even if this is the case, it would be nice to have thisAttack of the Clonesmystery solved one day, especially now that it’s been well over two decades since these words were first spoken.
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
Cast
Years after the events of The Phantom Menace, the Skywalker Saga continues with Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones. When Senator Padme Amidala’s life is threatened, Jedi Knights Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker are tasked with her protection. While Obi-Wan uncovers a clone army made in secret, Anakin falls in love with Padme, marking the beginning of his inevitable fall to the dark side of the Force.
