You may wonder where the symbol for the new Scum and Villainy set comes from and what it represents. Until now, much of the symbol's history has been a mystery. However, after searching through the history of those wearing it, a complete understanding of the symbol can be gleaned.*

It is the insignia of Journeyman Protectors as worn by Jaster Mereel's regiment during the Mandalorian Civil War, which occurred primarily outside of Mandalorian space and the reach of Mandalorian law.

The Mandalorian Civil War
The war began after Jaster Mereel, the "Mandalore" (leader of the clans), wrote the Supercommando Codex that outlined an honorable system of war and service. A man named Vizsla formed a band of mercenaries, called Death Watch, who wished to continue the old "dishonorable ways" and conquor the galaxy, opposing Mereel. As a result, Jaster formed the True Mandalorians and the two factions fought a long and bloody war that nearly brought the extinction of the Mandalorian Supercommandos. Eventually, Vizsla was defeated by Jango Fett at the Death Watch bunker on Endor and was later killed by Boba on Corellia.

Jaster Mereel was Jango Fett's mentor. Both Jango and Boba Fett's armors bore the symbols of Jaster's Journeyman Protectors and the True Mandalorians (the animal skull). In fact, Boba Fett's own armor once belonged to Jaster Mereel himself. It is interesting to note, though, that neither Jango, nor his father were Mandalorian, though their home world, Concord Dawn, was in Mandalorian space.

For the Fetts, it is a proud legacy, having been handed from Jango's father to him, and from Jango to Boba, each of which served as Journeyman Protectors on Concord Dawn.

The Crest
As a major crop of Concord Dawn, a farm world, wheat was an apt symbol for the prosperity and tenacity of its Journeyman Protectors, as well as their ability to live off the land. Jango Fett himself lived by a wheat field on Concord Dawn. You will also notice that each tier of the stalk appears as crescent-shaped, as light shining on planetary bodies, and that the point of the stalk is much like the point of a spear, lance, or javelin. This is likely a purposeful representation of the Mandalorian territories, with Mandalore being the large one at the base of the stalk from which the others have sprouted. The others would be Gargan, Ordo, Shogun, and Concord Dawn, respectively.

The red drop above the blade of grass represents the last drop of blood of the Journeyman Protectors and their willingness to spend every drop of their blood to fulfill their assigned duties. The symbol that looks like a cursive "F" is actually the Mandalorian letter, Roh, or "R", and coincidentally stands for "fidelity". The use of these symbols in the crest were likely born as a result of the code of honor in the Supercommando Codex. The javelin extends outside the symbol to show that the Supercommando code is not bound by time or territory, but reaches beyond Mandalorian space, from before Mandalore and far into the future. This code of honor may be the reason for Boba's unparalleled success as a bounty hunter.

The Legacy of Jaster Mereel
The emblem is also found on the helmets of clones during the clone war. You can see it on the helmet of the clone whose fighter was destroyed after saying "They're all over me!" Jango himself trained the earliest 501st and many other clones. Along with their being cloned from him, this may be the reason for the symbol appearing on their helmets. The symbol of fidelity would have been very important to the clones, as well as to the Emperor, who demanded unquestioning loyalty from the clones.

Further Mandalorian influence of the clones is seen in the EU where we also see Mandalorian culture is infused in the clone community. Mandalorian battle songs are even sung by the clones in the Republic Commando video game. This symbol is just a small part of the culture shared between Mandalorians and Clones.

It's a distinguished heritage and gives the clones, and Boba Fett, a legacy of which to be proud of; the legacy of Jaster Mereel. It shows that, in spite of loyalty to a dark master, or independently serving those who pay the most, honor can be foremost in the life of a stormtrooper or bounty hunter.

This is not a set that gives a lot of focus on clones, but we can look forward to some stormtroopers, Boba-, and Jango-related cards, as well as finding many Bounty Hunters and cards benefiting them. We hope you enjoy the new set and look forward to bringing you more great sets.

*Note: The information in this article regarding the components of the emblem are speculative and based on no known information, as it has not been expounded on in the literature to date.

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About the Author
C. J. has been a player of the game since 2003 and was the Text Finalization Leader of the IDC Rules Sub-committee during FOTR and SAV. He is currently the Public Affairs Editor. C. J. has written many other articles for the IDC and Rebelbasers.com and has been a member of both the Wizards and Rebelbasers forums since January of 2004, posting under the name Corjay.