Why doesn't Jango lie to Obi-Wan about who hired him?

I love that scene where Obi-Wan and Jango first meet, but later it occurred to me that from Jango's perspective he shouldn't be telling Obi-Wan the truth. By admitting he's never heard of Sifo-Dyas, isn't he basically giving away way too much, since Lama Su just said Sifo-Dyas ordered the Jango clones? And wouldn't mentioning the name Tyranus lead the Jedi into trying to find out a lot more?

If this has already been addressed please let me know where to go. Otherwise anyone have any ideas?

 

Maybe he IS lying. Maybe he wasn't hired by Tyranus. Maybe he was hired by Sifo-Dyas and didn't want to admit it.

 

Jedi can sense when someone is lying to them. Better to tell a selective truth.

 

He doesn't have any reason to lie. I imagine he feels he can more than handle himself against a Jedi.

 

right. why lie? he's been payed already right? he just leaves. and yes, he probably knows you cant lie to a Jedi anyway.

 

Luuke Skywalker, I like your idea...I always enjoy speculating, and I definitely like the idea that there's something still left to be revealed about Sifo-Dyas.

But the thing that mostly gets me is: why drop the name Tyranus? A Jedi can't completely read 100% of your mind, can he? My hunch would be he'd at least try to keep that much secret.

 

Why? It's not like he knows what to do with it. In the screenplay, Jango had said, "Darth Tyranus," and Obi-Wan had no idea that it was a Sith name until talking to Yoda.

 

Well, that's it, because Obi-Wan would go to Yoda with the information and suddenly the entire Jedi Council would be extra alert for anything involving a Tyranus.

 

Right. Of which there would be nothing.

It's like the argument people had about TPM. "What if the Neimoidians tell the Jedi that Sidious was telling them what to do?" It's not like the name helps them. Just because they're looking for someone named Tyranus doesn't mean they're going to find any further evidence of him. Do you think Dooku was walking around and using the name to book short-term liaisons?

 

I agree with some of the earlier comments.
Jango is aware that is useless to lie to a Jedi. By using the name Tyranus he has given nothing away as Dooku does not use that name openly, rather he is still referred to by everyone as Count Dooku. Darth Sidious is the only other person in AOTC who refers to Dooku as Tyranus.

 

Maybe Obi-Wan used his jedi mind trick on Jango so he had to tell the truth..

 

I believe he didn't lie to him. I think Sifo-Dyas did hand pick him just like the Kaminoans say in the novel. Where? We may find out, we may not. Sifo-Dyas picked him, but Jango was approached/recruited by Tyranuss/Count Dooku, being that Dooku was the one who would pay him & fund the creation of the clone army creation.

 

The Jedi mind trick occurred to me, but the way the scene plays Jango seems to hold his own during the confrontation, he seems to be Obi-Wan's worthy opponent, not some weak-minded stormtrooper. I don't know, it just seems to me that if you're a bounty hunter there's just this sense of better safe than sorry, don't give away anything.

I actually like the scene the way it is for dramatic purposes. It just seems somehow strange to see Jango hint at the overall Tyrannus/Palpatine scheme of manipulating the two sides. (I admit it's a bigger hint to the viewer than to Obi-Wan.)

 

I think he told the truth about Tyrannus giving him the job. I guess he's just an honest guy... he doesn't tell the whole truth, but he doesn't tell a complete lie either:

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

 

He's just a simple man trying to make his way through the universe. Why should he lie to Obi Wan, he doesn't feel Obi Wan is any threat to him and he probably doesn't know about the plot to start a clone war until they get to Geonosis. Jango was just doing a job for a man call Tyranus.

 

He and Lama Su should have went over the story first.

 

I think once again everybody is missing the obvious point(s) here ...

Jango Fett is telling Obi-Wan everything that Dooku (and thus by extension Palpatine) wants the Jedi to find out.

He tells him he was hired by a man named Tyrannus and that he's never heard of Sifo-Dyas. So now the Jedi know he's (Jango) involved and that somebody named Tyranus is involved but yet, the man being cloned doesn't know the man who ordered the clones? It just throws more confusion into the ever growing mystery and still doesn't even slightly implicate the man behind it all.

When Obi-Wan calls Coruscant listen to him give the facts. He tells them that the cloners have no link to the assassination attempts even though they're cloning the assassin. Palpatine has manipulated everything ...

As I've said before, and I'll say again now, Palpatine is a brilliant man!

d.m.

 

Ret, I think you hit the nail on the head, Jango and Lama Su need to get their stories straight. I mean, imagine if Lama Su had been in the room:

Obi-Wan: So you must know Sifo-Dyas?
Jango: Never heard of him. I was recruited by a man named Tyranus.
Lama Su: (clears throat awkwardly); actually I believe what Mr Fett meant to say was..
Obi Wan: was what?
Jango: was, um...Master Jedi, I'd like a moment alone with my client if I may.

Yeah, I know Obi-Wan wouldn't interrogate Jango with Lama Su in the room, but I couldn't resist.

As for Darth Mandarb's idea, well, that's the other side of the coin, because I think we've got two choices here:

1. He's a minor player. He's telling the truth because he's neutral and doesn't care, and/or because one way or another Obi-Wan is forcing him to. Or possibly he's just a little foolish in all his bravado.

2. There's a more complicated plot involved. Tyranus/Dooku is using him to mislead the Jedi. Or simply create confusion among the Jedi. Maybe in Episode III the Jedi will again encounter the name Tyranus and this will somehow distract them as Palpatine makes his final moves? Or, I don't know, maybe Jango has something against Tyranus and wants the Jedi to be suspicious, no that one doesn't really make sense. AOTC is great but it's confusing. Suddenly the Jedi mind trick is looking like the best explanation.

 

My personal opinion on this is that Jango Fett sees himself as somebody who is not involved in the Jedi-Sith politics. For him, he just lives his life as a hired bounty hunter, and that's all. It is totally up to him whether or not he wants to tell the truth or not, and it probably depends on whether or not he has enough respect for his opponent to actually say the truth.

I doubt Jango Fett is actually restrained by anybody. Rather, I feel that he prides himself on keeping his word on whatever matter he deals in. He doesn't need to defend Dooku or anybody, his life is his own.

 

Jango: "Always a pleasure to meet a Jedi."

You think that this indicates that Jango killed Syfo-Dyas? No wonder he says he never heard of him -- just like he won't confirm that he has just returned from Coruscant to Obi-Wan's face!

 

Like Boba Fett in the OT, Jango fears no man -- hence, he sees no need to lie!

 

He has no reason to lie. Tyrannus probably didn't say don't tell anyone my name. (And if Tyrannus wanted his name secret he should have used an alias.)

And most importantly--everything is going (more or less) as Palpatine has planned/foreseen. It is time for the Jedi to learn of the clones--and that someone named Tyrannus is involved.


This goes back to the question either Jango is one of the dumbest bounty hunters out there or he is deliberately laying a trail for the Jedi to follow.

 

I love that scene where Obi-Wan and Jango first meet, but later it occurred to me that from Jango's perspective he shouldn't be telling Obi-Wan the truth. By admitting he's never heard of Sifo-Dyas, isn't he basically giving away way too much, since Lama Su just said Sifo-Dyas ordered the Jango clones? And wouldn't mentioning the name Tyranus lead the Jedi into trying to find out a lot more?

In an earlier draft of AOTC, Jango DOES in fact give the name of "Darth Tyranus" to Obi-Wan during their encounter on Kamino (also note that the "Sido-Dyas" was originally a linguistic corruption of "Sidious," made by the Geonosians back when they were originally conceived to speak a pidgin-version of English, rather than the insectile language in the finished film):

OBI-WAN eyes the half-open bedroom door, through which a couple of pieces of body armour can be seen on the floor. JANGO FETT registers OBI-WAN'S look. He moves in front of him, blocking the view.

OBI-WAN
(continuing)
Ever made your way as far into the interior as Coruscant?

JANGO
Once or twice.

OBI-WAN
Recently?

JANGO
(eyes Obi-Wan carefully)
Possibly...

OBI-WAN
Then you must know Master Sido-Dyas?

JANGO
Boba, close the door.

BOBA FETT moves to close the bedroom door. JANGO FETT smiles thinly at OBI-WAN.

JANGO
(continuing)
Master who?

OBI-WAN
Sido-Dyas. Isn?t he the Jedi who hired you for this job?

JANGO
Never heard of him. I was recuited by a man called Darth Tyranus on one of the moons of
Bogden.

OBI-WAN
No? I thought...

TAUN WE
Sido-Dyas told us to expect him. And he showed up just when your Jedi Master said he would. We have kept the Jedi's involvement a secret until your arrival, just as your Master requested.

OBI-WAN
Curious...

This adds considerably different wrinkles to the later portion of the film, as the revelation of the "Darth" name comes well before Count Dooku speaks it to Kenobi, as it did in the finalized picture:

INT. CORUSCANT, CHANCELLOR'S OFFICE
A hologram of OBI-WAN flickers in front of a group, made up of Jedi (YODA, MACE WINDU, and KI-ADI-MUNDI) and Senators (BAIL ORGANA, ASK AAK, LUMINARA, and JAR JAR). PALPATINE and MAS AMEDDA are in the middle of the group, watching with growing concern.

OBI-WAN
...Starships from the Trade Federation and the Commerce Guilds are taking deliveries of battle droids from the foundries on Geonosis.

BAIL ORGANA
That's outrageous! The treaty forbids the Trade Federation from building up an army. What are they doing?!

OBI-WAN
The droid foundry seems to be working at full capacity. I am going to go down and investigate. I will bring Jango Fett back home for interrogation.

PALPATINE
Those Geonosian foundries are part of the Techno Union. We will call in their representatives and ask them a few very pointed questions.

OBI-WAN
One more thing. Jango mentioned he was recruited by someone named Darth Tyranus. Any idea who that might be?

YODA
With the forename Darth, a Sith he must be.

MACE WINDU
Our missing apprentice. They are playing their hand at last.

OBI-WAN
Do you believe he could be the mysterious Sido-Dyas, who made the deal for the clone army?

YODA
Perhaps too many pieces are missing from this puzzle, there are.

MACE WINDU
Be careful, Obi-Wan. This investigation is becoming less than routine. Do you need help?

OBI-WAN
Let me see if I can figure out what's going on first.

The hologram of OBI-WAN fades off. PALPATINE stares at the spot where the hologram was in disbelief.

 

Jango could care less. He was paid to be the template for the clones. He could care less about the politics of it all and the loyalties. As long as he got his money.

 

But...he was probably under something of a gag-order from Dooku, as well; working as he was for a Sith Lord -- one that he had actual KNOWLEDGE of being a Sith Lord, unlike Nute Gunray and others -- there was probably only so far he could go in blabbing their secrets to outsiders before breaking the whole game wide open. Likely that's why he so blithely just drops the name "Tyranus" to Kenobi, knowing that he wouldn't know the name from Adam without the "Darth" moniker attached.