If a device is listed in /etc/fstab, but not present, this will result in an error. The nofail option will overcome that.
But this doesn’t seem to be what you’re describing.
The pass option (the second of two numbers at the end of an fstab entry) sets the order of filesystem checks at boot time ( for / it should be 1, and other partitions 2; and 0 disables checking.
But, this is only relevant if the entry actually exists.
Could you post the content of your /etc/fstab file and indicate which entry you neglected to include that manifests this result?
And, can you post any actual errors presented that might help others understand the issue better?
Aside:- If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, you might consider an alternative to using fstab: