The Mandalorian has introduced a number of new characters into the Star Wars universe like the titular hero (Din Djarin) and fan-favorite Grogu (or Baby Yoda). During that first season, fans were also introduced to a character by the name of Fennec Shand, a notorious bounty hunter played by the one and only Ming-Na Wen. Fans took a liking to Fennec, and she was ultimately brought back for the show’s second season. Now, the character is slated to make her animated debut in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars spinoff, The Bad Batch. However, Wen says the character won’t be the same in the animated series.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch takes place in the aftermath of the Clone Wars and will likely coincide with the rise of the Galactic Empire. So viewers will be seeing Fennec Shand years before she ever crosses paths with Mando. And according to Ming-Na Wen, this means the character won’t be the experienced bounty hunter that she is in The Mandalorian:
She’s cutting her teeth as a bounty hunter in The Bad Batch…She’s still a loner, a drifter…. There’s just a sense of more recklessness about her, just bravado. You know, a young punk. She’s more adventurous and willing to take greater risks because she doesn’t know what the consequences are.
Seeing a more reckless Fennec Shand will certainly be an interesting change of pace. She may be one of the galaxy’s most accomplished assassins during The Mandalorian’s timeline, but everyone has to start somewhere, right? While speaking with StarWars.com, Ming-Na Wen didn’t mention how Fennec would cross paths with Clone Force 99 but, given her “young punk attitude,” she’ll likely cause headaches for the skilled clone team.
Fennec Shand made her debut in The Mandalorian’s “Chapter 5: The Gunslinger,” in which Mando came into conflict with her on the planet Tatoonine. The episode ended with Fennec seemingly being shot to death by ambitious young bounty hunter Toro Calican. However, in Season 2, she was revealed to have been found by Boba Fett and healed with the help of cybernetics. As a result, Fennec stuck with Fett, opting to become his partner.
While Star Wars: The Bad Batch will give us a taste of Fennec’s past, Disney+’s The Book of Boba Fett will continue her story in the present. No specific details have been revealed about the plot, but it sounds like Fett and Shand are going to get into some new adventures of their own.
Fennec Shand is carving out a nice place for herself within Star Wars lore and, with two new shows on the horizon, Lucasfilm has the potential to take her to some very interesting places. Time will tell what The Bad Batch and The Book of Boba Fett tell us about her.
The Mandalorian is now streaming on Disney+, and The Book of Boba Fett is scheduled to hit the streamer in December.
