Fennec Shand makes her return toStar WarsinThe Bad Batch, and fans finally now have a better look at her animated self. Thanks to Reddit, a promo image of Shand without her helmet has been revealed. Shand was first brought into theStar Warsuniverse in Chapter Five ofThe Mandalorian. She was introduced as a fearsome bounty hunter, and she gave Din Djarin (the Mandalorian’s real name) a run for his money before subsequently suffering her demise to Jake Cannavale’s character Toro Calican. She would later be resurrected by none other than Boba Fett, whom Shand would pledge her loyalty to.
The Bad Batchtakes place during the start of the Empire - decades before the events ofThe Mandalorian. This version of Fennec Shand, who will be voiced by Ming-Na Wen in a reprisal, will be much younger and less decorated as a bounty hunter. It’s possible her fame will come at the hands of taking down Clone Force 99, but only time will tell.
In an interview with comicbook.com,The Bad Batchproducer Jennifer Corbett discussed howFennec Shandfit within the narrative of the show. She said, “This is a younger Fennec, she’s new to the bounty hunting scene and it’s an interesting introduction for her. She definitely comes in with a bang and proves to be a formidable force. It’s been amazing to see her progression. The action that comes with that particular episode… it’s really incredible.”
Corbett also discussed how the show would build upon Shand’s legacy as she will be heavily featured in the upcomingDisney+seriesThe Book of Boba Fett. Corbett said,
“Ming-Na Wenbrought so much to that performance - she was a delight to work with and is so interested in this character. I think fans are gonna like it, we’re definitely going somewhere with it and I’m glad [producer] Dave Filoni had that idea and let us run with it… because it’s important that we’re not creating something that wasn’t his vision for this character. So, anything that we did, we made sure we got his eyes on it and got his feedback.”
Shand is definitely an interesting character forStar Warsprojects to focus on. She was only introduced to the universe less than two years ago, and she is now slated to appear in three separate projects. It’s doubly interesting considering how small her role was inThe Mandalorian. In the first season, Ming-Na Wen was practically a cameo in her debut episode as she was “killed off” at the end.
In Season 2, she did make her return, but her screen time was held back in favor of characters like Boba Fett, Cara Dune, and Bo-Katan. In Season 2’s epilogue scene, Fennec Shand joins Boba Fett as they slaughter the inhabitants of Jabba’s Palace, taking it for their own. UsingThe Bad Batchto bolster Shand’s origins is potentially a very exciting prospect. The first two episodes ofThe Bad Batchare currently available to stream on Disney+, with future episodes releasing every Friday.
