A new The Book of Boba Fett feature discusses how Ming-Na Wen's Fennec Shand went from deceased to a fan-favorite character.
"When I showed up on The Mandalorian Season 1, I died. But by the grace of the Force, I was resurrected," Wen explained in the video, titled "Ming-Na's Dream Role," over production footage of the Dave Filoni-directed "Chapter 5: The Gunslinger" where Shand supposedly met her end. The Mulan and Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. actor then received praise from her co-star Temuera Morrison and series director Robert Rodriguez, the latter of whom directed Season 2's "Chapter 14: The Tragedy" where Fennec returned as Boba Fett's new compatriot.
From there, the video highlights more of Wen's The Book of Boba Fett scenes -- such as a weapons standoff with an unknown man -- and her interactions with the cast and crew, even giving an inaudible speech to Rodriguez in-costume. Praising her experience with Lucasfilm, Wen called Shand "a dream role of a lifetime" and continued, "I'm a massive Star Wars fan. To be a part of Star Wars and then to be part of Boba Fett's incredible legacy... there are just no words."
An original character created specifically for The Mandalorian, Fennec Shand was seemingly killed by aspiring mercenary Toro Calican (played by Jake Cannavale) and left for dead on Tatooine. It's later revealed that Fett, initially depicted as a mysterious cloaked wanderer, found Shand and outfitted her with mechanical organs, sparking a partnership between the two. The Book of Boba Fett's trailers have further emphasized this alliance, with Shand serving as Fett's crime boss accomplice in Mos Espa while warning him that the other Tatooine political figures and syndicates are "going to war" over the legendary bounty hunter's newfound status.
Beyond the live-action programs, Wen has also voiced a younger Shand on Filoni's new animated series The Bad Batch. A reoccurring anti-villain, Shand first appears in the fourth episode "Cornered" as a mercenary tasked with collecting the Kaminoan clone Omega -- later revealed to technically be Fett's genetic sister -- only to get into a fight with Clone Force 99 member Hunter. She would return in episode nine, "Bounty Lost," where Shand battles The Clone Wars' Cad Bane over Omega but, at the behest of her employer, Kaminoan scientist Nala Se, allows her to escape with the Bad Batch.
So far, Shand has yet to debut in other Star Wars media like Marvel's ongoing comic book titles. Instead, the comics have focused on the return of Solo character Qi'ra and her syndicate Crimson Dawn, revealing that Qi'ra intends to usurp Emperor Palpatine's power using Crimson Dawn operatives implanted everywhere from the Rebel Alliance to the Galactic Empire.
New episodes of Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett are available on Disney+ every Wednesday.
Source: YouTube