Though it was announced this past summer, it took several months before Star Wars fans were treated to a sizzle reel from Lucasfilm's upcoming animated series Star Wars: The Bad Batch.
Debuting during Disney Investors Day, the highlight reel showed Clone Force 99 battling across the galaxy as mercenaries in the wake of the Clone Wars. Amidst all the sci-fi action, rival mercenary Fennec Shand is shown brandishing a blaster. In the days following the sizzle reel's release, The Mandalorian star Ming-Na Wen confirmed she will reprise her role as Fennec, voicing a younger version of the character in the upcoming animated series.
"Do you know how long I’ve had to keep silent about Fennec coming back?" Wen said with a laugh in an interview with StarWars.com. "This is the first time I’ve been able to talk about it!”
Wen's Fennec Shand was introduced during The Mandalorian Season 1, where she was left for dead by Mando. After recovering from her grievous injury, Shane recently returned to play a larger role in Season 2. And despite appearing in the sizzle reel, The Bad Batch executive producer Dave Filoni insisted Wen keep her participation in the animated series a secret for several days following Disney Investors Day.
"Dave, if you wanted to keep it a secret, you shouldn’t have put me in the trailer!” Wen recalled. "Everybody is saying they just want the confirmation. So, yes, it is Fennec! It’s a younger Fennec and she is voiced by me and I’m thrilled and beyond happy that Dave wanted to create more of a backstory for her."
Star Wars: The Bad Batch is expected to premiere on Disney+ in 2021.