The Bad Batch premiered earlier this week and was a hit with fans, with many comparing it to a Star Wars take on an Expendables-style action movie. The feature-length debut episode demonstrated why the titular squad is a force to be reckoned with and teased intriguing plot lines to come. Fans of The Clone Wars were particularly pleased that – as our review noted – The Bad Batch is essentially a new season of that show under different branding.
One especially exciting element is that the team is set to encounter several key characters from across the franchise, with Saw Gerrara, Captain Rex, Grand Moff Tarkin and Emperor Palpatine all confirmed. One of the most interesting, though, will be a much younger version of The Mandalorian‘s assassin Fennec Shand, as played by Ming-Na Wen.
We’ve already seen an image of Shand as she’ll appear in the show, but now a leaked picture has emerged revealing her full costume, as you can see below:
There aren’t any surprises here, as she seems to be wearing an almost identical outfit as we saw in The Mandalorian. It’s arguable that a character keeping the same clothes for two decades is a little lazy, but if you’re an up-and-coming intergalactic assassin, I guess you have to build a brand.
The Bad Batch takes between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, meaning it’s about 20 years before Shand turns up in The Mandalorian episode “The Gunslinger.” So, she’ll be at the beginning of her career, and given that she spent her childhood being trained by Hutt Clan as a hitwoman, she’s likely to be an antagonist. Still, we know she’s not irredeemably evil, so we may see her learning a few useful tricks from this veteran team.
Wen revealed her participation in an interview with StarWars.com in late 2020, explaining that The Bad Batch will indeed flesh out Shand’s past.
“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 [Filoni] wanted to create more of a backstory for her.”
Said backstory will no doubt feed into The Book of Boba Fett later this year, with Fennec Shand acting as Fett’s lieutenant as he grapples with Tatooine’s grimy criminal underbelly.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch is now rolling out its first season on Disney+.