The Book of Boba Fett is a story about honor amongst thieves, the changing tide of the Tatooine underworld, and a new chapter in Boba Fett's life as he takes over Jabba's Palace and begins building up his criminal enterprise on Star Wars' favorite wretched hive of scum and villainy.
Star Wars is known for its ever-expanding list of supporting characters, each with its own backstory, abilities, and motives. Fennec Shand was introduced in The Mandalorian. Sometime later, she returned as Boba Fett's right-hand-woman, following him into The Book of Boba Fett as his personal bodyguard and advisor. A relatively new character to the universe, there is a lot that fans should know about Fennec Shand.
6 She Appears In The Bad Batch
Fennec Shand appears in The Bad Batch, specifically the episodes "Cornered" and "Bounty Lost." In that series, she is hired to capture Omega, running into a dispute over the bounty with legendary Bounty Hunter Cad Bane and taking on Clone Force 99 in the process. She fails in her mission, but this doesn't stop her from rising through the criminal underworld and finding work amongst the warring crime syndicates.
Since The Bad Batch takes place in the early days of the Galactic Empire, this is an early event for Fennec Shand. By the time of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, she is a much wiser and refined Bounty Hunter. She has perfected her combat style while also having learned a valuable lesson never to underestimate everyone, after being defeated by a rookie Bounty Hunter Toro Calican during The Mandalorian Season 1. Fennec Shand is a perfect villain turned hero, which is why her appearance in The Bad Batch feels fun despite the fact she's attempting to capture Omega.
5 Her Name Is Based On The Fennec Fox
The Fennec Shand character name draws inspiration from the fennec fox. While it hasn't been discussed on whether or not it was intentional, Fennec Shand embodies the idea of fighting like a fox, as evidenced in the rooftop battle scene during the debut episode of The Book of Boba Fett.
Shand has a light, agile frame that can weave in and out of multiple opponents, striking them at precise spots and gracefully outmaneuvering all of their counterattacks. It's a cool fighting style for a small female Bounty Hunter and one that Ming-Na Wen plays perfectly, channeling her Agent May from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
4 She Has A Life Debt To Boba Fett
During The Mandalorian, Fennec Shand is mortally injured by Toro Calican. In the second season, she acts as a traveling companion to Boba Fett, helping him to get his armor back from Din Djarin on Tython.
It is explained that Boba Fett saved Fennec Shand from her injuries and that she is now in his service. With Life Debts having been established in The Phantom Menace, it can be assumed that Boba saving Fennec Shand has led to her having a Life Debt with him. She seems to like and favor him judging from her appearances in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, but there's a good chance it's because she's indebted in such a way to him. Either way, Fennec Shand and Boba Fett's partnership is one of the coolest things about him.
3 Sniper Rifles Are Her Thing
While clearly being depicted as a capable hand-to-hand-combatant, Fennec Shand's main skills seem to lie in her use of the sniper rifle. Her first appearance in The Mandalorian Season 1 had her using a sniper rifle while sitting at a vantage point in the Tatooine desert to shoot at both Din Djarin and Toro Calican. This proved effective until Din Djarin outsmarted her using flares and flanking her.
Tatooine is sparsely populated with lots of open space and perfect sightlines and vantage points. While there are clearly going to be lots of close-quarters-combat for Fennec and Boba to deal with throughout the show, there will certainly be lots of opportunities for her to use her sniper rifle. Fennec Shand rivals even the best video game snipers, so fans will be eager to see her showing off her skills in future Star Wars entries.
2 She Was Wanted By The New Republic
When the Galactic Empire was defeated and succeeded by the New Republic, many of the frequent bounty pipelines dried up. Many contractors were arrested, and the Bounty Hunter industry had to operate much less obviously during the transitional period. In recent years, there's been some development on the idea of the Empire and New Republic being very similar to the average person, as was touched upon in Star Wars Squadrons.
This transition led to the New Republic actually putting a bounty for the capture of Fennec Shand herself, due to the actions she'd done while a Bounty Hunter during the Imperial era. This is what led to Din Djarin and Toro Calican meeting her, but judging by her Season 2 appearances, the New Republic has given up interest in her.
1 She Worked For The Hutt Clan
The Hutts are one of the most infamous and ruthless criminal syndicates the galaxy has to offer, Jabba is an iconic Star Wars character. They were also the main source of income for Fennec Shand when she worked as a Bounty Hunter in the Imperial Era.
Her affiliation with the Hutts makes it likely she had visited Tatooine before. Certainly, she would have heard of Jabba, possibly even have undertaken odd jobs for him here and there. Since only a few years have passed since the time she was working for the Hutts and where she is in The Book of Boba Fett, it's possible fans could see Fennec using her connections in the Hutt syndicate to aid her and Boba's efforts. There's a good possibility the Hutts will need to give their blessing for Boba inheriting Jabba's Palace, and Fennec's standing with them could be the key to that.