How Fennec Shand’s Mandalorian Fate Made Her Boba Fett’s Best Ally

Fennec Shand’s (Ming-Na wen) near-death experience in The Mandalorian season 1 made her Boba Fett’s (Temuera Morrison) best ally. The Mandalorian only shows Fennec and Boba as side characters, but the moment they meet (and Boba saves Fennec’s life) is crucial to the bond they form in The Book of Boba Fett. The Boba Fett series, which premieres on December 29, 2021, will show the (former) bounty hunter’s struggle to fill the power void left by Jabba the Hutt’s death in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. But Boba won’t be alone, as the trailer shows Fennec by his side, and this is thanks to Boba changing her fate in The Mandalorian.

Fennec Shand is a bounty hunter and assassin who made her way to the top crime syndicates during the beginning of the Empire’s reign, earning her reputation as an elite mercenary. After the fall of the Empire (in The Mandalorian season 1 timeline), Fennec went into hiding on Tatooine, after most of her employers were arrested. When Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Toro Calican (Jake Cannavale) were tasked with capturing her, Fennec convinced Toro to turn against Din, but Toro shot Fennec and left her for dead in the desert. Boba Fett saved Fennec (by implanting a biomechanical device into her midsection) and by the time Din meets them at the end of The Mandalorian season 2, Boba and Fennec seem like a strong team.

Fennec is not only Boba’s best ally because she is indebted to him for saving her life, but because Boba once had a near-death experience himself. At the end of Star Wars: Episode VI, Boba was apparently killed when Han Solo (Harrison Ford) accidentally threw him into the Great Pit of Carkoon. Boba emerged from the Sarlacc pit as a man who values free will above whoever pays the most credits. When Boba tells Din “I give my allegiance to no one,” he announces he has distanced himself from the bounty hunter Guild and is planning to “make his way through the galaxy” on his own terms, yet not alone. Ming-Na Wen explained (via EW) Fennec and Boba’s special bond: “I feel like [Fennec and Boba] are bonded because both of them had near-death experiences. They’re both bounty hunters, and they do adhere to a certain level of respect and honor.“

Even if Boba’s actions are no longer dictated by others, he still adheres to a bounty hunter honor code. The Book of Boba Fett sees the tight team acting not as bounty hunters but as crime lords who take over Jabba the Hutt’s former underworld empire. But both of them come from a bounty hunter past, and Fennec knows the value of what Boba did for her at the end of The Mandalorian‘s first season. Furthermore, the two arguably have developed affection and empathy towards one another, as they can relate to each other following their near-death experiences (perhaps he even saved Fennec because seeing her triggered memories of Boba’s own death in Star Wars).

Both Fennec and Boba appeared as anti-heroes in the Star Wars saga. When they partner up and renounce their assassin background, it might seem like they’ve joined the “good side.” However, neither of them are affiliated with the Jedi or the Sith, and The Book of Boba Fett will show the two navigating the crime underworld at Jabba’s palace. Hence, many factors can change their bond. It remains to be seen how the debt Fennec owes Boba for his saving her life will be repaid, and how their relationship dynamic will change in The Book of Boba Fett.

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