(L to R) Temuera Morrison and Ming-Na Wen in ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ on Disney+
Legendary bounty hunter Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) and mercenary Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) must navigate the galaxy’s underworld when they return to the sands of Tatooine to stake their claim on the territory once ruled by Jabba the Hutt and his crime syndicate.
A hundred years before the rise of the Empire, the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic have prospered for centuries without war. During this time, an investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jee) against a dangerous warrior (Amanda Stenberg) from his past.
Ahsoka Tano in ‘Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi’. Photo: Disney+.
Journey into the lives of two distinctly different Jedi from the prequel era – Ahsoka Tano and Count Dooku. Each will be put to the test as they make choices that will define their destinies.
During the reign of the Galactic Empire, former Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), embarks on a crucial mission to confront allies turned enemies and face the wrath of the Empire.
In an era filled with danger, deception and intrigue, Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) will discover the difference he can make in the struggle against the tyrannical Galactic Empire. He embarks on a path that is destined to turn him into a rebel hero.
‘The Mandalorian’ season 3 starring Pedro Pascal premieres March 1st on Disney+. Photo: Lucasfilm.
After the fall of the Galactic Empire, lawlessness has spread throughout the galaxy. A lone gunfighter (Pedro Pascal) makes his way through the outer reaches, earning his keep as a bounty hunter.
Iconic ‘Star Wars’ bounty hunter Boba Fett made a big return to our screens with ‘The Mandalorian’ and linked series ‘The Book of Boba Fett’. But if director James Mangold had had his way, the character would have relaunched into the pop cultural consciousness via a movie.
Except… it didn’t quite work out that way. Though it was never officially announced, reports surfaced back in 2018 about Mangold’s attachment to a movie about the character originally introduced in ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ and who had appeared to meet an ignominious end in the belly of the Sarlacc creature in ‘Return of the Jedi’.
Yet later that year, Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy said later that year that it wouldn’t come to fruition.
Two big factors contributed to the end of the Boba Fett film. First, ‘The Mandalorian’ was in development, and had its own take on the character. And, as we all know, it became a huge sensation, a jolt of nostalgia that also charted new stories and introduced the cute merchandising factory that is Baby Y… Sorry, Grogu… into the world.
Secondly, as it turns out. Mangold was going for a mature approach to the character, which is perhaps not all that shocking given his work on ‘Logan’, which did something similar with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. And that was an issue for Lucasfilm, which was looking for family friendlier offerings…
“At the point I was doing it I was probably scaring the s**t out of everyone. I was making much more of a borderline R-rated, single planet spaghetti Western. They probably would never be able to embrace Baby Yoda if I had made that. It didn’t really belong in the world I was kind of envisioning.”
And Mangold went further into the contrast between his ideas and the Lucasfilm regime’s:
“In a moment of corporate realignment or whatever happened with the Han Solo movie, they just suddenly decided they weren’t making pictures like that, and the opportunities in streaming presented themselves. I was just listening to [spaghetti Western composer] Ennio Morricone all day, all night, and typing away. I’m not sure it ever would have happened. I’m not sure it was in anyone’s plans, what I was thinking.”
(L to R) Director James Mangold, and Dave Filoni at Star Wars Celebration 2023.
No-one needs to feel bad for Mangold, though. He was instead handed the chance to direct ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ for Lucasfilm, which has just arrived in theaters.
And the company is clearly happy with what he did on that movie because Mangold will be getting a second shot at ‘Star Wars’ with a new movie set many years before the Skywalker saga that explores the early days of Force users.
“When I mentioned to [Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy] the idea that I had about going backward –– really far backward –– I was surprised that it excited her and the other wonderful people she works with at Lucasfilm. For me, it’s about, I want to be part of the saga, but I also don’t want to be holding so much lore in the air that you can hardly tell a story. And what I really wanted to do, what I told her, was just can we make a kind of the ‘Ten Commandments’ of the Force, you know? A kind of origin story of how the Force came to be known, understood, wielded, and harnessed.”
Oscar® nominee for Best Adapted Screenplay, James Mangold arrives on the red carpet of The 90th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre in Hollywood, CA on Sunday, March 4, 2018. Photo: Ross Costanza Photography.
(L-R) Emily Swallow, Katee Sackhoff, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Dave Filoni, Rosario Dawson, Giancarlo Esposito, Brendan Wayne, Rick Famuyiwa, Lateef Crowder, Carl Weathers, Pedro Pascal and Jon Favreau attend the panel for “The Mandalorian” series at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, California on May 28, 2022. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney).
Day three of Star Wars Celebration got kicked off on Saturday at the Anaheim Convention center with thousands of fans gathering to watch ‘The Mandalorian’ season 3 presentation.
On hand were the show’s creators and executive producers Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni. “For me it’s been a dream come true,” Favreau began. “The type of story I wanted to tell fits the small screen. I wanted to set it in a small part of the larger Star Wars universe.”
“Star Wars TV, I’m up for it since 2008,” said Filoni. Favreau went on to explain that it was difficult keeping the big secrets from the first and second seasons, which included Grogu in season 1 and Luke Skywalker in season 2.
Favreau also talked about the direction ‘Star Wars’ television is taking on Disney+. “When I first saw ‘Star Wars’, it was a continuation of serialized stories,” he explained. “So, with television, you get six or eight a year, and they are a lot of fun to write. We also can tell the story over several hours and this job is the most fun I’ve ever had. I’m going to keep doing it for a while.”
Pedro Pascal attends the panel for “The Mandalorian” series at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, California on May 28, 2022. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney).
But it wouldn’t be a ‘Mandalorian’ panel without Mando himself, Pedro Pascal, who quickly joined the producers on stage. Pascal began by talking about his favorite moments “Luke would be up there, but there are too many to choose.” Pascal also discussed Mando’s relationship to Grogu and how difficult their time apart was. “It’s very hard to be separated and it’s the closest I’ve ever come to being a dad. You watch the show, and you see how much that child loves his dad. Maybe it’s time for me to have one now.”
Filoni talked about the plan to bring Grogu and Mando back together in ‘The Book of Boba Fett.’ “What was interesting, is that we already had the plan to have Luke train Grogu,” he explained. “So, it made sense to have him train him based on the philosophy that began in the original trilogy. Which is why I wanted to direct the episode, and bring Ahsoka in, which made a significant moment.”
Favreau compared the moment in ‘Book of Boba Fett,’ where Luke makes Grogu choose between going back to Mando or becoming a Jedi and compared it to the Peter Bogdanovich film ‘Paper Moon.’
Joining the panel were actors Giancarlo Esposito (Moff Gideon), Carl Weathers (Greef Karga), and Emily Swallow (The Armorer), who all had something to say about their time on the show.
Giancarlo Esposito attends the panel for “The Mandalorian” series at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, California on May 28, 2022. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney).
Esposito started things off in jokingly villainous style: “I will squash that little Baby Yoda!” But he continued with his heart on his sleeve. “I want the child within me to come back through the child in Grogu. But that child has been reunited with his father now and I am so happy to be part of this franchise.”
He also described part of his process. “I make up a backstory for myself and that sometimes does not correspond with the backstory they write for me,” he admitted. “The creators of the show give me hints that allow me to fill in the blanks of my character. But when you work with people that are as playful as they are, you get a sense of what they want. The most compelling moment for me was when Jon and Dave came on set and saw what I was doing. Jon said, ‘You’ve been doing this for a longtime and I trust you.’ When you work with people that trust you, that empowered me. and that is what this show is about. It elevated and uplifted me, and I will never forget it.”
Swallow clearly gets a kick out of playing the mysterious, Zen-like Mandalorian Armorer. “I love inhabiting her space. She is wise and she waits,” the actress said. “The bond of community that the Mandalorians have, especially with the armorer, speaks to what ‘Star Wars’ is about, and I really love that about this character.”
Carl Weathers was taken aback by the large crowd in the hall and thanked them for their support with the show. Weathers, who also directs ‘The Mandalorian’, discussed his work on the series. “I owe it all to Jon Favreau. If Jon hadn’t invited me to be in this, I wouldn’t be sitting here right now. Working with Dave has also been phenomenal, and I owe so much to those guys.”
Asked to tease a little bit about directing an episode from season 3, Weathers got playful, threatening Filoni and Favreau that he was about to reveal a spoiler. “I can run faster than you!” taunted Weathers, before continuing. “Okay, here is the spoiler: in the spring of 2023 ‘The Mandalorian’ will be out again! No, no spoilers, it along with the other episodes will be spectacular. I’m just really lucky that I got a good script, good actors, and help from Jon and Dave who know everything about ‘Star Wars’. It’s a lovely sandbox to play in.”
Temuera Morrison attends the panel for “The Mandalorian” series at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, California on May 28, 2022. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney).
The panel then shifted to talk of ‘The Book of Boba Fett,’ with Fett himself, Temuera Morrison taking the stage and thrilling the crowd with a Fett version of a Māori Haka war dance. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare anyone. Just thought I’d wake you all up,” the actor said.
Morrison discussed what it was like making ‘Book of Boba Fett’, but first recalled his time on ‘Star Wars: Attack of the Clones’. “We had a wonderful time in Sydney,” he said. “Many. many years later, I think Boba had to look a little bit like me, so. I want to thank everybody. They’re the ones who work hard making us look good in front of the camera, so I want to acknowledge everybody from our crew. We have a lot of crew and people behind the scenes out there in the crowd with us.“
Co-star Ming-Na, who plays Fennec Shand, couldn’t be there because she has covid. The crowd cheered for her. “Ming-Na sends her apologies,” said Morrison.
After that, it was time for more ‘Mandalorian’ season 3 talk. Katee Sackhoff, who played Mandalorian Bo-Katan Kryze in two episodes of season 2, then took to the stage. She’s primed to return in a big way for the third season, especially since she still wants to get her hands on the Darksaber that is in Mando’s possession.
Also new on stage? Rick Famuyiwa, who has directed three episodes of the show as well as cameoing as X-Wing pilot Jib Dodger. He’s been promoted to executive producer alongside Filoni and Favreau for the third season.
(L-R) Rick Famuyiwa and Katee Sackhoff attend the panel for “The Mandalorian” series at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, California on May 28, 2022. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney).
“Jon saw my film ‘Dope’ and said, ‘that is Star Wars material,” Famuyiwa explained. “The first film I saw in a movie theater was ‘Star Wars’. I went to see that movie and from the moment I saw the opening crawl, my life was changed. So, this has always been a dream of mine to tell stories in this universe. It was an honor and I have been around for the ride ever since. I’m excited for next season!”
“My dad raised me on Science fiction and strong characters,” said Sackhoff. “When I was little, you didn’t have a lot of strong female characters to choose from. We had Sigourney Weaver, but I wanted to be Bruce Willis. Playing this character is such a gift. Jon and Dave are responsible for creating so many strong characters. To be able to start with her ten years ago and that Dave trusted me to bring her to live-action means the world to me, and you are in for a treat.”
Favreau then introduced some exclusive footage of ‘The Mandalorian’ season three. The trailer is mostly the same footage that was shown during the opening day presentation on Thursday, but is much longer and contains some new shots, and also features Mando and Grogu together again, as well as actors Katee Sackhoff, Carl Weathers and Amy Sedaris (who plays tech expert Peli Motto).
What can you expect? More moments of multiple Mandalorians (try saying that three times fast) roaring into the sky using their rocket packs, a white colored protocol droid, several creatures the same species as ‘The Rise of Skywalker’s Babu Frik (hey-heeeey!) and a grounded Star Destroyer were all spotted during the screening.
Rosario Dawson attends the panel for “The Mandalorian” series at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, California on May 28, 2022. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney).
The panel then pivoted to ‘Ahsoka’. Dave Filoni said of making the series, “I’m very happy because no one knows anything about that or where it is filming.” As he said that, Ahsoka Tano herself, actress Rosario Dawson, took to the stage in a surprise appearance that thrilled the crowd.
Dawson told the audience that it has been amazing filming so far and that cameras have been rolling for three weeks. “We started filming on my birthday, May 9th!” she enthused.
And according to Dawson, she always wanted to play Ahsoka. “It’s because of people like you that I’m here,” she told the audience. “I was a fan cast online so I just retweeted that and when Jon and Dave started working on ‘Mandalorian’ they looked at the timeline and I was the right age now. It’s been an honor to bring this character to life and to see how much everyone wants to see her come to life in this series.”
Another big surprise – Dawson summoned Chopper, the droid from the Filoni-created animated series ‘Star Wars Rebels’ on stage. The chatty character (for whom Filoni also provided the electronic ‘voice’ on the show) was a huge hit with the audience.
(L-R) Temuera Morrison, Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder attend the panel for “The Mandalorian” series at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, California on May 28, 2022. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney).
Then It was time for a sizzle reel of footage from that initial ‘Ahsoka’ shooting period. It featured Dawson’s Jedi walking on to the bridge of the ship Ghost from ‘Rebels’, with characters from that show in live action, including Twi’lek pilot Hera Syndulla (though only from behind and without revealing her casting). Cut to ‘Rebels’ own Mandalorian, Sabine Wren (played in the ‘Ahsoka’ show by Natasha Liu Bordizzo) looking at the image of the animated ‘Rebels’ cast as seen in the series finale.
After the footage screening, Bordizzo herself walked on stage. “I feel like I have just been adopted into a new family,” she said. “It is the most welcoming and creative set I’ve ever been on. I know how much Sabine means to people in the room. She means a lot to me too, and I think you’ll be really excited about the journey she is about to have.”
Finally, to end the presentation, Favreau reached below his table and lifted up Grogu, who was moving and waving to the crowd. Pascal was excited and referred to himself, Filoni and Favreau as Grogu’s “My Three Dads.” The entire cast finished the panel by taking a group photo with “the artist formerly known as Baby Yoda.”
Jon Favreau attends the panel for “The Mandalorian” series at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, California on May 28, 2022. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney).
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You can watch our interviews with the casts of ‘The Mandalorian,’ ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ and ‘Ahsoka’ at Star Wars Celebration by clicking on the video player above.
Ming-Na Wen as Fennec Shand in ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ on Disney+
With the recent release of ‘Book of Boba Fett’, the galaxy far, far away is expanding in ways that is bringing old and new fans into the fold. It’s giving people the chance to see characters from extended lore, new ones, and familiar locals we haven’t seen in decades.
But what ‘Book of Boba Fett’ is also bringing ‘Star Wars’, is something the franchise hasn’t seen in a very long time. A strong, badass female character in Fennec Shand, portrayed by Ming-Na Wen. She brings something the ‘Star Wars’ franchise, and just recent science fiction has been kind of lacking; a strong, powerful female lead.
But why should you care? Come with us as we dig a little into the history of strong female characters in ‘Star Wars’, and how this leads to Fennec Shand and the ground she’s laying for others. But, before we can dive into that, let’s give a little history of female characters in science fiction.
Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia in ‘Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope’
The Princess and the Scrapper
While not the first instance, many credit 1966’s ‘Star Trek’ with introducing strong science fiction characters (especially with Nichelle Nicols’ Uhura), with the second thought being our very own Princess Leia. And since this is a ‘Star Wars’ related piece, let’s focus on Leia.
In the first ‘Star Wars’ film, Leia is seen as the “damsel in destress” trope, a common one for female characters in that era of film. While we do indeed see her wielding a blaster (and obviously knowing how to use it) but she still is needing to be saved. Needing the help of the male characters around her.
There are multiple times in not just the first movie, but all through the original trilogy it is shown that Leia cannot be on her own without being captured, and a big scene of this is being captured by the greedy Jabba the Hutt, which happens as she’s going to save Han Solo.
This scene is incredibly interesting. It follows Leia’s characterization up to this point. Strong, determined, but once again, stripped of her power. Just falling back into another trope. While captured, she is forced to be his slave, even attached to chain and dressed not in her princess robes, but a metal bikini, almost like his own pet.
Obviously, there Is so much wrong with this scene and how they portray Leia as a character. Putting the focus on her body and her as an object. As if everything she had done up to that point against the empire was null and void. Being stripped of everything, but most importantly, her power.
Yes, this was just one movie, but Leia’s change from powerful space princess to chained up slave to an ugly space slug is jarring and apparent. While I do acknowledge Leia becoming much more powerful as the series goes on, there are still little bumps in the road.
Whenever there is something incredibly positive, something else more troubling always comes with it, and for every “Princess to General”, there is the offhand comment of lightsaber and force training offscreen.
Daisy Ridley as Rey in ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’
This can also translate to Rey as well. Starting off being rough and tumble, foraging for herself on Jakku until she discovers Finn. Rey is a great example of twenty-first century female characters in science fiction, but it’s clear she takes just a little bit too much from Leia.
We can thankfully rule out the metal bikini, but there are multiple times in the new trilogy we see her relying heavily on those around her. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, the fact she relies on others is seen as a hindrance towards her. It doesn’t bring her strength, it actively strips it.
Relying on the characters around her takes away her urgency. She basically goes through the same pitfalls Leia does; in that she relies on those around her. Completely changing the image we are given of her in ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’. It’s like teaming up with others made her less dependent.
Rey is played out to be the new ‘chosen one’, but seemingly being given that title lowers her agency. Now, while I bring this up, I absolutely love these characters. Leia especially is a hero to me. But I truly believe these characters were steppingstones, to the next strong woman to enter the galaxy.
The Galaxies Deadliest Assassin
Now what does all of this have to do with Fennec? A rather newish character to the ‘Star Wars’ canon, she was introduced in ‘The Mandalorian’, and appeared on ‘Star Wars: The Bad Batch’ before becoming a main character in ‘The Book of Boba Fett’. And while one might suggest her being a supportive character in the show, I’d argue she’s far more than just that.
Since Fennec Shand’s first reveal in ‘The Mandalorian’ TV show, we are told she is the most dangerous assassin in the galaxy. But she doesn’t fit the female assassin tropes. When one hears of a “female assassin” you imagine a sexy, scantily clad femme fatale, with a gun at her thigh.
(L to R) Temuera Morrison and Ming-Na Wen in ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ on Disney+
But when we see her, she’s cool, collected and deadly. It’s not her gender that makes her deadly or powerful. It’s her skill, and the fear she implants in others in the galaxy. This also translates over to her ‘Bad Batch’ appearance as well. Nowhere in any of her cameos is she falling into said old tropes.
This leads into her ‘Book of Boba Fett’ role. Even next to the most ruthless bounty hunter in the galaxy…she is his equal. Fett does not look down on her or even try to control her. He saves her, offers her a chance to escape once her “debt” is paid, but she chooses to stay. Fennec can see the freedom and chooses to have that while also having her own power.
Boba Fett sits on that throne, yes, but Fennec shares it. She’s under no one’s control, she’s not a slave…she’s just powerful. Able to hold her own and even be on par with someone like Fett. She’s not leaning on him for help but using him and his skill.
Having a character like Fennec is new to the franchise, and I hope this isn’t the last of this type of character we see.
Looking Forward into the Galaxy
‘Star Wars’ has had so many female characters up to this point. And while you can argue their place in the “strong female science fiction” character spot, none of them have taken the mantle more than Fennec Shand.
One can argue that she maybe a “testing ground” for characters like her to come, and I truly believe this to be the case. A character that can stand on her own, share the power of the male characters around her without relying on them. Showing that characters like her don’t need to fit in a mold or a trope to be badass.
It’s not just ‘Star Wars’ that needs more characters like this, but all of science fiction. I hope we see more like her in the future of the franchise. While not fitting the same mold but breaking their own and showing just how badass someone in a galaxy far, far away can be.
