Ming-Na Wen

"I do have a certain set of skills, whether it's martial arts or kickboxing or stunt fighting. But it used to be that when a woman reached 40, they'd get put out to pasture. I'm far beyond that now, and it's great that I can still continue to do this. I feel very privileged and honored, and I'm living out my dream of being in a Star Wars project—I'm going to kick butt for as long as I can!"

―Ming-Na Wen, describing playing Fennec Shand in The Book of Boba Fett^[3]

Ming-Na Wen (born November 20, 1963)^[1] is an actress and voice actress who played Fennec Shand in the Disney+ live-action TV series Star Wars: The Mandalorian^[4] and Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett,^[5] as well as in the Disney+ animated series Star Wars: The Bad Batch.^[6]

Biography

Joining Star Wars

"They turned on the Volume and there were the two suns, and tears welled up in my eyes. I was on Tatooine!"

―Ming-Na Wen recalls her first time on set for The Mandalorian^[6]

Ming-Na Wen is an actress born November 20, 1963^[1] in Macau when the city was a colony of Portugal.^[2] She would grow up in Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania, United States. In her youth, Wen found herself inspired by the original trilogy of Star Wars films. She identified with each of the main characters, Luke, Han, and Leia, saying that each of them represented different parts of herself that she wanted to become. She eventually studied at Carnegie Mellon University to pursue her dreams of becoming an actor.^[6]

Wen joined the cast of the Disney+ live-action television series Star Wars: The Mandalorian as the bounty hunter Fennec Shand. She debuted in the episode "Chapter 5: The Gunslinger,"^[7] which premiered on December 6, 2019^[8] During her first time on set for the episode, which was filmed in the Volume, Wen recalled becoming emotional when seeing the environment of the planet Tatooine appear around her.^[6]

Wen felt an immediate connection with^[6] The Mandalorian writer and director Dave Filoni,^[9] who was from the same area as Wen and actually attended the same high school.^[6]

Furthering Fennec

"She’s cutting her teeth as a bounty hunter in The Bad Batch…She’s still a loner, a drifter.... There’s just a sense of more recklessness about her, just bravado. You know, a young punk. She’s more adventurous and willing to take greater risks because she doesn’t know what the consequences are."

―Ming-Na Wen describes Fennec Shand's role in The Bad Batch^[6]

Although the character of Shand could have ended as a brief cameo in a single episode, Wen was brought back for season two of The Mandalorian and also brought in for Filoni's animated television series Star Wars: The Bad Batch, where she voiced a younger version of Shand^[6] for multiple episodes.^[10]^[11] She also later became a main character in the 2021 live-action television series Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett.^[5]

Works

Filmography

Year	Title	Series	Contribution(s)
2019^[8]	"Chapter 5: The Gunslinger"	Star Wars: The Mandalorian	Fennec Shand^[7]
2020^[12]	"Chapter 14: The Tragedy"	The Mandalorian	Fennec Shand^[13]
2020^[12]	"Chapter 15: The Believer"	The Mandalorian	Fennec Shand^[14]
2020^[12]	"Chapter 16: The Rescue"	The Mandalorian	Fennec Shand^[15]
2021^[16]	"Cornered"	Star Wars: The Bad Batch	Fennec Shand^[10]
2021^[17]	"Bounty Lost"	Star Wars: The Bad Batch	Fennec Shand^[11]
2021^[18]	"Chapter 1: Stranger in a Strange Land"	Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett	Fennec Shand^[19]
2022^[20]	"Chapter 2: The Tribes of Tatooine"	The Book of Boba Fett	Fennec Shand^[21]
2022^[20]	"Chapter 3: The Streets of Mos Espa"	The Book of Boba Fett	Fennec Shand^[22]
2022^[20]	"Chapter 4: The Gathering Storm"	The Book of Boba Fett	Fennec Shand^[23]
2022^[20]	"Chapter 5: Return of the Mandalorian"	The Book of Boba Fett	Fennec Shand^[24]
2022^[25]	"Chapter 6: From the Desert Comes a Stranger"	The Book of Boba Fett	Fennec Shand^[26]
2022^[25]	"Chapter 7: In the Name of Honor"	The Book of Boba Fett	Fennec Shand^[27]
2024^[28]	"Bad Territory"	Star Wars: The Bad Batch	Fennec Shand^[29]