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The Mandalorian: Ming-Na Wen's secret Star Wars role finally revealed
Back in August, Ming-Na Wen revealed to SYFY WIRE that she would be appearing in The Mandalorian on Disney+. While she couldn't say much about her Star Wars debut — aside from ruling out the role of a farmer — we now know that she'll be taking up the post of Fennec Sand, an assassin who crosses paths with the titular character portrayed by Pedro Pascal.
Shand, a hired killer for some of the galaxy's worst crime syndicates, was named after the Fennec fox, a real animal that is native to the deserts of North Africa and the Middle East. Small, yet effective hunters, these predatory mammals feast on bugs, birds, and other small creatures. A Fennec's most notable feature is its large ears, which help them ameliorate the immense heat of the fox's natural habitat.
You can see Fennec Shand in action in the brand-new teaser from Vanity Fair right here.
"Your name will be legendary," she tells the Mandalorian, perhaps hinting that we'll get to learn his actual birth name sometime over the course of Season 1. The promo also lets us see/hear the gruff-voiced Nick Nolte speaking as Kuiil, an Ugnaught who has apparently never met a native of Mandalore, although he has heard stories about them. Ugnaughts are the pig-like aliens who helped freeze Han in carbonite at the end of The Empire Strikes Back.
The series (created by Jon Favreau) co-stars Carl Weathers, Gina Carano, Werner Herzog, Taika Waititi, Bill Burr, Giancarlo Esposito, Omid Abtah, Emily Swallow, Mark Boone Junior, Julia Jones, and Natalia Tena.
Set several years after 1983's Return of the Jedi, The Mandalorian takes place in the lawless regions of the Outer Rim and is basically a spaghetti western in space.
Season 1 premieres with Disney+ next Tuesday, Nov. 12.
