Tamal Kundu
In the ‘Star Wars’ franchise, Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) is an elite mercenary and master assassin. During the reign of Darth Sidious, she was highly active in the criminal underworld, working for various syndicates across the galaxy, including the Hutt clan. However, after the fall of the Galactic Empire and the re-emergence of the republic in 5 ABY, things drastically began to change for the expert hunter and killer. In the course of the next four years, most of her former employers were taken into custody, and a bounty of 10,000 credits was placed on her. This prompted her to go on the run. The Mandalorian Din Djarin and novice bounty hunter Toro Calican eventually find her hiding in the deserts of Tatooine. In episode 4 of ‘The Book of Boba Fett,’ titled ‘Chapter 4: The Gathering Storm,’ it is shown that Fennec has machines where her stomach and intestine should be. If that has made you wonder whether Fennec is a robot, we got you covered. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Is Fennec Shand a Robot?
No, Fennec Shand is not a robot. She is a human female who garnered a fierce reputation as a bounty hunter and assassin. She started her career around 19 BBY. Initially, she made up for her lack of experience with her skills and ruthlessness. One of her earliest assignments was to get Omega, the unmodified female clone of Jango Fett, to the ocean planet Kamino. As she gained experience with time, she was employed by various prominent criminal enterprises in the galaxy. This includes the Hutt clan, who became incredibly powerful when the Galactic Empire was in control.
But, as mentioned above, Fennec’s fortune changed with the fall of the empire. With a 10,000 credits bounty on her head, she was forced to travel to Tatooine and hide in a rock formation situated beyond the Dune Sea. Her position gave her a wide view of the surroundings. She took out most bounty hunters and assassins who were foolish enough to attempt to cash in on the bounty with her expert sniping skills.
And yet, when Boba finds her, she has been shot through her gut and is close to dying. It appears that Boba recognizes who she is and takes her to a mod parlor on the outskirts of Mos Eisley, where her damaged abdominal organs are replaced with cybernetic implants. When Boba asks the surgeon if he is going to close her up, the latter states that they shouldn’t cover “all that beautiful machinery.” So, while Fennec isn’t a robot, she has cybernetic modifications in her abdomen.
Who Shot Fennec Shand?
Fennec successfully defends her position against other bounty hunters and assassins until the arrival of Djarin and Calican. She initially manages to hold them off, but they eventually capture her. In episode 5 of ‘The Mandalorian,’ titled ‘Chapter 5: The Gunslinger,’ Djarin forces her to surrender by holding a blaster to her head. After he leaves to acquire a ride for them to leave the desert, Fennec tells the rookie that she will pay him double her bounty if he gets her to Mos Espa instead of giving her to the authorities. But Calican refuses as he is more interested in making a name for himself as a bounty hunter than earning money.
Changing her approach, she reveals that Djarin is a fugitive from the guild, who has run away with his mark. But her plans backfire when Calican shoots her. He has realized that she would have killed him the moment he had let her go. Unfortunately, he doesn’t survive the hunt anyway. Djarin kills him when the younger man tries to kidnap Grogu.
Read More: What Is a Gotra in The Book of Boba Fett?
