Boba Fett returned with a bang in The Mandalorian, in pretty much every manner imaginable. Watching Tatooine's twin suns. Meeting Din Djarin. Reclaiming his armor and destroying stormtroopers in the process. The return of the Slave I and the seismic charge. And, of course, executing Bib Fortuna and taking over Jabba's Palace in the Season 2 finale's post-credit scene.
Once a feared captor across the galaxy, Fett now says he's "not a bounty hunter" in The Book of Boba Fett's trailer. And as far as current trends seem to indicate, that appears to be true. Boba Fett is now a crimelord, one who "intends to rule with respect," and the latest chapter in his story should be unlike any other that fans have seen in Star Wars up to this point.
By Fett's side through this all will be Fennec Shand, a former bounty hunter in her own right who now claims to owe a life debt to her savior. Both were left for dead on the sands of Tatooine and restored to full strength, so it's only natural that they'll be imposing their will on the dustball of a world. The sharpshooter will be serving as Fett's enforcer and right hand, as close to a trusted ally as he can have.
Following the overwhelming conclusion to The Mandalorian Season 2's finale, fans were quick to set aside their emotions as the surprising post-credit sequence took place. The Book of Boba Fett went unannounced during last winter's Disney Investor's Day event, but Lucasfilm went all-in on crafting the sequence of Fett's takeover. As the new series approaches, one of the stars has looked back on that moment's process.
Ming-Na Wen Recalls Filming The Mandalorian Post-Credit Scene
In the Winter 2021 issue of Disney's D23 Magazine obtained by The Direct, actress Ming-Na Wen touched on the shoot for The Mandalorian Season 2's post-credit scene, which included the surprise announcement of The Book of Boba Fett spin-off:
"Oh, my gosh, it's amazing. The set designers made sure that everything was based on the original designs. For me it was also the chimes that were in Jabba's throne. That was amazing. I don't know why those chimes just got to me. But the throne itself is spectacular, plus the fact that I was able to just nonchalantly sit on the arm of the throne and take a swig of blue water."
On the note of the blue fluid Shand drank, Wen speculated that the substance was the Star Wars version of tequila:
"But the throne itself is spectacular, plus the fact that I was able to just nonchalantly sit on the arm of the throne and take a swig of blue water. We don't know what that stuff is, but I'm sure it's probably equivalent to tequila."
The actress said the lack of an elegant takeover was intentional given the background the two characters have:
"We had so much fun figuring out that last moment when Boba takes the throne and I'm his right-hand person. We wanted to have a little less reverence to it because of us being bounty hunters. So that was all part of Jon and Dave's creative process."
Fennec remains as much of an enigma to Wen as she does to the audience:
"I feel like there's still a lot of mystery to her. I created the scar on her face, and I don't know how she got it. Who trained her? What was she like when she was young?"
Wen also enjoys getting a rise out of her producers to keep things light on set:
"Yes, to the chagrin of my producers [laughs]. And then that's all we'll say about that. You know me, I can be a little naughty. It's always fun to lighten the mood any time we can because the characters are dealing with some very serious stuff."
Honoring the Star Wars Legacy
The Mandalorian has been the subject of endless praise for two years and counting, in large part due to the way the series has stayed true to Star Wars' roots.
Towards the end of Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian - Making of Season 2, behind the scenes footage is shown for the post-credit shoot. Jabba's throne room was recreated to be identical to its appearance in Return of the Jedi, with the production team going so far as to light the set in precisely the same manner.
Having seen that footage, it comes as no surprise that the experience of shooting the scene had such an impact on Wen - a huge Star Wars fan herself. It's neat to hear that an item as obscure as the chimes that Leia knocked into while sneaking around the palace were so moving for the actress. Star Wars is full of small things that are given prominent sounds, and one has to imagine Wen had an "I know that!" moment when she encountered the chimes herself.
The blue water Wen refers to is spotchka, an alcoholic beverage introduced in the first season of The Mandalorian. For all intents and purposes, the drink essentially is Star Wars tequila, though unfortunately for those on set, the mix used wasn't anything of that nature. How Wen played the moment was right on brand for Fennec Shand; as a mercenary, the character has little regard for elegance during an overthrow.
It's interesting to learn that the actress knows as little about Fennec's background as the fans do, though perhaps that could change over the course of the next few months. Dave Filoni is known for keeping his cards close to the vest, to the extent that he withholds any information about an actor's character that isn't pertinent to what they're currently working on. Whatever Filoni had in mind when he first created Shand may have changed by now - or he simply hasn't found the need to share her backstory yet.
Star Wars, at the end of the day, is supposed to be fun - not only for the audience, but for those creating the material. Actors have notoriously goofed off on set since the beginning; it's been well documented that the original trio gave George Lucas fits while filming A New Hope.
What are Wen's classified antics? Pranks on set? Intentional bloopers? She hinted at being naughty - some music, perhaps? Maybe she's got the crew rocking out to Max Rebo or Figrin D'An and the Modal Nodes. Or if the theme is more earthly, Ming-Na Wen may be enjoying some Pusha T and Young Thug with Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni. Or maybe she just tells some jokes.
The Book of Boba Fett debuts on December 29 on Disney+.
