For a lot of people, The Clone Wars‘ final season was a mixed bag. While most adored the final arc dealing with the Siege of Mandalore and the end of the Clone Wars from Ahsoka, Rex, and Maul’s point of view, the arc with Snips and the Martez sisters left a lot to be desired. And what about the season’s opening jaunt, “The Bad Batch“? Well, Disney’s hoping you liked it a lot; they’ve just announced the newest Star Wars animated series, fittingly titled Star Wars: The Bad Batch.
On December 10, during Disney’s Investor Day presentation, we got to see our very first glimpse at the new series.
If it has action like this througout, we’re sold.
Lucasfilm
In a press release in July, Lucasfilm announced the new series coming to Disney+. It will follow the ragtag group of “imperfect” clones in the immediate aftermath of The Clone Wars and Revenge of the Sith. Naturally, it seems, the members of the Army of the Republic’s own personal Suicide Squad did not succumb to Order 66. As such, they have to contend with life after the clone army is decommissioned. And, of course, they’ll have lots of daring adventures in the process. (It is a Star Wars show after all.)
Lucasfilm
“Giving new and existing fans the final chapter of Star Wars: The Clone Wars has been our honor at Disney+, and we are overjoyed by the global response to this landmark series,” said Agnes Chu, senior vice president, Content, Disney+. “While the Clone Wars may have come to its conclusion, our partnership with the groundbreaking storytellers and artists at Lucasfilm Animation is only beginning. We are thrilled to bring Dave Filoni’s vision to life through the next adventures of the Bad Batch.”
For my money, “The Bad Batch” was an excellent arc in the annals of The Clone Wars, but it maybe felt out of place in the long-awaited final season. However, knowing now that Clone Force 99 will return for their own adventures, it feels much more integral. Who knew we were watching a backdoor pilot? The group members are: Sgt. Hunter, the Rambo-esque tracker who serves as leader; Crosshair, a trooper with enhanced eyesight who acts as sniper; Wrecker, a big, muscly clone who leaps before he looks; and Tech, the—you guessed it—technical specialist. At the end of “The Bad Batch,” the newly rescued Echo from the 501st joins the group.
Lucasfilm
It’ll be a lot of fun to see where these troopers go, and what the galaxy looks like after the fall of the Republic. We’ve seen late-stage Empire in Rebels and Rogue One, fall of the Empire in the original trilogy, and post-fall in The Mandalorian. This will give us a great chance to see the vestiges of democracy in tatters with the rise of fascism and oppression. Fun!
Star Wars: The Bad Batch will premiere on Disney+ on May 4. If you want more of The Clone Wars, check out Amy Ratcliffe’s amazing full interview with Dave Filoni.
Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Twitter!
This piece was originally published on December 18, 2020.
