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Star Wars’ The Bad Batch Is All Good Things

The once-rejects are the heroes the Galaxy now needs.

Plot
7.5
Script
8.5
Directing
8.5
Acting
9.5
Animation
8
Reader Rating0 Votes
0
Bad (Like, Good)
Great premise with a strong start
Baker's acting is on points... like all the points out there!
Fantastic script
Has a great "same but different" vibe
Bad (like, just Bad)
Nothing really, as long as Disney doesn't get too caught up in this one era, it's all fine
8.4

To say that Star Wars animations have come a long way since 1985’s Ewoks and Droids series would be an understatement.

While still beloved (and available on Disney+), the purpose of either animated series was not to move the Star Wars universe ahead as much as it was to provide clamouring fans with more content from the recognisable ends of a galaxy far, far away. And for the most part, it worked really well.

And then came 2008’s The Clone Wars. While its feature-length debut was somewhat divisive for fans and received incredibly negative reviews, the series itself soon won over fans, new and old alike. The series even converted one of the most controversial aspects of the film, Anakin’s apprentice Ahsoka, from being a target of fan vitriol to a fan favourite.

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Thanks to The Clone Wars, Star Wars’ second lease of life on television has not only been incredibly popular but also successful enough to spawn an equally great sequel and spin-off content. And The Bad Batch seems to be geared to live up to the expectations of The Clone Wars fans.

Related: Meet The Bad Batch

Commencing moments before the execution of Order 66 (yes, feel the pain again—it’s the Star Wars equivalent of Uncle Ben’s death), The Bad Batch throws fans into the familiar territory from a fresh angle, servicing both The Clone Wars and Rebels fans. But worry not about simply treading old waters, The Bad Batch is its own show, and despite having to deal with the fallout of Order 66 being a significant aspect, it quickly moves on to different things.

It can be argued that The Bad Batch deals with things both smaller and larger than it predecessors. While The Clone Wars itself revolves around one of the most defining galactic incidents, Rebels saw fit to focus on the stories of the people in the galaxy… before becoming a canvas for the bigger picture at hand. The Bad Batch, however, seems to be tasked with juggling both, while also being its own show–not just yet another instalment of clone-related drama.

Like Rebels and The Clone Wars, the strongest aspect of The Bad Batch lies in the amazing chemistry the main cast has with each other… which is no surprise given that almost the entire cast is one guy…

Dee Bradley Baker, resuming his role as every Clone Trooper (and more) from The Clone Wars, continues to voice the members of the Bad Batch as well as their brethren. Boy, do I hope he’s been paid enough to keep him wealthy for the next few lifetimes ‘cause he definitely deserves it.

There are some new characters joining the line-up, but it remains to be seen how far they go and how well they sit with fans. But given the immense success of Ahsoka, fans will probably be more willing to reserve comments till more of the show is out.

Till then, The Bad Batch joins the amazing line-up of original content on Disney+ and will be the first long-term breather for Marvel fans, and Star Wars goes back to championing the app’s viewership… until Loki.