Overview

“Star Wars: The Bad Batch” is the latest Star Wars Disney+ TV series. It tells the story of a squad of elite clone troopers during and after the events of Order 66. The squad, officially known as Clone Force 99, is made up of four experimental clones with unique enhanced abilities. These include Hunter, the squad leader with heightened senses, Crosshair, the expert marksman, Tech, the engineer, and Wrecker, the brute force of the squad. 

The fifth member is Echo, a regular, non-altered clone who was injured in a battle and captured by the enemy where he was transformed into a cyborg. He was rescued by the Bad Batch in Season 7 of the “Clone Wars” TV Series. Speaking of “Clone Wars”, this show is essentially a direct sequel to that show which released its final episode in May of last year. As of May 25, there are 4 episodes released so far with 12 more to be released later on in the season. Episodes will be released periodically every Friday. 

Story

Avoiding major spoilers, “The Bad Batch” follows the squad on their adventures in a galaxy undergoing massive changes. The Galactic Empire has been declared. The Jedi have been largely eliminated. And the Bad Batch need to find a new place to fit into all this. 

“The Bad Batch” looks to explore many questions about the Star Wars universe such as what happened to the clone troopers after Order 66, and how did the galaxy react differently to the proclamation of the Empire? In just the premiere episode, which is a uniquely long 1 hour and 14 minutes, expect to see familiar faces, such as Emperor Palpatine, Admiral Tarkin (not yet Grand Moff), and Saw Gerrera. 

Familiar locations are visited as well such as the clone facility on Kamino and the planet of Onderon, which featured in a few “Clone Wars” episodes. The story is presented in a very easy to understand manner. Characters will outright say what they are thinking and will constantly remove their helmets so the audience doesn’t forget who they are and can more effectively show their emotions. 

This is because the target audience appeals more to pre-teens and younger teenagers, similar to how it was in “Clone Wars” and “Rebels”. All three shows have similar tones with some scenes focused on lighthearted, sometimes slapstick, comedy, but still including intense action scenes and mature themes such as loss and betrayal. Fans looking to watch this show should also have at least general knowledge of the Star Wars films and “Clone Wars” TV series to enjoy this series to its fullest. 

Characters

With the title of the series being “The Bad Batch”, it’s no surprise that the show’s main focus are the five squad members of Clone Force 99. Sadly, I think that most of these characters weren’t written to appeal to older audiences. 

The characters I am mostly talking about are Tech, Wrecker, and Crosshair. Tech is a stereotypical nerdy character who wears glasses and spouts random facts and exposition to the rest of the squad. Wrecker is just a buff, strong dude who always talks about destroying things and blowing stuff up. Crosshair is not as bad as the previous two, but is written to be overly serious all of the time. These three characters all seem to have a single personality trait, and it gets boring when they make up 3/5ths of the squad.

Echo and Hunter are the two members of the squad who actually make for compelling characters. Fans of “Clone Wars” will recognize Echo all the way back from Season 1 as he developed from a novice rookie, to an experienced veteran who ultimately sacrificed himself to allow his allies to escape. Echo’s courage and loyalty make him an important member of the squad. Squad leader Hunter also shines as a great character as he is faced with various moral dilemmas within the first few episodes. He always does what he believes is right; even if it is not the easy thing to do. 

Some other characters include Omega who is a young female clone who feels a connection to the Bad Batch because they are all different from the rest of the clones. I am curious to see how she will develop with the Bad Batch over the course of the story. I also enjoyed Tarkin in these first few episodes as he is portrayed as a calm, yet sinister villain to the clones. 

Final Verdict 

In my opinion, “Star Wars: The Bad Batch” gets an 8/10. It looks to be a great entry into the Star Wars universe that will be very similar to the highly-popular shows “Clone Wars” and “Rebels”. The period immediately following Episode III hasn’t been adapted to any screen yet, and it will be interesting to see how the events unfold. I have been pleased with the story so far. I recommend this show to any Star Wars fan, however, it may be difficult to feel interested in many of the characters for anyone outside the target age range. Regardless, I look forward to seeing more episodes and seasons in the future.