Baker also voices other clones in the series, reprising his role from The Clone Wars. Michelle Ang stars as Omega, a female clone who joins the squad. The series was officially ordered by Disney+ in July 2020 as a spin-off from The Clone Wars, with Filoni, Corbett, and Rau attached.
The first season of Star Wars: The Bad Batch premiered on May 4, 2021, and ran for 16 episodes until August 13. It received positive reviews from critics. A second season, also consisting of 16 episodes, premiered on January 4, 2023, and concluded on March 29. A third and final season was announced in April 2023 and is set to be released on February 21, 2024. It will consist of 15 episodes, and conclude on May 1, 2024.
Premise
Clone Force 99, also known as the Bad Batch—a group of elite clone troopers with genetic mutations that were first introduced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.[1] Unlike the majority of the clone army, these mutations allow most of the Bad Batch to resist the influence of Order 66, which turned their brethren into brutal and blindly obedient slaves of Emperor Palpatine. In doing so, they become fugitives of the Galactic Empire, relegated to take on daring mercenary missions in the aftermath of the Clone Wars.[1] Meanwhile, Admiral Wilhuff Tarkin begins phasing out the use of clones within the Imperial military in favor of regular humans.[citation needed] The third season sees the Bad Batch trying to reunite with Omega, who has been taken inside an Imperial science lab, while trying to free themselves from the Empire with all the knowledge they have learned.[2]
Cast and characters
Starring
Dee Bradley Baker as all members of the Bad Batch: A squad of elite clone troopers also known as Clone Force 99, consisting of Hunter, Wrecker, Tech, Echo, and Crosshair.[3]Star Wars creator George Lucas wanted the Bad Batch to be more unique than other clones, with each having special abilities, but he did not want them to be superheroes.[4] Baker also voices the other clones in the series, including Cut Lawquane, Captains Rex, Howzer and Wilco, Commanders Cody and Mayday,[5][6] and clone commandosGregor and Scorch. In addition Baker also voices Barton Coburn, a former Admiral, now Imperial officer who once served under Jedi Master Plo Koon.
Michelle Ang as Omega: A young female clone working as a medical assistant on Kamino. She is an unmodified replication of Jango Fett, but is genetically deviant from standard clone templates and therefore feels a kind of kinship with the Bad Batch.[7]
Tina Huang as ES-02: An Imperial Elite Squad Trooper.
Ness Bautista as ES-03: An Imperial Elite Squad Trooper.
Helen Sadler as Doctor Scalder,[8][9] a member of the Imperial Advanced Science Division.
Introduced in season two
Wanda Sykes as Phee Genoa,[10] a pirate who has contracts with Cid and who takes a personal interest in Tech.
Jennifer Hale as Riyo Chuchi,[11] a Pantoran member of the Imperial Senate.
Jimmi Simpson as Doctor Royce Hemlock,[12] the director of the secret Imperial Advanced Science Division.
Keisha Castle-Hughes as Emerie Karr,[12] the chief scientist of the ASD facility in Mount Tantiss, and later revealed to be another female clone of Jango Fett.
Shelby Young as Captain Bragg,[31] an Imperial officer on Raxus Secundus.
Young also voices Yanna, a Wookie elder, and Lenk, a Twi'lek freedom fighter.[32]
Vanessa Marshall as Hera Syndulla,[33][34] Cham Syndulla's daughter, an aspiring pilot and freedom fighter. Marshall, who also voiced an older version of the character in Rebels, used a French accent for the younger Hera to match the native Rylothian Twi'lek accents heard from other characters.
Andy de la Tour as Hurst Romodi, an Imperial officer who serves under Governor Tarkin. de la Tour reprises his role from Rogue One.
Alain Uy as Lieutenant Maylur, an Imperial officer who serves under Governor Tarkin. Uy also voices a Stormtrooper.
Introduced in season three
Nika Futterman as Asajj Ventress, a former apprentice of Count Dooku who later became a bounty hunter during the Clone Wars. Ventress's appearance in the series is meant to "align" with the events of novel Star Wars: Dark Disciple, which adapted a planned story arc from The Clone Wars that was never produced and sees Ventress die.[49]
At the tail-end of the Clone Wars, while the Bad Batch—defective clones Hunter, Tech, Crosshair, and Wrecker plus cyborg clone Echo—are assisting Jedi MasterDepa Billaba and her Padawan Caleb Dume on Kaller, Order 66 is issued and Billaba is killed by her clones. The Bad Batch receives the order too, but only Crosshair feels compelled to obey it, and Hunter lets Dume escape. Returning to Kamino, the Bad Batch learns that the war is over, that an Empire has replaced the Republic, and they meet a young girl, Omega, who is another defective clone. Admiral Tarkin arrives to evaluate the clones' viability and sends the Bad Batch to eliminate a group of insurgents on Onderon. When they discover that these "insurgents" are harmless refugees under Saw Gerrera who refuse to submit to the new Empire, Hunter has his men abandon the mission and return for Omega. They are arrested for treason, and Tarkin has Crosshair's inhibitor chip enhanced, turning him against his squadmates and forcing the Bad Batch and Omega to flee without him.
2
2
"Cut and Run"
Steward Lee
Gursimran Sandhu
May 7, 2021 (2021-05-07)
The Bad Batch and Omega seek refuge on Saleucami with clone deserter Cut Lawquane, who tells them about the inhibitor chips which programmed the regular clones and Crosshair to be loyal to the Empire after Order 66. With increased military presence from the Empire, Cut plans to escape with his family, but they discover that newly introduced chain codes are needed to book public transport. Knowing Cut would be arrested if he tried to get one, Tech and Echo steal some chain codes, and Omega helps deliver them to Cut and his family in time for them to board the transport. Hunter attempts to send Omega with Cut as he thinks she needs a family, but she decides to stay with the Bad Batch.
3
3
"Replacements"
Nathaniel Villanueva
Matt Michnovetz
May 14, 2021 (2021-05-14)
The Bad Batch and Omega are stranded on a moon after their ship was damaged on Saleucami, and an Ordo Moon Dragon steals the part they need to repair it. Hunter and Omega set out to retrieve it, but Hunter is incapacitated. Omega continues alone and tracks the Dragon, retrieving the part without a fight. On Kamino, Tarkin and Admiral Rampart put Crosshair in command of a new unit of conscripted soldiers that are sent to Onderon to wipe out Gerrera's camp. Gerrera is already gone, and Crosshair kills one disloyal recruit, but the rest comply and are otherwise successful. Tarkin sees potential for conscripted soldiers, concerning Kaminoan Prime Minister Lama Su.
On their way to a proposed hiding-place on Idaflor, the Bad Batch is forced to stop on the nearest planet, Pantora, so they can gather supplies and Tech can modify their ship's signature since it now appears on the Empire's wanted list. A landing bay attendant on Pantora identifies the Bad Batch and informs Fennec Shand, a mercenary who has been hired to retrieve Omega. Hunter, Echo, and Omega search for supplies while Tech and Wrecker work on the ship. Omega is approached by Shand, which leads to Hunter chasing Shand throughout the city. Hunter and Omega lose Shand, and after the modifications are completed the Bad Batch departs from Pantora.
5
5
"Rampage"
Steward Lee
Tamara Becher-Wilkinson
May 28, 2021 (2021-05-28)
Hoping to discover who hired Shand, the Bad Batch goes to Ord Mantell where Echo knows of a Jedi informant named Cid. She offers to find out about Shand in exchange for their help: slavers have kidnapped a child named Muchi, and Cid will receive a reward from Jabba the Hutt if the Bad Batch helps her rescue the child. The Bad Batch finds and fights off the slavers, rescuing Muchi, who is a young rancor. Taking her to Cid, Muchi is then given to Jabba's right-hand man Bib Fortuna in exchange for the reward. Cid gives some of the reward to Hunter but is unable to learn who hired Shand. She offers to give the Bad Batch more mercenary work in the future.
6
6
"Decommissioned"
Nathaniel Villanueva
Amanda Rose Muñoz
June 4, 2021 (2021-06-04)
Cid hires the Bad Batch to retrieve a Separatist tactical droid for its battle intel before it is destroyed at a Corellian decommissioning site. They encounter police droids guarding the facility, as well as Trace and Rafa Martez who are also after the droid. Wrecker accidentally hits his head and his inhibitor chip begins to activate. Tech and the sisters program the tactical droid to turn on the police droids, allowing them to escape, but the tactical droid is destroyed in the process. The sisters explain that they were retrieving it for a client who is fighting the Empire. Hunter gives them a copy of the droid's data that Tech made during the fight, and the sisters later tell their client how to find the Bad Batch.
7
7
"Battle Scars"
Saul Ruiz
Jennifer Corbett
June 11, 2021 (2021-06-11)
After they fail to return with the tactical droid's data, Cid tells the Bad Batch that they will need to do a big job to pay off their debt to her. They are interrupted by Trace and Rafa's mystery client, their old friend Captain Rex, who is alarmed to learn that the Bad Batch have yet to remove their inhibitor chips as he has. They go to Bracca, a starship graveyard planet controlled by the Scrapper Guild, and sneak onto an old Jedi cruiser to use its medical bay. Wrecker's agitation activates his chip and he attacks his teammates, but he is subdued and the chip is removed. Rex takes his leave once the extractions are completed; as they say goodbye, Hunter is seen by members of the Scrapper Guild.
8
8
"Reunion"
Steward Lee
Christian Taylor
June 18, 2021 (2021-06-18)
The Scrapper Guild informs the Empire of the Bad Batch's location, and Crosshair is sent to kill them. Concerned that Omega will not be returned safely, Lama Su hires a second bounty hunter to retrieve the girl. Crosshair cuts the Bad Batch off from their ship, so they attempt to escape through the cruiser's ion engine. Crosshair pins them inside and has the engine turned on, but they use explosives salvaged from the cruiser's armory to escape, and Crosshair is injured by the engine's ignition. Hunter and Omega are confronted by bounty hunter Cad Bane, who shoots Hunter in the chest and kidnaps Omega. The rest of the group catch up, carry the injured Hunter onto their ship, and escape.
9
9
"Bounty Lost"
Brad Rau and Nathaniel Villanueva
Matt Michnovetz
June 25, 2021 (2021-06-25)
While chasing after Bane, the Bad Batch learns from Tech that Omega is an unmodified replication of Jango Fett, making her the only available source for fresh cloning material. En route to an old Kaminoan cloning facility on Bora Vio for her delivery, Omega tricks Bane's droid aide Todo into releasing her and is able to signal the Bad Batch. Lama Su sends Taun We to retrieve Omega and orders Nala Se to eliminate the girl after extracting genetic samples from her. Concerned for Omega's safety, Nala Se sends Fennec Shand to rescue Omega. Shand kills Taun We and duels Bane, allowing Omega to escape and be retrieved by the Bad Batch.
10
10
"Common Ground"
Saul Ruiz
Gursimran Sandhu
July 2, 2021 (2021-07-02)
On Raxus, which was the seat of the Separatist government during the Clone Wars, the Empire institutes new curfew laws with the support of local senator Avi Singh. While addressing the public, Singh speaks out against the Empire instead and is arrested. His protocol droid GS-8 hires Cid to help rescue Singh, and she sends the Bad Batch who are reluctant to help after fighting against the Separatists in the Clone Wars. Omega is left behind due to the multiple bounty hunters that are targeting her, and she wins Cid enough money playing dejarik to pay off the Bad Batch's debt. With the help of GS-8, the Bad Batch rescue Singh and take him to Cid for payment.
11
11
"Devil's Deal"
Steward Lee
Tamara Becher-Wilkinson
July 9, 2021 (2021-07-09)
When Senator Orn Free Taa announces a new Imperial refinery on Ryloth and encourages Twi'lek freedom fighters to disarm, resistance leader Cham Syndulla publicly supports the Empire. His lieutenant Gobi Glie takes Cham's daughter Hera on a secret mission to retrieve new weapons that are delivered by the Bad Batch, during which Hera befriends Omega. Crosshair tracks them, and the Empire arrests Glie and Hera for treason. Cham attacks the Imperial convoy to rescue them with his wife Eleni and other freedom fighters, but Crosshair shoots Orn Free Taa, which enables Rampart to frame Cham for Taa's attempted assassination. Cham, Eleni, and Glie are arrested, while Hera escapes.
12
12
"Rescue on Ryloth"
Nathaniel Villanueva
Jennifer Corbett
July 16, 2021 (2021-07-16)
Hera contacts Omega and asks the Bad Batch to help rescue her parents. Hunter does not think such a mission would be worth the risk, but Omega convinces him to intervene. Hera, Omega, Tech, and Wrecker attack the new Imperial refinery on Ryloth as a distraction while Echo and Hunter free Cham, Eleni, and the other freedom fighters. Crosshair discovers this and sets a trap for them, but clone Captain Howzer—who is loyal to Cham—warns the escapees of the trap and then confronts his fellow soldiers. Howzer is arrested, but the Bad Batch and freedom fighters escape. Rampart realizes that he has underestimated the Bad Batch and gives Crosshair permission to hunt them down.
13
13
"Infested"
Saul Ruiz
Amanda Rose Muñoz
July 23, 2021 (2021-07-23)
The Bad Batch return from a mission to find Cid's Parlor under the ownership of crime boss Roland Durand. They find Cid outside, and she reveals a plan to take back the parlor by stealing a shipment of spice from Roland that is intended for the Pyke Syndicate. The Bad Batch and Cid enter her office via underground tunnels infested with a hive of Irlings. They successfully retrieve the spice, but are chased down by Roland's guards who awaken the hive. The group escape from the tunnels, but the spice is taken by the hive. They are caught by the Pykes, who take Omega hostage while the Bad Batch and Cid retrieve the spice from the hive. The Pykes then let Cid reclaim her parlor.
14
14
"War-Mantle"
Steward Lee
Damani Johnson
July 30, 2021 (2021-07-30)
The Bad Batch are contacted by Rex, who asks them to help clone commando Gregor who is sending a distress signal from the planet Daro. At the source of the signal, they find an Imperial base where conscripted troopers are being trained by clone commandos to replace the clone trooper army. Hunter, Tech, and Echo infiltrate the base while Omega and Wrecker stay in the ship as backup. The Bad Batch rescue Gregor, but Hunter is captured during the escape. On Kamino, Lama Su and Nala Se plan to escape after the Empire cancels their clone army contracts, but they are caught by Admiral Rampart, who has use for Nala Se as a scientist but not for Lama Su.
15
15
"Return to Kamino"
Nathaniel Villanueva
Matt Michnovetz
August 6, 2021 (2021-08-06)
Hunter is taken to Tipoca City on Kamino, where the Empire has evacuated critical personnel and eliminated the rest. Crosshair activates Hunter's comm-link, luring the rest of the Bad Batch into a trap. Omega shows the others a hidden entrance into Nala Se's secret laboratory, where they were all originally created and where they find the friendly droid AZI-3 in hiding. They find Hunter, who tries to convince Crosshair to have his inhibitor chip removed, but Crosshair reveals that it has already been removed and he is willingly working for the Empire. Hunter stuns Crosshair as Rampart, under the orders of Tarkin, begins destroying Tipoca City with the Bad Batch and Crosshair still inside.
16
16
"Kamino Lost"
Saul Ruiz
Jennifer Corbett
August 13, 2021 (2021-08-13)
When the wreckage of Tipoca City begins to sink into the ocean, Rampart and the Empire depart while the Bad Batch aim to escape the city before it fully submerges. Omega and AZI-3 save Crosshair when they are trapped in a flooding room. Once the wreckage settles on the ocean floor, the group make their way to the tube that leads to their ship, but find it damaged. Crosshair suggests AZI-3 guide them to the surface inside lab capsules but the droid runs out of power on their way up. Omega tries to save him at the risk of drowning, until Crosshair saves them both. When they reach the ship, Crosshair chooses to part ways with the Bad Batch. Meanwhile, Nala Se is brought to an Imperial facility on Mount Tantiss.
Season 2 (2023)
No. overall
No. in season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original release date
17
1
"Spoils of War"
Steward Lee
Jennifer Corbett
January 4, 2023 (2023-01-04)
After a tip-off by her friend Phee Genoa, Cid sends the Bad Batch to Serenno to steal part of Count Dooku's massive war chest to help finance a future of their own. After some reluctance, Hunter joins in, and the team proceeds to the planet, where the Empire is already transporting the Count's wealth offworld. While trying to secure the valuable cargo, their presence is revealed, and a battle ensues during which Omega, Tech and Echo are trapped inside a cargo ship preparing for lift-off. Fighting their way to a cargo container, they attempt to use its reentry thrusters to make a safe escape landing, whilst Hunter and Wrecker try to lose their pursuers in the bombed-out ruins of the nearby city.
18
2
"Ruins of War"
Nathaniel Villanueva
Gina Lucita Monreal
January 4, 2023 (2023-01-04)
The cargo container crashes on Serenno's surface. While trying to make their way back to the Marauder, Omega, Tech and Echo meet Romar Adell, a local who is hiding in the woods, and while conversing with him, the clones get a first impression of what a free life must be like. In an unattended moment, Omega sneaks out to recover more funds from the war chest; Echo and Tech go after her, resulting in a clash with the Imperial search parties, whom the three escape with Romar's help. Hunter and Wrecker fight free of their encirclement and reunite with their friends. With the confirmation of Clone Force 99's survival, Vice Admiral Rampart, fearing punishment for his failure to eliminate them, decides to keep this fact secret from Governor Tarkin.
19
3
"The Solitary Clone"
Saul Ruiz
Amanda Rose Muñoz
January 11, 2023 (2023-01-11)
Crosshair is assigned to Commander Cody on a mission to the former Separatist planet Desix to rescue Imperial governor Grotton, who has been captured and taken hostage. After a successful assault, they encounter Desix's governor Tawni Ames, who demands Desix remain out of Imperial jurisdiction, citing the Republic's refusal to broker peace with the Separatists during the Clone Wars as reasoning. Cody argues for a peaceful resolution, but Crosshair kills Ames on Grotton's orders and Desix is brought under Imperial control. Returning to Coruscant, Cody questions whether the Empire is really doing good around the galaxy, and deserts soon after.
20
4
"Faster"
Steward Lee
Matt Michnovetz
January 18, 2023 (2023-01-18)
While Hunter and Echo are away on another assignment, Cid takes Omega, Tech and Wrecker to a riot race on Safa Toma to visit her cocky droid racer, TAY-0. Cid is challenged by Millegi, one of her business rivals, and his racer Jet Venim, and during the next round, Millegi orders Venim to cheat, causing TAY-0 to lose. When Millegi comes to collect, Omega challenges him to another race for Cid's freedom, but just before the event, TAY-0 is wrecked in an accident. Tech takes TAY-0's place as Cid's pilot, and using his calculative intellect to offset his lack of experience, he wins the race. Millegi honors his part of the deal, but warns the clones that one day Cid might turn against them.
While searching a junkyard for useful salvage, Omega and Wrecker find an ancient compass containing a set of coordinates toward the uncharted Kaldar Trinary that carry the promise of treasure. Phee Genoa and Omega persuade the Bad Batch to set out for the system, where the compass leads them to Skara Nal, the resting place of a legendary crystal, the Heart of the Mountain. They find the stone, but upon removing it, Skara Nal is revealed as an ancient doomsday mech, which begins running amok. The Bad Batch and Genoa manage to return the crystal, which deactivates and destroys the machine.
22
6
"Tribe"
Steward Lee
Matt Michnovetz
February 1, 2023 (2023-02-01)
The Bad Batch meets the Vanguard Axis for a job until Omega ends up helping Gungi, a Wookiee Jedi youngling, escape from his cartel captors. Intending to return him to his home world, the Bad Batch finds Kashyyyk being ravaged by a group of Trandoshan mercenaries working for the Empire. After winning a local tribe's trust, the clones join the Wookies and the indigenous wildlife in their fight against their Imperial opponents. The aggressors are eventually defeated, and Gungi is reunited with his people.
23
7
"The Clone Conspiracy"
Nathaniel Villanueva
Ezra Nachman
February 8, 2023 (2023-02-08)
In the Imperial Senate, Rampart pushes for the passing of a bill authorizing the military recruitment of Imperial citizens, meaning that the clones will be officially discarded. Senator Riyo Chuchi, who defends the clones' fundamental rights, is approached by clone trooper Slip, whose friend Cade was murdered on Rampart's orders when he defied the official version of Kamino's destruction by a storm disaster. Chuchi begins to investigate Rampart's conspiracy, alerting the admiral, who sends an assassin after Slip. Just as Chuchi tries to convince Slip to testify, the assassin kills him. Before Chuchi can suffer the same fate, she is rescued by Rex, whom Slip summoned for help. Rex and Chuchi prepare to question the assassin—a clone—but he kills himself before Rex can acquire information from him.
24
8
"Truth and Consequences"
Steward Lee
Damani Johnson
February 8, 2023 (2023-02-08)
Rex contacts the Bad Batch and asks them to join him and Chuchi, who tell them about Rampart's plot. To provide evidence against him, Rex asks the Batch to retrieve Slip's copy of Rampart's command log from his Star Destroyer, which is undergoing maintenance. While Omega accompanies Chuchi, who tries to get support from more senators, Rex and the rest of the Batch sneak aboard the cruiser to retrieve the data. The next morning, with the evidence in her hands, Chuchi exposes Rampart's attack on Kamino before the Senate, and he is arrested; but using the revelation of Rampart's atrocities to his advantage, Emperor Palpatine argues for the passage of the Defense Recruitment Bill into law. Before the Batch leaves Coruscant, Echo decides to stay behind to help Rex and Chuchi fight for a better future for the clones.
25
9
"The Crossing"
Nathaniel Villanueva
Brooke Roberts
February 15, 2023 (2023-02-15)
Cid sends the Bad Batch to extract some ipsium mineral from a mine she recently purchased, but during the expedition their ship is stolen. Forced to trek towards a spaceport, they are buried inside another mine when their recovered ipsium is detonated by a lightning storm. Having trouble dealing with the recent sudden turnabouts, Omega discovers an ipsium vein, but while trying to harvest it, she and Tech get separated from the others and have a talk about adapting to changes in life before they find an alternative way out. They find the spaceport abandoned, but manage to contact Cid, who grudgingly agrees to pick them up in a few days.
26
10
"Retrieval"
Steward Lee
Moisés Zamora
February 22, 2023 (2023-02-22)
The Marauder is taken by its thief, a young boy named Benni Baro, to his owner, Mokko, who prepares to strip the ship for parts to sell. Omega devises a way to track the Marauder; the Bad Batch infiltrate Mokko's mining base and coerce Benni into guiding them. Benni, hoping to gain Mokko's favor, betrays the Batch's presence, but just before being captured, Omega discovers that Mokko has been exploiting his workers for his own profit. With this revelation, Benni turns his comrades against Mokko, who falls to his death. The Batch restore their ship and leave the planet.
27
11
"Metamorphosis"
Saul Ruiz
Sabir Pirzada
March 1, 2023 (2023-03-01)
Doctor Royce Hemlock travels to an Imperial facility on Mount Tantiss to meet Nala Se. He tries to persuade her to take part in the Emperor's cloning projects, but she refuses. Meanwhile, a covert transport bound for Mt. Tantiss ends up stranded, and Cid assigns the Bad Batch to recover its cargo. While exploring the wreck, they discover that the "cargo" is an immature Zillo Beast secretly cloned away from Kamino to serve as a living armament resource. An Imperial strike force is sent to recover the Beast and capture all nearby witnesses, forcing the Bad Batch to retreat. Shortly after, Lama Su is brought to Mt. Tantiss to persuade Nala Se to cooperate. He divulges Omega's existence to Dr. Hemlock, in return for his freedom.
28
12
"The Outpost"
Nathaniel Villanueva & Brad Rau
Jennifer Corbett
March 8, 2023 (2023-03-08)
Crosshair is assigned to Lieutenant Nolan and travels to a remote Imperial outpost on Barton-4 under the command of a clone named Mayday. The outpost is attacked, and two cargo crates containing classified cargo are stolen. Nolan orders Crosshair and Mayday to recover the cargo. The two clones eliminate the thieves and find the cargo, which is Stormtrooper armor, but an avalanche fatally injures Mayday and buries the cargo. Crosshair carries Mayday back to the outpost, but Nolan chastises them for their failure and refuses to provide a medic for Mayday, who succumbs to his injuries. Fed up with Nolan's arrogance and disrespect of clones, Crosshair kills Nolan on the spot before losing consciousness. Later, he wakes up in an Imperial operating chamber, where Emerie Karr orders him to cooperate with her if he wants to survive.
29
13
"Pabu"
Steward Lee
Amanda Rose Muñoz
March 15, 2023 (2023-03-15)
After informally cutting ties with Cid, the Bad Batch and Omega help Phee Genoa recover a lost artifact. Genoa convinces the clones to accompany her to the peaceful island of Pabu. There, they are hosted by Mayor Hazard and his daughter Lyana, who befriends Omega. However, a tsunami threatens the lower levels of the city. Hunter manages to rescue Omega and Lyana at sea while Tech and Wrecker help Genoa and Hazard to evacuate the population before the tsunami destroys the lower city. The Bad Batch agrees to stay on Pabu to help with the rebuilding efforts.
30
14
"Tipping Point"
Saul Ruiz
Jennifer Corbett & Matt Michnovetz
March 22, 2023 (2023-03-22)
Several clones imprisoned for disobedience against the Empire, including Howzer, are rescued by a group of rogue clones led by Echo and Gregor and brought to Coruscant, where Senator Chuchi questions them about their intended fate. With only a few encrypted data scraps recovered in the raid, Echo rejoins the Bad Batch on Pabu. On Mt. Tantiss (the transport's destination), Crosshair is interrogated by Dr. Hemlock about the whereabouts of the Batch, specifically Omega. He escapes in an inattended moment and sends a warning to his former comrades before being recaptured and subjected to more intense torture. After receiving the message and analyzing the data Echo recovered, the Batch learns about the existence of the Empire's secret Advanced Science Division.
31
15
"The Summit"
Nathaniel Villanueva
Matt Michnovetz
March 29, 2023 (2023-03-29)
In order to find out more about the Science Division's activities, the Bad Batch trails Dr. Hemlock to an imminent summit hosted by Tarkin on Eriadu. The gathering concerns establishing a network of total control over the galaxy, in which the ASD's secret research in the Kaminoans' cloning technology is supposed to play a critical role. As they sneak into the base where the summit is held, the Bad Batch discovers that Saw Gerrera has also infiltrated the compound to assassinate the assembled Imperial top-level officers. The intruders are discovered and the alarm is raised, but Gerrera sets off explosives which disrupt the base's railcar that the Bad Batch must use to escape, leaving them stranded.
32
16
"Plan 99"
Steward Lee
Jennifer Corbett
March 29, 2023 (2023-03-29)
With their railcar imperiled by Imperial attack, Tech sacrifices his life to boost the team away from the Empire, but at an excessive speed that injures them. Retreating to Ord Mantell to treat their injuries and come to terms with their loss, the Bad Batch is betrayed by Cid to Hemlock, who captures Hunter and Wrecker, forcing Omega to come out into the open. Echo and AZI rescue their comrades, but Omega is captured and brought to Mt. Tantiss, where she encounters Nala Se and Crosshair. In addition, Emerie Karr reveals herself to Omega as another clone and her genetic sister.
By September 2016, Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels supervising director Dave Filoni had stepped back from that position on the latter series so he could focus more on the series' writing as well as the development of future animated series for Lucasfilm.[51] In July 2018, Filoni announced that a final season of The Clone Wars would be released on the streaming service Disney+ in 2020.[52] The season includes a four episode arc introducing a squad of clone troopers with genetic mutations known as the Bad Batch; the episodes previously existed as story reels for an earlier, unfinished season of the series, and came directly from the plans of Star Wars creator George Lucas.[4]
Development
Disney+ officially ordered a new series from Lucasfilm Animation in July 2020 titled Star Wars: The Bad Batch, a spin-off from the final season of The Clone Wars following the Bad Batch clones in the aftermath of the Clone War. The announcement described the series as Dave Filoni's vision, and he serves as executive producer alongside Lucasfilm's Athena Portillo, supervising director Brad Rau, and head writer Jennifer Corbett, with Lucasfilm's Carrie Beck and Josh Rimes as co-executive producer and producer, respectively.[1] Filoni described the series as "very much in the vein" of The Clone Wars and said it would stay true to Lucas's vision for that series of telling epic, exciting adventure stories.[53] In August 2021, before the release of the two-part first-season finale, the series was officially renewed for a second season.[54] In April 2023, during Star Wars Celebration London, it was announced that The Bad Batch would receive a third and final season in 2024.[55]
Casting
Dee Bradley Baker voices the Bad Batch and other clones in the series.
The first trailer for the series, which released in December 2020, confirmed that Dee Bradley Baker would return from The Clone Wars as the voice of all the clone troopers in the series, including the members of the Bad Batch and Captain Rex.[3][5] It also revealed that a younger version of the character Fennec Shand from The Mandalorian would be appearing in the series, and actress Ming-Na Wen soon confirmed that she would reprise her role as Shand.[23] Additionally, Stephen Stanton and Andrew Kishino reprised their roles as Admiral Tarkin and Saw Gerrera, respectively.[5][17]
Music
Kevin Kiner was confirmed to be scoring the series in January 2021, after previously scoring The Clone Wars and Rebels.[56] He wrote the Bad Batch Theme for the final season of The Clone Wars,[57] and described his score for The Bad Batch as an evolution from its predecessor with a mix of electronic and orchestral elements. Kiner was inspired by the soundtracks of The Guns of Navarone (1961) and The Dirty Dozen (1967), which both feature a band of characters similar to The Bad Batch.[58]
Kiner's score for the first season was released digitally by Walt Disney Records in two volumes: music from the first eight episodes was released on June 25, 2021, and music from the last eight episodes was released on August 20. A track from the first season, titled "Enter the Bad Batch", was released digitally as a single on May 13.[59]
A third volume, featuring music from the first eight episodes of the second season of The Bad Batch, was released digitally on February 17, 2023.[60] A fourth volume, featuring selections of music from the second season's final eight episodes, was released on April 7, 2023.[61]
Marketing
Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy promoted the series at Disney's Investor Day event on December 10, 2020, revealing the first trailer for the series. Jacob Oller of Syfy Wire felt the trailer made the series look like a more action-heavy version of The Clone Wars, and compared it to the 1980s television series The A-Team.[3] Ahead of the series premiere, characters from the series were also added to the mobile role-playing gameStar Wars: Galaxy of Heroes as unlockable, playable characters.[62]
Release
Star Wars: The Bad Batch premiered on Disney+ on May 4, 2021, Star Wars Day,[63] with a special 70-minute episode.[5] The second episode was released on May 7, and subsequent episodes were released weekly for a total of 16 episodes.[5][7] The second season premiered on January 4, 2023, with two episodes,[64] followed by weekly releases for the rest of the 16-episode season, with the seventh and eighth episodes releasing together on February 8, and the fifteenth and sixteenth episodes releasing together on March 29, 2023, concluding the season.[10] The second season was previously expected to premiere on September 28, 2022.[65] A third season will be released on February 21, 2024, consisting of 15 episodes, and concluding on May 1.[50]
Reception
Audience viewership
According to Whip Media's viewership tracking app TV Time, Star Wars: The Bad Batch was the most anticipated new television series, during the month of May 2021,[66] and was the 4th most anticipated returning television series, during the month of September 2022.[67] According to Nielsen, Star Wars: The Bad Batch was the 7th most streamed original series across all platforms, during the week of May 3, 2021, to May 9, 2021.[68][69]
According to Whip Media's viewership tracking app TV Time, Star Wars: The Bad Batch was the 3rd most streamed original series across all platforms during the week of January 8, 2023,[70] during the week of January 15, 2023,[71] during the week of January 22, 2023,[72] during the week of January 29, 2023,[73] and during the week of February 5, 2023,[74] the 5th during the week of February 12, 2023,[75] and during the week of February 19, 2023,[76] the 6th during the week of February 26, 2023,[77] the 7th during the week of March 5, 2023,[78] the 6th during the week of March 12, 2023,[79] the 7th during the week of March 19, 2023,[80] the 6th during the week of March 26, 2023,[81] and the 5th during the week of April 2, 2023.[82]
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 86% approval rating with an average rating of 7.3/10, based on 92 reviews for the first season. The website's critics consensus reads, "The Bad Batch's beautifully animated adventure may be too lore heavy for casual viewers, but fans will enjoy diving deeper into this dastardly cast of characters."[83]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 67 out of 100 based on 9 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[84] The second season has an approval rating of 90% with an average rating of 7.2/10 based on 21 reviews, the website's critic consensus states: "The second bundle of The Bad Batch retains all the same virtues and vices as the first: a slick Star Wars adventure geared toward diehard fans at the expense of more casual viewers."[85]
Joel Keller of Decider called the series a "worthy" spinoff of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and praised the introduction of Omega as a female main character, writing, "Star Wars: The Bad Batch should satisfy Clone Wars fans and give completist fans of the franchise a chance to see what happened at the very beginning of the Empire."[86] Joshua Rivera of Polygon gave the show a positive review and stated, "The prequels are just as full of rich potential as the original Star Wars trilogy, and The Bad Batch, like The Clone Wars before it, is set to do a lot of slow, careful work to tease out that potential."[87] Wenlei Ma of News.com.au gave the show a positive review and stated, "The Bad Batch is catnip for the dedicated Star Wars fans. It's an animated action-adventure series with thrills, relatable characters on the right side of the war, blaster guns and enough lore and easter eggs to invoke a few excited squeals."[88]
Vincent Schilling of Indian Country Today gave the show 8.5 out of 10 stars and stated, "I'm not a superfan of Star Wars animated series, but I am impressed with this one, a team of certifiable rejects, each with their own skillset, is a winning formula for me - excellent actually."[89] Jesse Schdeen of IGN gave the premiere episode an 8 out of 10 rating, stating that the series is "a worthy successor to The Clone Wars, so much so that it could easily be rebranded as an eighth season" and that "it uses a loose end from that show to build a brand new story about the plight of clones after the war's end, and it's one that immediately resonates". He also added that the show "captures a lot of what made The Clone Wars so great (including the slick animation style and the vocal talents of Baker), but it doesn't entirely escape that show's flaws, either".[90] Julian Lytle of idobi.com gave the show 8 out of 10 stars and stated, "The Bad Batch feels familiar but also starts a new journey with new characters in a cool setting. I can't wait to see what happens with this group in the Empire."[91] Marty Brown of Common Sense Media gave the show 4 out of 5 stars and a '10+' age rating, stating, "This series delivers on precisely what fans would expect from a Star Wars story: world building, unique new characters, and big action sequences with a moral allegory at the center."[92]
Jonathan Roberts of The New Paper gave the show 2.5 out of 5 stars and stated, "The Bad Batch is good to dip into, but it can make for a bad binge."[93] Niv M. Sultan of Slant Magazine rated the series 1.5 out of 4 stars and stated, "The show's attempt to individualize its protagonists largely reduces them to predictable, banal archetypes."[94]
Kimberly Terasaki of The Mary Sue expressed concerns over the series "whitewashing" the clone troopers, writing that "the designs of some characters seemed to make many of them lighter-skinned and/or with more European features... Long story short: clones of a character played by a Māori man had been white-washed." This concern was also noticed by fans, spawning a Twitter page, an Instagram page, and a Change.org petition.[95] In response to these concerns, supervising director Brad Rau said the animation team had gone back through the produced episode and adjusted the skin tones of the clones to be closer to that of film actor Temuera Morrison.[96]
Accolades
The first season is one of 200 television series that received the ReFrame Stamp for the years 2021 to 2022. The stamp is awarded by the gender equity coalition ReFrame and industry database IMDbPro for film and television projects that are proven to have gender-balanced hiring, with stamps being awarded to projects that hire female-identifying people, especially women of color, in four out of eight key roles for their production.[97]
