The Bad Batch: Season 1 in Review
With episode 16 and thus season one of Disney’s The Bad Batch in the books, now seemed like an appropriate time to review where Dave Filoni’s latest creation took us over the past few months. Initially making their debut in the final season of The Clone Wars, the Bad Batch refers to five reject clone troopers and one somewhat mysterious clone that only bear slight physical resemblances to their mass-produced brethren. Each one of the specialized platoon featuring a unique attribute. Fives, originally a normal clone, is now cybernetic. Wrecker possesses abnormally great strength. Crosshairs is the sniper that cannot miss. Tech knows his way around any gadget or computer system. Hunter is the John Rambo of the group, both in leadership and appearance. And last but not least, Omega, who we are still getting to know.
*spoilers*
Before continuing, it is worth noting and commending voice actor Dee Bradley Baker as he voiced all five Bad Batch characters, each distinctly different from the other in both delivery and personality. Baker of course gained notoriety from his work in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, but that was a consistent sound from one clone to the next. Here he wears a number of different hats…err, helmets…and pulls off what is nothing short of impressive, most impressive.
As for the series as a whole, it took us from the initiation of Order 66 to the destruction of the cloning facility on Kamino and numerous points in between. Viewers witnessed the origins of not only the main cast of characters, but other familiar faces such as Rebels standouts Hera Syndulla and Chopper. All the while, the Empire firmly established itself with its death-grip reign on the galaxy. For folks new to Star Wars, they have entered the fandom at a wonderfully exciting time as they are watching the beginnings of things unfold that fill in the gaps of stories previously told. It adds an undeniable completion to chapters in Star Wars that we thought we knew so well.
While being taken on these journeys with Omega and her Bad Batch compadres is informative in all that is Star Wars lore, it is first and foremost exceedingly entertaining. Arguably, this is some of Filoni’s best work as he navigates familiar terrain with some unfamiliar characters…and vice versa. While this may not have gone to the depths of emotion that Rebels did at times, it portrayed itself with a maturity that Clone Wars didn’t always have and a consistency that outmatched both Rebels and Clone Wars alike. Let’s not forget about the quality of animation that time has allowed to progress, which was so beautifully put on display in this series. And to think it will keep getting better from here!
As the final episode of season 1 was released last Friday, the announcement of season 2 was also made public, though not surprising to most given the success of the series. Surely this special forces crew will be headed to new worlds facing new dangers. There are so many impactful sub-storylines that are waiting in the wings for next year as the final episode gave us Crosshairs at a crossroads, a Kaminoan forced to do some sketchy science for the Empire and Omega’s progression as she makes her way across the stars. Kudos to Dave Filoni and his crew for assembling what is arguably the best Star Wars animated series yet.
