The series’ title is in reference to the eponymous group of Clones that appeared in the first arc of the final season. The Bad Batch are appropriately named as each member has their own unique “deficiency” that makes them less than identical to the others. Although the arc was short, and the characters not overly developed as a result, a dedicated series could see the rise of Star Wars’ newest rag-tag team of heroes.
The upcoming series is set sometime after the events of Order 66, bringing it in line with The Clone Wars’ initial successor, Star Wars Rebels (2014-2018). This means that The Bad Batch will have plenty of opportunities to visit older characters that haven’t been seen in a number of years through guest appearances, or even recurring roles. After all, Star Wars Rebels famously introduced an older and wiser Ahsoka Tano and Commander Rex in its second season, while also delving into the unfinished business on Mandalore through main cast character Sabine Wren.
Both The Clone Wars and Rebels have proven to be immensely popular shows on the Disney+ streaming service themselves
It’s great to see that this animation style won’t be going away anytime soon, particularly since the rise live-action shows being green-lit and the success of The Mandalorian seemingly setting a new tunnel-vision precedent for the franchise.
Despite this, it maybe shouldn’t come as such a surprise considering recent developments. Both The Clone Wars and Rebels have proven to be immensely popular shows on the Disney+ streaming service themselves, and with the COVID-19 pandemic in constant pursuit of business everywhere, a CGI-animated show is a lot more feasible – particularly when you’ve already created so many re-usable models.
With Disney flailing in the water due to the shutdown of their cruise lines, shows and, until recently, their amusement parks, new and quickly produced content has become a necessity to try to stay afloat a little longer.
The Bad Batch is set to be released sometime in 2021.
