Star Wars: The Bad Batch - Episode One review

“Star Wars: The Bad Batch (2021-present)” is a sequel series to the hit TV show “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.” It premiered on Disney+ on May 4, Star Wars Day.

The show follows the titular Clone unit, who were first introduced in Season Seven of “The Clone Wars,” during the last days of the Clone Wars and the beginning of the Galactic Empire.

Led by clone Hunter, the Bad Batch is a special forces squad made up of defective Clone Troopers with enhanced genetic mutations — made up of leader Hunter, brainy Tech, cyborg Echo (who used to be a regular Clone trooper before being captured and tortured by the Separatists), sharpshooter Crosshair and bulldozer Wrecker.

In Episode One, titled “Aftermath,” the Bad Batch experience firsthand the events of Order 66–which saw the Clone troopers nearly wipe out the Jedi—and the rise of the Galactic Empire.

The Bad Batch’s own journey is reminiscent of current politics in our present day United States. There is a change in government (from the Old Republic to the Galactic Empire, and America under President Donald Trump to America under Joe Biden).

It’d be interesting if Dave Filoni and the folks at LucasFilm had those similar parallels in mind when making “The Bad Batch.”

Hunter suspects something isn’t right when Chancellor-Now-Emperor Palpatine issues Order 66 to wipe out the Jedi and establishes the new Imperial government.

He doesn’t understand why the Jedi were targeted and why the regular Clone Troopers (called “Regs”) could so easier turn against their Jedi commanders who trusted them. He knows something isn’t right.

It’s for that reason that Hunter lets a Jedi apprentice named Caleb Dume escape from Order 66 after his Jedi Master is gunned down.

Since the Bad Batch have genetic mutations, they weren’t programmed to obey Order 66, except for Crosshair, who suspects Hunter let Dume escape.

Caleb Dume will eventually become Jedi Knight Kanan Jarrus in the “Star Wars Rebels (2014-2018)” series.

Back on Kamino, the Empire is evaluating the Clone Troopers as a whole in order to determine whether to decommission the Clones and replace them with less-experienced soldiers (aka real people), which would cost less, or continue using the Old Republic Clones in the field.

There are also discussions within the group whether the Bad Batch Clones have individual freedom (i.e. free thought) or are just slaves to their original programming, like the regular Clone troopers.

Echo has suspicions about Tarkin. He is cautious because he knows from personal experience that Tarkin hates Clones and that Tarkin—and by extension, the Empire—can’t be trusted.

 

His suspicions are credible after Tarkin orders live-fire to be used against the Bad Batch during a training exercise.

Things get interesting as Tarkin orders the Bad Batch to attack a group of Separatist insurgents on another planet.

The Bad Batch themselves are optimistic about this “return to normal” — that is, going back into combat and fighting enemies.

Hunter and the rest of the Bad Batch are informed about the suspicious new Empire by Omega, a young female clone on Kamino.

Omega warns Hunter about Tarkin and insists that she and the Bad Batch need to leave Kamino because things have changed for the worse since the Empire came to power.

However, Hunter tells Omega that it’s just another mission and that even though “change” is hard, things are getting back to normal.

While on their mission, the Bad Batch discovers that their target isn’t a band of Separatist insurgents, but a group of human Republic fighters with men, women and children led by Saw Gerrera.

Hunter and the others, except for Crosshair, question why Tarkin and the Empire would send them to attack their own forces and allies.

Gerrera reveals to the Bad Batch that his group refused to fight for the Empire, which explains why Tarkin wants them dead.

There is growing conflict in the group as Crosshair insists on following orders and questions Hunter’s leadership ability.

Hunter realizes Omega was right to warn them about the mission, so he decides to go back to Kamino for her.

Tech then reveals to the group that Omega is a genetically mutated clone like themselves, which makes Hunter more determined to rescue her.

Needless to say, the rescue attempt doesn’t go as planned and the Bad Batch is promptly captured by Tarkin and their Clone brothers.

During their imprisonment, Omega reveals to Crosshair that he is struggling with his original Clone programming to obey all orders, even if he doesn’t know it himself. Clearly, she knows a lot about the Clones and the Bad Batch.

 

It remains to be seen if Omega has Force powers just like the Jedi, or if she simply has access to more information about the Empire and the Kaminoans’ plans.

Tarkin and the Kamino cloners enhance Crosshair’s inhibitor chip, a device embedded in the clones’ brains so that they follow orders (including Order 66), and force him to stand against his old team.

From a filmmaking standpoint, the visuals and CGI animation have continued to improve since the first season of “The Clone Wars.”

 

Yet Filoni the filmmakers missed an opportunity to show how Clone troopers saw the rise of the Empire. Audiences could have seen the Bad Batch carry out missions for the Empire over the course of the season, while allowing Hunter and his team to grow more suspicious about the Empire’s true motives.

 

The Bad Batch could have eventually leave the Empire at the midseason mark or in the season finale, but instead they immediately make their escape from the Empire and Kamino in Episode One.

 

Overall, the show stays true to the “Star Wars” story and is more in line with “The Clone Wars” and “The Mandalorian” series, which is focused on telling good stories with interesting and likable characters.

 

There is no effort on Filoni and his team’s part to alienate the Star Wars fanbase like we saw in the Disney Star Wars Trilogy—made up of “The Force Awakens,” “The Last Jedi” and “The Rise of Skywalker.”

 

“The Bad Batch” is a great successor to “The Clone Wars” series and it’ll be great seeing Hunter and the others on their adventures.