Star Wars: The Bad Batch
Star Wars: The Bad Batch is an American animated television series created by Dave Filoni for the streaming service Disney+. It is part of the Star Wars franchise and a spin-off from Star Wars: The Clone Wars, continuing from the end of that series to depict the aftermath of Order 66 and the end of the Clone Wars. The Bad Batch follows a unique squad of clone troopers with genetic mutations who resist Order 66 and go on the run in the early days of the Galactic Empire. They are joined by Omega, a young female clone.
This article is about the television series. For the titular squad of clones, see Clone Force 99.Star Wars: The Bad Batch
- Dave Filoni
- Jennifer Corbett
Brad Rau (supervising)
- Kevin Kiner
- Sean Kiner
- Deana Kiner
United States
English
3
47
- Dave Filoni
- Athena Yvette Portillo
- Jennifer Corbett
- Brad Rau
Josh Rimes
23–33 minutes[a]
May 4, 2021 –
May 1, 2024
Dee Bradley Baker voices the Bad Batch, as well as most of the other clones in the series, as he did in The Clone Wars. Michelle Ang voices Omega. The series was announced in July 2020, after the final season of The Clone Wars introduced the Bad Batch based on an idea from Star Wars creator George Lucas. The Bad Batch was produced by Lucasfilm Animation, with Jennifer Corbett as head writer and Brad Rau as supervising director; Filoni, Corbett, and Rau served as executive producers with Athena Yvette Portillo.
The first season premiered on May 4, 2021, and ran for 16 episodes until August 13. A 16-episode second season was released from January 4 to March 29, 2023, and a 15-episode third and final season was released from February 21 to May 1, 2024. The series has received positive reviews from critics, particularly for its animation and voice acting.
Premise[edit]
In the Star Wars universe, the Clone Wars is a series of conflicts between the Galactic Republic and a Separatist movement; the name comes from the Republic's army, which consists of clone troopers created from the genetic material of bounty hunter Jango Fett. Clone Force 99, also known as "The Bad Batch", is a unique squad of clones with genetic mutations that were introduced in the series Star Wars: The Clone Wars.[1][2] These mutations allow most of the Bad Batch to resist Order 66, which brings the Clone Wars to an end by triggering secret programming in the clones that forces them to execute the Jedi and become obedient to Emperor Palpatine and the new Galactic Empire.[3] Star Wars: The Bad Batch follows the titular team as they become mercenaries on the run in the early days of the Empire. They are joined by Omega, a young female clone of Jango Fett.[1][3]
The series also tells the stories of other clones following the end of the Clone Wars, including how some begin to question Order 66, how the Empire phases out the clone army in favor of conscripted Stormtroopers, and how Imperial cloning resources are re-directed to "Project Necromancer"—a secret project to clone Palpatine that helps explain that character's return from death in the film Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019).[4][5][6]
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
After Disney acquired Lucasfilm in October 2012, the animated Star Wars television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars was canceled in March 2013.[76] A new animated series, Star Wars Rebels, was prioritized.[77] Lucasfilm said some unfinished episodes of The Clone Wars would still be released as "bonus content",[76] including a four episode arc that introduces a squad of clone troopers with genetic mutations known as the Bad Batch. The idea for this story came directly from Star Wars creator George Lucas.[8] The four episodes were shown as unfinished story reels at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim in April 2015.[78] By September 2016, The Clone Wars and Rebels supervising director Dave Filoni had stepped back from that position on Rebels so he could focus on writing that series and on developing future Star Wars series with Lucasfilm Animation.[79]
In July 2018, Filoni announced that a final season of The Clone Wars was being produced for the new streaming service Disney+.[80] The unfinished Bad Batch episodes were completed for the season, with some changes,[8] while development on a spin-off series focused on the Bad Batch began at the same time.[81] Disney+ announced the spin-off series, titled Star Wars: The Bad Batch, in July 2020. The announcement described the series as being Filoni's vision, and he was executive producing 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 being "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.[82]
A second season was announced in August 2021, before the first-season finale was released.[83] At Star Wars Celebration London in April 2023, a third and final season was announced.[84] The producers intended to tell a three-season story from the beginning and were glad to be able to complete their plans as intended. Rau said the series would end the Bad Batch's story, but would not be the end of the "Clone Wars universe".[49]
Marketing[edit]
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.[7] Ahead of the series premiere, characters from the series were also added to the mobile role-playing game Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes as unlockable, playable characters.[100]
Release[edit]
Star Wars: The Bad Batch premiered on Disney+ on May 4, 2021, which is Star Wars Day,[101] with a special 70-minute episode.[13] The rest of the 16-episode first season was released until August 13.[13][27] The 16-episode second season was released from January 4 to March 29, 2023;[38][102] it was originally expected to premiere on September 28, 2022.[103] The final 15-episode season was released from February 21 to May 1, 2024.[104]
Reception[edit]
Viewership[edit]
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,[105] and was the 4th most anticipated returning television series, during the month of September 2022.[106] 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.[107][108]
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,[109] during the week of January 15, 2023,[110] during the week of January 22, 2023,[111] during the week of January 29, 2023,[112] and during the week of February 5, 2023,[113] the 5th during the week of February 12, 2023,[114] and during the week of February 19, 2023,[115] the 6th during the week of February 26, 2023,[116] the 7th during the week of March 5, 2023,[117] the 6th during the week of March 12, 2023,[118] the 7th during the week of March 19, 2023,[119] the 6th during the week of March 26, 2023,[120] and the 5th during the week of April 2, 2023.[121]