The Bad Batch Series Finale

(Guest post by Ben)

NOTE: This article contains spoilers for The Bad Batch. You’ve been warned.

Clone Force 99 came to us at the end of Clone Wars, fulfilling a niche purpose that, as far as I was concerned, was finished when that series ended. But Dave Filoni had other ideas, and The Bad Batch gave us three glorious seasons of good soldiers who didn’t always follow orders. With the series finale a good month behind us (as of this writing), it’s given me some time to reflect on the emotional rollercoaster that was The Bad Batch.

When we lost Tech in Season 2, I realized that all bets were off. Who else of Clone Force 99 could be taken from us? I know—knew—Omega wouldn’t make it. She was going to die in a blaze of glory saving her brothers. If not, then Crosshair would die in a blaze of glory saving Omega. Regardless, someone was going to die in a blaze of glory.

As it turns out, nobody else did. And yet, the tension of knowing it could happen kept me rooted to my seat. Because, you know what? I liked these characters. I was attached to them. So knowing they could be killed of was emotional enough. I’m not sad they survived, though. In fact, I’m relieved. I’m also excited that Omega grew up and went to fight with the Rebellion. Does that mean we could see her in a live-action film or show later on? That would be awesome. 

The series finale also brought some fun Easter eggs, such as the Zillo beast. First appearing in Clone Wars, it was kind of a throw-away monster—a cool one, yes, but it died with a random mention by Mr. Palpatine that it should be cloned. Well, after many years, we finally saw it again in Season 3. And, while not necessarily unique to the series finale, seeing the workings of Mount Tantiss was super cool. That mountain was first mentioned in Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn, published way back in 1991. I love that Dave Filoni canonizes those bits of “legends” that we once knew and loved. They could have had that facility anywhere, but, blessed be the Force, they chose Tantiss. 

Speaking of the Zillo beast, they did use it as a narrative turbo boost to help Hunter and the others get in. I’m OK with that. I mean, it’s a short episode. Once inside, the CX troopers attack and, ultimately, capture our heroes. Yes, Hunter and the others are so good at what they do, but they’re outnumbered, injured, and probably a bit constipated, too. That takes a toll on a battle-hardened veteran.

Constipation aside, Hunter et al. needed to be out of the picture so Omega could shine. She is no princess in distress; rather, she is a capable kid, and this is, ultimately, her story. Omega breaks out, and Omega saves the kids. (And dang, the fact that there were kid prisoners being tested really hits the feels.) Omega is a hero, which we see more of during the epilogue when she goes out on her own. In a world where we are always looking for more strong female main characters, why aren’t more people talking about Omega?

The Bad Batch was always something I looked forward to after a long day (week) of work. If you’ve read this article and think, “Man, this guy’s delusion; doesn’t he hate anything?”, the answer is...not really. I do recognize that the show wasn’t perfect, and that some arcs were slower than others. But what we got from The Bad Batch heavily outweighs any possible complaints. I mean, having Ventress show up and work with Omega? That’s awesome! It’s the small things in life, folks, that make Star Wars what it is. It’s a space opera, and as such, isn’t to be taken as “hard” science fiction. Now that the series is over, though, I’m back to not watching TV...although The Acolyte is just around the corner! 

Who are the Rebels?

As we saw in the Ahsoka trailer (click here to watch if you haven't already) it seems that our fan-favorite Jedi’s show will almost be a direct continuation of the Rebels cartoon. Multiple characters from the series have been confirmed and others are likely to be referenced. So let’s highlight each member of the Ghost’s team so that you’re getting ready for Ahsoka.

Kanan Jarrus

At the time of Order 66, he was known as Caleb Dume, padawan of Jedi master Depa Billaba. After Master Depa was killed by Clone Troopers, Caleb escaped because of the Bad Batch (you can see that scene in the series premiere of The Bad Batch), who weren’t affected by Order 66. He’s not seen again, at least on the screen, until the beginning of Rebels, where he has joined Hera’s crew on the Ghost and forsaken the Jedi identity. But when force-sensitive Ezra joins the crew, he takes the young man as a padawan. Throughout the course of their many battles and missions, Kanan ends up going blind in a lightsaber battle and ends up sacrificing his life for cause.

Hera Syndulla

Captain and pseudo-mom of the team, Here's family previously appeared in Clone Wars. But chronologically her first appearance, like Kanan, was during The Bad Batch. As an adult, she's the Ghost's captain and the team's original link to other rebel cells. Her romantic  relationship with Kanan makes her decisions as a leader that much more impressive. During the Rebels epilogue, it's revealed that Hera was pregnant when Kanan died, so maybe we'll see young Syndulla-Jarrus in Ahsoka.

Garazeb “Zeb” Orrelios

Supposedly the last of the Lasat race, he carried that trauma with him throughout the series… until he found other Lasats and helped save their race. But for the most part, throughout Rebels, he was just the big brother that harassed Ezra and hatched schemes with him. Though, in my opinion, his biggest contribution to the rebellion was inadvertently recruiting Agent Kallus to their cause, while trapped on a frozen planet with him. He was last seen as a cameo during The Mandalorian (see episode 3x05 "The Pirate").

Sabine Wren 

A Mandalorian child drafted into the Empire, but she left the Empire after becoming disillusioned. Aboard the Ghost, she's the resident artist, painting anything from her quarters to a TIE fighter. With all the emphasis on Mandalore lately, especially during the latest season of The Mandalorian, I wonder how that'll play into Sabine's story in Ahsoka. It should also be noted that Sabine held the Darksaber for a time, before handing it over to Bo Katan… but as we learned in The Mandalorian, that didn’t turn out so well for her.

C1-10P “Chopper”

If R2-D2 is the sassiest droid, Chopper is the angstiest. This metal can of fury isn’t afraid at any point to deactivate any given droid or to push someone into a pit. After a mission during the Clone Wars, Chopper was found by Hera on her home planet. Somehow he also had a knack for blending in among Imperial droids. How? I don’t know. Side note: There’s an Easter egg during Rogue One where you can see Chopper on Yavin 4.

Ezra Bridger

An orphan found on Lothal, he follows a similar story arc to Skye on Agents of SHIELD (who I’m still hoping to see on Secret Invasion–have I mentioned that yet?). He becomes Kanan’s Jedi apprentice and, like Anakin, gets tempted by the Dark Side at times. In some ways he was Harry Potter-esque, running head first into danger without a second thought. I’d argue it was his Harry-like behavior and his Force connection to the purrgil that ended the Empire’s occupation of Lothal, as he and Grand Admiral Thrawn were sent into deep hyperspace. 

Alright. So now that you know the Rebels and read a couple spoilers, go watch Star Wars Rebels. You still have time before Ahsoka premieres!

The Bad Batch Season 2

(Guest post by Ben)

What adult in their right mind watches cartoons? I mean, they’re for kids, right? Obviously, you’ve never watched The Bad Batch, and Season 2 reinforced that sentiment. While it is technically a kid’s show, there is a lot to love as an adult. If you think about it, that’s what Star Wars is at its heart, and it’s what makes The Bad Batch such a fun and engaging experience for any age. But instead of going down that route, however, let’s look at why Bad Batch Season 2 is essentially mandatory viewing. 

As we continue on with this article, keep in mind that there may very well be spoilers for season 2 of The Bad Batch. 

The Bad Batch has some rather heavy emotional moments that bind the characters with the viewers. Wrecker’s bond with Omega is beyond sweet, and Hunter’s fatherly nature toward her is likewise endearing. But it’s more than that; these characters go through a lot, and it’s things we can also relate to. For example, Hunter thinks it’s about time to settle down somewhere safe for Omega to grow up and have a childhood. While we love the adventures, we also want Omega to be happy and care-free. We also loathe Crosshair for his betrayal in season 1, but Omega is incredibly forgiving and I, for one, am forced to agree with her simply by her sheer force of caring.

As heartwarming as those moments are, however, it’s the characters’ sacrifices that really drive the nail home. Tech’s sacrifice for Omega and the others hit deep. I knew what was going to happen—I saw the foreshadowing and felt the moment approach—and I kept thinking to myself: No, don’t do it. Please, don’t do it. 

And then he did it. 

Tech was never my favorite of the Batch, but he still grew on me, and his loss stung deep. Cid’s betrayal, too, caused me some serious emotion. I felt angry, as if she had betrayed me, as well. Which, of course, she had, since I was by then deeply invested in the story and with the heroes. 

Aside from toying with our emotions, Bad Batch season 2 gave us more insight into the post Order 66 era of the Empire. There is some seriously shady stuff going on behind the scenes, and we, as the viewers, are becoming privy to it. We’ve seen recently in The Mandalorian that the Empire had been involved in some…iffy cloning projects. In season two of The Bad Batch, we’re getting more information regarding that iffy stuff. We still don’t know exactly what’s going on, but it can’t be good if Omega is being kidnapped (spoilers) and brought to a super-secret location. Personally, my money is on all this having to do with the creation of Snoke (or what will eventually be Snoke), and if so, The Bad Batch is going to be a massive strength to The Last Jedi and even, possibly, The Rise of Skywalker.

In fact, the next—and final—season of Bad Batch is sure to uncover loads of secrets, Easter eggs, and, most likely, heartbreak. Something tells me Clone Force 99 isn’t going to survive an extended campaign. Tech is gone (spoilers), Crosshair looks to be on the verge of death, and it’s difficult to see a happy ending. Clone Wars ended in heartbreak, and I expect the same with Bad Batch. Part of me hopes that Hunter and the crew settle down on Pabu (the Polynesian-like island) with Omega. She deserves happiness, and she certainly seemed happy there. Without the crew, however, it just won’t be the same. I have a sinking feeling that Wrecker will be the next casualty, as he seems to be the closest to Omega, and it would have the biggest impact. But, only time will tell. Fingers crossed that there won’t be too many tears.

The Star Wars universe is expanding more so than ever with the new TV shows, and The Bad Batch is proving to be a valuable source of information for those in need of all the details. Sure, there are some fluff episodes, but they’re still fun and do provide some valuable character development. Besides, you never know when those “fluff” moments will take a 180 turn and become more meaningful than first expected. I am eager to see The Bad Batch series play out, as it is becoming more and more apparent that Clone Force 99 is heading toward secrets that have been only minimally hinted at. There’s always another secret (Thanks, Kelsier), and I need answers.

Ready for the Bad Batch

(Guest Post by Ben)

I’ve watched every season of The Clone Wars, every season of Rebels, and…well, I’m struggling to get through the first season of Resistance. But I love The Clone Wars and Rebels. The storylines grew into something much deeper than I thought would happen, especially for cartoons. My wife isn’t at all interested in Season 8 of The Clone Wars the inaugural airing of Star Wars: The Bad Batch—but that’s because she hasn’t yet binged the Clone Wars series and doesn’t understand the weight they lend to the entire Star Wars saga.

Speaking of The Bad Batch, I’m just as excited for its launch as I was for The Mandalorian, WandaVision, and other Disney+ shows that have been coming out. As with all of these shows—especially the Star Wars shows—I have some things I’d love to see.

1. Cameos

I love fan service…when it’s done right. Well, even when it’s not, I still appreciate it. So the first thing I want in The Bad Batch is cameos. I don’t know much about the timeline of this show, but I believe it takes place right after Order 66. As such, there are some characters that could play an important role in the series.

• Hera Syndulla
• Sabine Wren
• Captain Rex (one of my personal favorites)
• Fenn Rau
• Hando Ohnaka
• Darth Maul

Obviously, there could be a host of other cameos or name drops, but these are some favorites from the Clone Wars and Rebels series I’ve love to see play a part in The Bad Batch.

2. More Order 66 (May Contain Spoilers)

While I don’t think it’s advisable to explain absolutely everything in-universe, I find Order 66 to be incredibly interesting, especially from the arc that took place in The Clone Wars when the chip was discovered in the clones’ brains. In particular, the final season of The Clone Wars was a wild romp and, quite honestly, some of the best Star Wars I’ve experienced.

I want to see the moral struggles that come with Order 66. I want to see the catastrophic events Order 66 causes. And, as much as it pains me, I want to see more clone betrayal. I love the clones—each individual one (because they are individuals)—and it really does hurt the heart to see them turn on what the people they fought alongside for so long. As a related tangent, I think the scene in Revenge of the Sith is much more emotional after watch the Clone Wars series than it is as a standalone scene in the prequel trilogy. The clones were loyal, strong, and true (and some, like Rex, even wore the white and blue). So to see them turn was—and always is—painful.

Tangent aside, I think there is a lot to explore in the aftermath of Order 66, and with Dave Filoni at the helm, I think we could get into some deep issues.

3. The 501st

Since forever, I’ve known the 501st Legion to be one of the hardest, most fearsome force in any Star War. Lore has it that Vader’s Fist—otherwise known as the 501st—was made up of the best clones following Order 66. 

I. Need. This.

Now, obviously they were phased out before Star Wars: The Motion Picture (otherwise Vader’s capture of the Tantive IV would have been flawless and there would have been no story), but in their prime? That’s gotta be some crazy stuff. And I want to see it. I want to see how far they fell, but I also want to see their struggle. I want them to be perceived as human, and not just robotic soldiers, which is what the Republic basically used them as. I want depth of character from the clones that turned. I want them to ask questions, and I want the director to really dig deep into the human psyche that would be involved in such an event.

In the end, there is a ton I would love to see in The Bad Batch. But, in the end, there is only so much time for so much content. While there is a vast list of potentials, I think I’ll be pretty happy with whatever they throw at me. That’s not to say that I’m a brainless animal graciously accepting scraps thrown to it, but I do love Star Wars, I love exploring the universe, and I love many of the characters related to the clones.

In all, I think The Bad Batch has great potential. If you’ve watched through Season 7 of The Clone Wars, you’ll know what I mean. There’s a lot to talk about in this era, and a lot to digest. Dave Filoni has proved himself as a creator I can trust in this universe, and I’m excited to see what he has in store as he produces Star Wars: The Bad Batch.

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