Star Wars: The Bad Batch is a worthy successor to The Clone Wars and is full of recognizable elements. There is again plenty to enjoy for young and old. With the arrival of Disney +, the Star Wars universe will be expanded considerably. Last year, the streaming service already provided a new season of the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. And this season served as a stepping stone to their latest project: Star Wars: The Bad Batch.
At the end of The Clone Wars, we are introduced to a new team of clone soldiers: The Bad Batch. These clones have all kinds of special mutations and the Galactic Republic uses them for special missions. But when the Republic falls, the Jedi are wiped out and the Galactic Empire rises from the ashes, the future of the Bad Batch is uncertain.
The Bad Batch leans on The Clone Wars, but is also a solid separate existing piece of content.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch picks up where The Clone Wars left off. Still, you don't necessarily have to have seen the earlier series to understand the full story. The clones get a new introduction so that you as a viewer immediately understand what is going on.
Still, the viewing pleasure is a lot greater if you have also seen The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. Various characters from both series resurface as only happens with Star Wars. We even meet someone who has already appeared in The Mandalorian before.
The team of clone soldiers is a colorful group that has wonderful teamwork. From the fun-loving muscle Wrecker to the serious sniper Crosshair. All clones are voiced by the same voice actor (Dee Bradley Baker, Phineas and Ferb), but this man can do so many voices that I didn't realize for a moment that Baker does the majority of all dialogue.
The big show stealer, however, is the young clone Omega (Michelle Ang, Fear the Walking Dead). When her life is threatened by the rise of the Empire, the Bad Batch decide to take her under their wing. Omega is a wonderful bright spot in a series with a rather dark tone. A comparison with Ahsoka from The Clone Wars is therefore not far off.
Despite a young target group, the tone is quite mature
Although this is an animated series that should be especially suitable for children, the tone is quite mature. This series does not shy away from questions about the gray area between good and evil and what war does to people. This makes it suitable for viewers of all ages. The series also manages to find a nice balance between the formats of each episode, a different adventure, and a continuous storyline. Here and there there is a less good episode, but that can be overlooked.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch is a beautifully crafted animated series that is an excellent sequel to Star Wars: The Clone Wars. It looks fantastic, is again full of recognizable elements from the Star Wars universe and has an exciting storyline. The second season of The Bad Batch has started as of the 4th of January.
