Star Wars: The Clone Wars has officially reached its conclusion, and fans are already missing the acclaimed animated series. While writer and producer Dave Filoni has stated that he’s told the story he wanted to tell, it’s clear that there are still possibilities for other character in that corner of the galaxy far, far away. Now, Disney+ has announced a new series will a major connection to Clone Wars, and fans are sure to be excited.
Disney+ announced that it has ordered Star Wars: The Bad Batch, a new animated series that follows the elite group of experimental clones that were introduced during the final season of Clone Wars. The show will track the group as they explore a galaxy that is rapidly changing following the end of the Clone Wars and, along the way, they’ll take on mercenaries and attempt to find their place in the world. The series is currently set to premiere on Disney+ in 2021.
Star Wars guru Dave Filoni will return to serve as executive producer alongside Athena Portillo, Brad Rau, and Jennifer Corbett, who are all Lucasfilm Animation veterans. Lucasfilm’s Carrie Beck will also serve as co-executive producer and Josh Rimes will produce and serve as head writer.
Agnes Chu, Disney+’s Senior Vice President of Content, expressed her excitement at being able to continue the story of the Bad Batch following the conclusion of Clone Wars:
Giving new and existing fans the final chapter of Star Wars: The Clone Wars has been our honor at Disney+, and we are overjoyed by the global response to this landmark series. While the Clone Wars may have come to its conclusion, our partnership with the groundbreaking storytellers and artists at Lucasfilm Animation is only beginning. We are thrilled to bring Dave Filoni’s vision to life through the next adventures of the Bad Batch.
The Bad Batch, or Clone Force 99, was introduced in the first four-part story arc of Clone Wars’ final season. The group was initially comprised of four clone troopers with genetic mutations that make them unique and appealing to the republic. The team was comprised of Crosshair, Tech, Wrecker and their Clone Sergeant leader, Hunter:
In their debut, the group teams up with Captain Rex and Anakin Skywalker to discover how Separatist ally Admiral Trench keeps securing victories. Along the way, the group finds that Echo, a clone that was thought dead, is (unwillingly) assisting Trench, who is using machines to extract strategies from Echo’s brain. In the end, Trench is defeated, and the freed echo joins the Bad Batch.
The Bad Batch are characters that were ripe with spin-off potential from the jump, and it’s great that Lucasfilm and Disney+ realized this. Dave Filoni has added some interesting elements to Star Wars canon and, with an entirely new chapter of the timeline to explore, he and his collaborators are sure to have some exciting things planned.
Are you excited about Star Wars: The Bad Batch? Let us know in the comments below!
