Fans of Star Wars: The Clone Wars are undoubtedly still missing the critically acclaimed animated series, which ended its run earlier this year with a seventh and final season. Nevertheless, they were probably delighted to hear that the void will be filled with the upcoming spinoff, The Bad Batch. Now, one Clone Wars alum has revealed that he already knows a few details about the project, and it sounds like the series is going to make fans very happy.
Sam Witwer, who voiced fan-favorite Maul on Clone Wars, let it slip during a Twitch livestream that he’s already seen some of the work that’s been done on Star Wars: The Bad Batch and, based on his comments, he’s already enamored with the series:
I will tell you it really, really good. It looks absolutely beautiful. The story, at least, I know where the story begins, the first several episodes, and I’m very pleased. Because it’s a little area of Star Wars that has not often been visited, and it’s being visited by people we’ve come to… I can’t say anything.
Well, that’s certainly a glowing endorsement, though you would expect nothing less from Sam Witwer -- a self-professed Star Wars fan. And he’s also more than familiar with the concept of tackling uncharted territory within the franchise. As Maul, he’s helped to fill in the gaps through both Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. Before that, he also served as the voice and likeness of Starkiller in the Force Unleashed video games, though those likely aren’t canon now.
Witwer also seemed to be approaching the point that the show is being handled by creatives who love and respect the franchise. This is a good point, as the series is being brought to life by a team of Lucasfilm Animation veterans, led by Star Wars guru and longtime producer Dave Filoni.
Originally introduced during the seventh season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Clone Force 99 (or the Bad Batch) is a special unit made up of clones that possess genetic mutations. These “mutations” make them valuable to the republic.
In their upcoming spinoff series, the group will face life in the aftermath of Order 66 and will have to find their place in a post-Clone Wars galaxy. Along the way, they’ll also come face to face with ruthless mercenaries. Needless to say, the galaxy is going to be even more treacherous and unpredictable when their adventure begins.
Sam Witwer’s comments may have only been a small tease, but they do get one excited about the new stories that are being cooked up for the Bad Batch. And with Dave Filoni and his team involved, it’s hard to imagine the show not being a delight.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch is slated to premiere on Disney+ in 2021, but you can stream their debut and other episodes of Clone Wars on the service now.
