It didn’t seem like all that long ago that Star Wars fans were begging for more content from the galaxy far, far away, luckily for everyone on either side of the force, those days are long gone. Ever since Disney took the reins from George Lucas after that blockbuster 2012 acquisition, there has been an abundance of new Star Wars movies and live-action series as well as continuations of others. And that was just the beginning. Disney+ will soon become the home of even more great sci-fi stories from the franchise, including Star Wars: The Bad Batch.
First announced in July 2020 and then teased further at the Disney Investor’s Day presentation later that December, Star Wars: The Bad Batch is an upcoming original series featuring characters and scenarios first introduced in the long-running Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series. And just like its predecessor, this series, which will continue the lore and legacy of the franchise, sounds like it’s going to be pretty freaking amazing. Not sold? Check out these quick things we know about the series.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch Will Premiere At Some Point In 2021 On Disney+
Longtime fans of Star Wars: The Clone Wars saddened by the conclusion of the long-running animated series were in for some good news in July 2020 when it was announced that Disney+ would be releasing another show set within that universe. And this wasn’t some tease for a project set to be released years from the initial announcement because Star Wars: The Bad Batch will be released at some point in 2021. An exact date and release model, however, have yet to be disclosed, but that all could change at the drop of hat.
The Show Will Follow A Specialized Group Of Clone Troopers Known As Clone Force 99
Once Star Wars: The Bad Batch lands on Disney+, it will follow the specialized group, known as Clone Force 99, first introduced in The Clone Wars Season 7. Known informally as the Bad Batch, this elite squad of troopers cloned from Jango Fett consists of members who each have their own key differences from the standard clone trooper seen throughout the animated series and the Star Wars prequel trilogy. How the members of the group, and the Bad Batch in general, continue following the final moments of The Clone Wars remains to be seen, but judging by the group’s track record, they’re not finished yet.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch Is A Direct Followup To The Clone Wars Animated Series
While we don’t yet know what Cline Force 99 will be doing when Star Wars: The Bad Batch starts up, we do know they will be navigating a galaxy much different from anything they’ve ever known following the events of The Clone Wars. According to StarWars.com, the Disney+ series will not only follow the group of elite and distinct clone troopers, it will also serve as a direct followup to the events of its predecessor in the changing galaxy finding itself at a crossroads after years of fighting in the Clone Wars.
Dave Filoni Says The Show Will Be In The Vein Of The Clone Wars
Star Wars: The Bad Batch will be the latest in a long line of Star Wars properties to include the involvement of Dave Filoni, and judging by comments made by renaissance man on the Star Wars Show (via GamesRadar) in December 2020, the upcoming animated series will be quite similar to The Clone Wars in more than one way:
It’s very much in the vein of Clone Wars. It Follows the legacy that we started way back with George [Lucas] of telling very, very exciting adventure stories in the style of Clone Wars. It does aspire to the look and scale of those adventures… the audience really demands to have the animated series be epic.
Considering everything Dave Filoni has been able to accomplish with The Mandalorian, Star Wars Rebels, and Star Wars Resistance (not to mention his upcoming projects), it sounds like The Bad Batch will be equally as epic as it predecessors.
Longtime Star Wars Voice Actor Dee Bradley Baker Is Once Again Portraying The Bad Batch
There are few actors (live action or voice) who have appeared in as many Star Wars shows, movies, specials, and video games as Dee Bradley Baker. Going all the way back to 2003’s Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy video game, the veteran voice actor has lent his voice to titles like Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, and Lego Star Wars Holiday Special.
Dee Bradley Baker’s biggest contributions to Star Wars franchise, however, come from his time on The Clone Wars (the movie and animated series), in which he portrayed the entire Clone Force 99. And according to SyFy.com, Baker will be reprising his various roles on Star Wars: The Bad Batch when the show debuts on Disney+ later on in 2021.
Ming-Na Wen Is Reprising Her Mandalorian Character For The Bad Batch
Introduced in The Mandalorian Season 1 and then brought back for a larger role in space western’s second season (and more by the looks of The Book of Boba Fett), Ming-Na Wen’s Fennec Shand quickly became one of the show’s most complex and attention-grabbing characters. And now it appears the character will be showing up in Star Wars: The Bad Batch (where she’ll also be voiced by Wen).
During a December 2020 interview with StarWars.com, Ming-Na Wen revealed viewers of The Bad Batch will see a much younger version of the deadly assassin and help build up the character’s backstory.
There Is Already A Star Wars: The Bad Batch Trailer, And It’s Awesome
There are still a lot of things we don’t yet know about Star Wars: The Bad Batch (the show’s release date being one of them), but there is already a trailer, and it is freaking awesome. Between shots of hard-hitting action involving everyone’s favorite group of clone troopers, mysterious moments involving some legendary characters, and much more, there’s a lot to take in while watching the 79-second sizzle reel. This sneak peak can be watched here.
One of the craziest things about The Bad Batch is that it’s not the only Star Wars series coming to Disney+ in the next year or so. With The Mandalorian Season 3 and its spinoffs — The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and Rangers of the New Republic — as well as shows like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Andor all set for more action in the near future, the franchise is alive and well.
