In a frictional era of Star Wars live-action feature film development, streaming content has kept clamoring audiences satisfied with stories in a galaxy far, far away. 2022 brought several new projects to the small screen, which in typical Star Wars fashion, were divisive amongst fans. While live-action Star Wars content has always been a point of contention, animation has been a stable throughline since the Disney merger in 2012. The Bad Batch, which returns today on Disney+, is no exception.
The sister series to The Clone Wars, The Bad Batch Season 2 picks up after the stunning destruction of Tipoca City in the Season 1 finale. Months have passed since the events on Kamino and the Bad Batch continue their journey navigating the Empire after the fall of the Republic. They will cross paths with friends and foes, both new and familiar, as they take on a variety of thrilling mercenary missions that will take them to unexpected and dangerous new places.
In typical Star Wars animation fashion, Season 2 elevates an already excellent series to another level. A more interconnected story, more mature themes, and a diversity of tones are the standout evolutions the series takes. While the audience for The Bad Batch is more contained than in past Star Wars series, director Brad Rau and writer Jennifer Corbett have crafted a beautiful season of television that will resonate strongly with fans of their past work.
Speaking of the more mature themes, Season 2 leans more heavily into the transition from Clone to Stormtroopers, and how that affects not only the Bad Batch, but their fellow soldiers. Age can be seen in the design of the troopers, and questions about their future role in the galaxy are raised. The conversation opens the door to answering questions that fans have had for years. On top of it all, Season 2 introduces a new villain that will send a shiver down your spine, and we believe will eventually rival the greatest Star Wars villains.
Each episode or arc builds upon the last, with a majority of them connecting back to its predecessor series in a natural way. The opening arc finds our heroes on a mission to reclaim treasure from Count Dooku’s palace on Serenno. This is just one of many heists and hijinks that the squad gets after throughout the season. Occasionally joining the squad is Phee Genoa, played by Wanda Sykes. Phee’s personality resembles fan-favorite Hondo Ohnaka and is always looking for a way to get a score. She’s a great addition to the cast and their new adventures are filled with great homages to not only Star Wars, but other Lucasfilm and Disney properties as well.
While there are still plenty of laughs and fun to be had with The Bad Batch Season 2, the series rises to new heights of mature themes and continues the trend of strong Star Wars animation content. We cannot wait to see what comes next for Clone Force 99.
What did you think of the premiere of The Bad Batch Season 2? Let us know in the comments below or on our social media pages.
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