‘Star Wars’ world gives birth to latest incarnation of ‘Bad Batch’ redemption

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away comes the final chapter in the defective Clone Force 99’s journey following the fall of the Galactic Republic. Picking up from season two’s finale of the Batch’s young compatriot, Omega (Michelle Ang, Underemployed), being taken by the nefarious Empire for purposes unknown except the evil Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid, Star Wars: Episode III- Revenge of the Sith) is yet again up to no good. As the Batch gives one last hoo-rah in their effort to take down an indomitable force, fans are left wondering what their fate will end up being.

Premiering on February 21 with three episodes, the first installment into the Bad Batch chronicles the reconciliation of their lost brother Crosshair (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker, who also provides the voices of nearly every single other clone throughout the animated Star Wars franchise) as he aids Omega from escaping Mount Tantiss, an Imperial lab experimenting on clones in order to achieve a clone who has the ability to wield the force. While the Empire continues to hunt down Omega, the Batch search for answers as to why they require her blood so badly. 

Although serving a narrative purpose, the set-up of Project Necromancer in The Bad Batch and the most recent season of The Mandalorian has become yet another attempt to fix the unredeemable sequels that brought back the Emperor after an untimely demise in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi for what was blatantly a cash grab. Cloning has been nothing new in the Star Wars franchise, as even in the first film (chronologically released, not Episode I), Old Ben Kenobi (Sir Alec Guinness, Scrooge) discusses serving in the “Clone Wars,”  which was originally planned to be something very different than what it ended up being in the Star Wars mythos; however, the first wide-spread entry into the lore that a force-wielding clone would even be possible in the fan-favorite The Force Unleashed and its sequel. 

Even with a canon of material at their disposal, it’s almost laughable that in order to fix their messes the House of Mouse consistently rely on Dave Filoni and his associates. This bogs down what the creative team of the show wants the final product to look like rather than what a corporate overlord wishes it to be. On the other hand, working in a constrained timeline seems to be working in the show’s favor after all, as it has begun to bridge plot holes which have remained unsolved for years, such as why Captain Rex left the clone rebellion to end up on a deserted planet called Seelos in Star Wars: Rebels. 

When it comes time for Crosshair to reunite with his brothers, there naturally is mistrust among the group, as Crosshair only was following his programming and gave his undying loyalty to the Empire due to only knowing a life of being a soldier and nothing more. Nonetheless, this season has proven to be his return to grace as he attempts to build bridges long burnt down after hinting at his redemption in the season two episode “The Outpost” after he kills an Imperial officer. 

 This is especially reflected in even the lighting of the environments used in “The Return” with the color returning to Crosshair’s face as he begins to prove himself. From making viewers initially hate the traitor to now making him one of the most vital to the squad, it is almost inevitable that his demise comes soon enough to join Tech in the afterlife. Such is common with nearly every piece of Star Wars media, with Rogue One killing every member of its main cast in one fell swoop.

Additionally, it wouldn’t be a Star Wars prequel spinoff without the political commentary either, as The Bad Batch continues to carry sister series The Clone Wars’s legacy as it highlights the aftermath of the clones’ outliving their usefulness to the Empire. Most of them are viewed as nothing more than second class citizens and lab rats, despite living their entire lives and enjoying the human experience outside of the role they served in an army. Serious and very real topics, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, are also highlighted, as the clones continue to live without those they’ve fought with and had to watch die.

As opposed to season two, the lack of filler episodes has made the series feel a lot more grounded and focused on storytelling instead of simply worldbuilding a universe that’s existed for nearly half a century already. While exploring uncharted territory is traditionally beneficial to providing fresh and new scenarios in spinoff series such as The Bad Batch or Star Wars: The Clone Wars, it gets stale after a while, and leaves the viewer feeling that the project as a whole is unnecessary. This new and driven vision might just be due to the fact that the show is in its final season, and is “a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one.”

With yet another era of the behemoth that has become of the Star Wars universe coming to a close, viewers watch with bated breath, hoping that all of their beloved characters will make it out alive. A hope that, in reality, will be nothing more than a miracle if it comes to fruition. While defying the expectations typical of shows that seem to only be shoehorned cash grabs, Clone Force 99 has allowed their defects to become their strengths, turning the lemons that were given by the studio into a lemonade of galactic origins.

Grade: A

Blurb: As the final season of Star Wars: The Bad Batch reaches its midseason climax, fans are left to hoping what comes next in its twilight hours.

by Evan Parfitt

Published April 1, 2024

Oshkosh West Index volume 120 issue VI