“Star Wars: The Bad Batch” is nine of 15 episodes through its third and final season, and so far, the show’s quality has remained on par with the previous two seasons. Good, but not great. Be warned, this review has heavy spoilers for the first two seasons and slight spoilers for the third season.
The show is a continuation of the story of a group of genetically enhanced clones that were introduced in the final season of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.” The show uses a similar animation style to the “Clone Wars” TV show, and it is made by the same creator, Dave Filoni.
The Bad Batch squad consists of clone members named Hunter, Wrecker, Crosshair, Tech, Omega and Echo. The show depicts the clones struggling to find their purpose in the “Star Wars” galaxy after the events of “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith,” in which the clone army executed the Jedi and the Galactic Empire was created. The genetic modifications of the Bad Batch members prevented them from executing the Jedi, and they were thus wanted by the Empire.
The first season of the show depicts Order 66 — the Emperor’s Jedi kill order — from the Bad Batch’s perspective. Crosshair is the only Bad Batch member to execute the order, and he betrays his squad to serve the Empire, which shatters his relationship with the Bad Batch.
The Bad Batch also encounters Omega, a 13-year-old child and a rare female clone, and they take her under their wings. In season two, Crosshair betrays the empire and ends up in jail. The Empire also finds and captures Omega, and Tech is killed in the process.
Season three began where the second season left off. Omega and Crosshair are imprisoned by the Galactic Empire, Hunter and Wrecker are reeling from the Tech’s death and Echo is working with Rex. The squad is scattered across the galaxy, and the first five episodes of the show are dedicated to them reuniting.
Omega and Crosshair work together to escape Mount Tantiss, where the empire is holding them. For hardcore “Star Wars” nerds, this is a lovable story arc. Timothy Zahn, a famous science fiction author who is famous for his “Star Wars” novels, created Mount Tantiss for his cult classic “Heir to the Empire” trilogy, which was published in the 1990s. In the trilogy, Mount Tantiss is used to make clones that can wield the force. The first two episodes of “The Bad Batch” insinuate that the mountain is being used for a similar purpose in the show.
The episodes on Mount Tantiss are a strong opening to the series, and they pull in nerdy Star Wars fans. The show does a fantastic job of depicting the monotonous life that Omega lives in captivity, and it further builds loathe towards the Empire.
In these episodes, the show depicts Omega trying to converse with Crosshair. The show hints that Omega sees him as family, which explains why she talks to him despite his past betrayal. It is touching to see their relationship develop at the beginning of the season and continue to build when they reunite with their squad.
The middle of the season features two action-packed episodes and recaptures the peak fun of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.” The episodes feature the beloved clones Rex and Wolffe squaring off, and it’s refreshing to see clones in action again.
After the strong start to the season, the latter half of the first nine episodes drags. The pace slows down, and the plot focuses on the characters, specifically Omega. It is interesting to see Omega continue to grow as she’s gotten older and matured throughout the show, but her character is tailored to young viewers, which pushes away adults.
The episodes also feature the return of Asajj Ventress, who was a Sith assassin and the padawan of Count Dooku in “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.” As a “Clone Wars” fan, it was exciting to see Ventress back in animation. Unfortunately, the episode she starred in was weak. Ventress’ character has mellowed out — which is understandable since she’s aged since the Clone Wars — but it would have been nostalgic for “Star Wars” fans to see her in full action one more time. The episode is also slow, and somewhat uneventful, making Ventress’ inclusion feel like a waste.
Overall, the story is hit or miss. The season’s strength is the development of relationships between the Bad Batch members. The plot focuses on Omega and Crosshair developing a strong relationship and Hunter struggling to trust Crosshair. The batch has to sort out issues, and the show does a good job of capturing the struggle and growth of the characters. The character-driven narrative adds depth and makes the characters compelling. The animation is also top-notch and an improvement over previous “Star Wars” animated shows.
The season’s weakness is that it is frankly boring at times. There are forgettable episodes with little action or character development. The show is also mostly made for a younger audience, which makes it hard to enjoy sometimes.
So, is season three worth the watch? For die-hard “Star Wars” fans who are deprived of their weekly “Star Wars” content, this show is worth it. For young adults who grew up watching “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” and “Star Wars: Rebels,” this show is also for you.
Furthermore, if you’re a casual fan and you’ve already seen the first two seasons of the show, then I’d recommend that you complete the trifecta and watch the third season. For anyone else, don’t bother. If you tried season one and couldn’t make it through, season three has not been worth trudging through the first two seasons. The plot direction is ambiguous and it’ll be interesting to see how the Bad Batch’s story concludes, but a quality plot twist or a strong finish are the only ways this show can become worth it for casual “Star Wars” fans.
