The Bad Batch

"Change takes getting used to. You'll see, Just give it time"

Introduced in the final season of the Clone Wars, The Bad Batch quickly gained popularity and got their own TV show depicting their adventures and the show became the most watched Star Wars show since the Mandolorian, thanks to its immense animation and storytelling.

The Show heavily focuses on the aftermath of the Clone Wars and the rise of the Galactic Empire and how the Batch navigates a changing Galaxy. It shows the importance of family, peace and most importantly, how important it is to move on. The show brings the Clone Wars to a justified end. We finally get to see the clones get a life for themselves and find some form of peace after the war's end , while we see the Batch look after a special child and try to protect her from an evil Imperial scientist. Yep, this is animated Mandolorian.

During its 3 season run time, we see the Batch caring for a young clone named Omega and protecting her from Imperial scientist Dr Hemlock, while one of the Batch, Crosshair, betrays the team and joins the Empire and witnesses what the Empire did to the clones after the war. There were so many relevant storylines in this series that it made the show so watchable due to its canon references and events that show how the Empire rose to power.

In the 1st season, we see Order 66 happen (again) and how it was seen through the eyes of the Batch, which led them to betray and defect apart from Crosshair, who chose to stay and serve the Empire. We also get to see what happened to Kamino and the Clone program after the War. The Batch begins to find a life beyond serving as soldiers and start to develop as a family while caring for a young clone named Omega. We see Omegas growth from a young clone child to an independent member of the team as she witnesses her old life crash around her.

In the 2nd season, The Batch deal with the Empire hunting them down while the Empire begins to disregard the clones and usher in the Stormtroopers . Its also where the stakes are set for the final season and we see major growth in our characters which leads them to make enormous decisions that impacts the show. Season 2 felt more like it was setting up the final season as an epic finale and giving each of our characters a major stake that makes the audience think something tragic is going to happen.

In its final season, we see the closure we wanted from the Batch and how the show ties in to future events. We see our favourite characters get one final bow and an epic final mission that is personal and has major impacts on the Empire. It sees the Batch rekindle broken relationships and deals with the aftermath of the season 2 finale and how the Batch looks for a new life away from war.

The real star of the show was Omega, the new clone who shares similar traits with the bounty hunter Boba Fett (no accelerated growth of course and she's a girl) she joins the Batch after running away from the Empire on Kamino and joins them on their many adventures and becomes their adoptive child.

Seeing Omega's growth in the series is truly what makes it so special, it gives the Batch something personal to protect and gives the series a more light heartened theme in its main story. We knew that Omega was special from the beginning and she helps develop Tech's and Crosshair's character arcs in the series, thereby making her one of the important characters in the show.

The series also features many memorable moments, from the destruction of Kamino to the heart breaking Summit, the series has made us all laugh, smile and cry which is why it is such a great piece of Star Wars. It captures every moment perfectly and interacts with the audience the same way the Clone Wars did, we root for every character in the show and at times it doesn't feel like we are watching an animation. It feels like we are watching a live action tv show.

Watching all the battles and scenic shots and energetic scenes made the show look so much better than its predecessor. The lighting and animation used made it look Oscar worthy and unlike any animated tv show I had ever seen. I loved seeing all the transitions of Mount Tantiss and the Star ships and all the planets that they travel to because it just felt like I was watching art unfold before me. This is probably the best looking Star Wars show I have watched ever, which is a risky thing to say when you compare it to The Mandolorian and Ahsoka.

The Bad Batch themselves carry the show as a journey beyond war as they try to find a life for themselves once their time as soldiers comes to an end. They are true representations of who the Clones really are: a band of brothers. Throughout the series, Hunter never gives up on Crosshair after his betrayal and Tech sacrifices himself to save his squad and Wrecker is there just for moral support, and smashing things. Each member is dedicated to one another and they realise the importance of the Clones and help them in any way they can.

The Batch are written as just a band of soldiers looking to help their fellow Clones find their own peace and life beyond the War and supporting them however they can. The show really highlights how important the Clones are and how everything changed once Order 66 came crashing down. I was happy to see the Clones get their peace in the end and seeing the Batch themselves achieve their own peace after fighting so hard to protect Omega was incredibly satisfying.

The Bad Batch is, overall, a wonderous tale of navigating a changed Galaxy and finding you're own place and peace in the aftermath of a lifetime of war and violence. You could compare it to the life of an actual soldier who fights so hard to go home and find peace in their own life and that is what makes this series and the Clone Wars series so special. We see the Clones as people and we continue to see it throughout this series and that's why everyone loves this show.

It's heartfelt and beautiful and exciting to watch from start to finish and gives us so many memorable moments , it shows why Star Wars is so special. We connect emotionally with each character and we understand what they are going through as the Galaxy changes into the Galactic Empire.

Seeing how the Empire came to power after Order 66 was so interesting, especially when we find out what happened to the Clones after Palpatine was done with them. We see early developments of the Rebellion and many famous Imperial Projects, such as the Death Star (Project Stardust) and Project Necromancer. How we see the rise of the Empire through the eyes of the Clones was so important because it was a regime that threw them away after everything they did for the Republic and it made us feel sorry that they fought for nothing. It makes the Empire seem more evil than it truly was.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this series and I was sad to see it end, I would have liked to see more adventures with the Batch but, nothing lives forever and I was glad to see they all got their happy ending. I loved how the series looked and felt like and I think many tv animations should take inspiration from this series because this sets teh line between animation and live action.

I grew up watching the Clone Wars and seeing this, a continuation of the Clone Wars, come to an end made me shed a tear for it and that's what makes it so special. This series reminds the viewer and the audience and the whole of the Star Wars fan base why Star Wars is so special to all of us.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch is now available for streaming on Disney +