How Star Wars: The Bad Batch mixes The Mandalorian, Rogue One and the dark side
Rogue One #RogueOne
May the 4th be with you.
To mark the most famous day in the galaxy that’s far, far away, Disney + will be releasing the next adventure in the beloved saga, Star Wars: The Bad Batch.
While the Skywalker saga has cast a Death Star-sized shadow over the global box office, it’s arguable that along with The Mandalorian, the various animated Star Wars shows are more closely aligned with George Lucas’ original spirit and vision of the saga.
Case in point, the arrivals of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Rebels, and Star Wars: Resistance on Disney + were celebrated more than the fall of the Empire at the end of Return of the Jedi.
Well, a new bunch of anti-heroes will be making their presence felt in The Bad Batch and in terms of tone, the show does feel like a hybrid of The Mandalorian, Rogue One, The Clone Wars and the darkest moment in the saga, Order 66.
The animated show follows the elite and experimental clones of The Bad Batch (first introduced in The Clone Wars) as they find their way in a rapidly changing galaxy.
In terms of a timeline, the events are set during Revenge of the Sith and follow the immediate aftermath of the Clone Wars.
Each member of The Bad Batch possesses a singular exceptional skill that makes them extraordinarily effective soldiers and a formidable crew. With a history of disobeying orders and rebelling against authority, how will they fare as The Republic crumbles and The Empire rises?
Ahead of the season premiere, the Irish Mirror got to chat with Dee Bradley Baker (voice of The Bad Batch), Jennifer Corbett (Producer and Head Writer) and Brad Rau (Producer) and get their views on…
The similarities between The Mandalorian and The Bad Batch
A group of anti-heroes that refuse to follow orders. An epic adventure that’s set during a time of massive upheaval. An environment where lawlessness and danger can be found on every corner. A mysterious and precocious child that’s in need of guidance and a surrogate family.
Yes, you would be forgiven for thinking that we’re talking about The Mandalorian here but those plot points also apply to The Bad Batch.
In that sense, it’s no surprise to learn that Dave Filoni’s fingerprints are all over both projects because as Star Wars fans will know, Filoni is practically a Jedi Master when it comes to the franchise.
The director, voice actor, writer, producer, and animator has worked on every facet of Star Wars during his career and his CV boasts the like of; The Mandalorian, The Clone Wars (TV show and film), Rebels, Forces of Destiny, and Resistance.
With the knowledge of Yoda and the style of Han Solo, if Filoni is working on Star Wars, you know that it’s going to be great.
For Jennifer Corbett (Head Writer and Producer) she feels that Filoni’s input was vital when it came to developing the tone and style of The Bad Batch.
“I got to work with Dave on Star Wars: Resistance which was such a great experience but getting the chance to develop this series with him, you know, it’s kind of like a masterclass in writing Star Wars. Whilst being a sequel series of sorts to The Clone Wars, it was crucial that he was involved in this process. These are characters that he’s created and it’s the world that he knows. Every day and every script is a learning experience with Dave. It’s so exciting to see the show grow and develop with his input and with this team. He’s been fantastic to learn from,” she said.
With every Star Wars feature, there are certain things that you’ll expect to see from spectacular aerial fights to dramatic lightsaber battles.
In terms of the tone and aesthetics, The Bad Batch also leans heavily into The Mandalorian and Rogue One because there’s a very gritty quality in terms of the visuals – by seeing the paint chipping on tanks and the blast impact on screendoors, viewers get a very real sense that they’re living in the aftermath of a war.
However, each episode is unique with some adventures putting a focus on all-out action, while others prefer to focus more on espionage and character development – something that The Mandalorian has perfected.
Adept at working together, The Bad Batch is comprised of Hunter, Wrecker, Tech, Echo and Crosshair. When put together, they’re a unique squad of clones who vary genetically from their brothers in the Clone Army.
Each member of the group possesses a singular exceptional skill that makes him an extraordinarily effective soldier and an invaluable part of a formidable crew.
As we follow The Bad Batch across the rapidly changing galaxy following The Clone Wars, they get a surprising new addition when a young girl called Omega tags along for the adventure of a lifetime.
However, there’s more to her than meets the eye and speaking with the Irish Mirror, Dee Bradley Baker (voices of The Bad Batch) does see similarities between this new pairing and the Mando-Baby Yoda/Grogu dynamic.
“It’s a fascinating relationship that unfolds because at first, of course, the team is kind of this sealed unit. They’re certainly not used to having anybody else along for the ride or working with anybody else. It’s interesting in terms of the story and the writing to have this kind of personal relationship with a younger character and to see how that changes, how they accommodate her and that works. It’s more like an uncle-niece or father-child dynamic, but not entirely. Omega has her own interesting potential and powers, maybe. It will be interesting to see all of that unfold,” he said.
The Bad Batch and Order 66
Jedi’s being slaughtered on various planets, Anakin killing innocent Padawans with his lightsaber, clone troopers murdering civilians as they execute The Emperor’s evil plan to take over the galaxy.
In a saga that’s not short of dark moments, it’s arguable that Order 66 remains the defining moment as the Sith hits the fan.
Intriguingly, The Bad Batch revisits the most gruesome moment in Jedi history with a fresh twist.
What’s unique is that the new show on Disney + flips the narrative and looks at the rise of The Empire from the perspective of soldiers that were just following orders.
“To start off with, this time period is one of the reasons I got so excited about the show,” said Jennifer Corbett.
She adds: “Other than revisiting Order 66 and this oddball group of characters, I found it intriguing because we’ve already seen The Clone Wars, which was the height of the clone troopers, doing what they’re meant to do and what they were created for.
“The question then became, ‘what happens after the war is over? What happens to all these clones because all they know is being soldiers, especially for The Bad Batch who do things differently?’ Things are done very differently in The Republic but once it becomes The Empire, they’re obviously very different regimes. How do these clones react to this new environment, how do they fit in, can they adapt to the new way of doing things and this new way of following rules? – which has never been their favourite thing to do!
“It was interesting to talk about the transition from The Republic to The Empire and what that looks like because it’s not, it’s not what we saw in the original trilogy, where it’s the dominance of The Empire. It’s kind of like the early stages of The Empire and I found it interesting to show planets and places that were happy the war is over because they don’t really understand the implications of what an Empire actually means. It’s laying the groundwork for what everyone knows The Empire to be later on,” she said.
Rebellious, defective and unique, The Bad Batch were never good at following orders but as Dee Bradley Baker says, this newly-created power vacuum will definitely suit them.
“In this sudden and shocking transition from Republic to Empire, the galaxy suddenly becomes a much more rule-based power structure. The Bad Batch are not so much a rule-based unit! They’re very much a team but they’re not like the normal clones who are happy to obey and follow a top-down command structure. It’s very interesting to place them in the middle of this transformational moment and to see how that plays out,” he said.
How The Bad Batch is similar to Rogue One
While the new Disney + show does share some similarities with The Mandalorian, fans of Gareth Edwards’ wonderful Rogue One will also be happy to see what’s being served up in The Bad Batch.
A group of individual rebels with special skills are forced to unite to battle against impossible odds? Check.
Action that feels like the blaster shots are whizzing past your head as dirt gets kicked into your eye? Check.
A setting that feels tangible but most importantly, still belonging to the Star Wars universe? Check.
They’re qualities that both Rogue One and The Bad Batch possess and for Brad Rau, producer on the show, the comparison is flattering.
“I mean we love all the stuff they did in Rogue One and we’re flattered with that comparison. It’s really interesting and it kind of backs up what we were just saying about this dysfunctional family dynamic.
“We have these stories that are emotionally charged and character-based. Having that gives the action a lot more texture. Honestly, I mean, let’s face it, we’re blowing stuff up and we’re having fun doing that but to have the emotional context of that is the challenge. I think in any of these stories, it helps that we are coming in with characters that feel familiar and yet, we don’t know that much about them. It gives us room to play around with how they develop which is great,” said Rau.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch is available to watch on Disney + from May 4.