Star Wars: The Bad Batch (1×01) Aftermath Review

May the 4th bring Star Wars fans of a new animated series serving as a continuation of The Clone Wars, following the lovable gang of defective clones known as Clone Force 99.

As far as The Bad Batch is concerned, the series may stand on its own thus far but fans of The Clone Wars and Star Wars as a whole will be at home here which is obviously an understatement as far as fans are concerned. Starting with a recap of where The Clone Wars left off, reestablishing the likes of Hunter, Wrecker, Tech, Echo, and Crosshair (all voiced by Dee Bradley Baker who also voices the other clone troopers).

For those who don’t know, Clone Force 99, unlike other clones, have the ability to disobey orders as a result of their enhancements to make them into better soldiers which of course could go either way. Unfortunately, this ability made them a liability in the eyes of the newly-founded Empire and Admiral Tarkin (Stephen Stanton). This change came as a surprise to the loyal squad of unorthodox soldiers who’ve completed countless missions for the Republic. Now that the Republic was no more, the Empire needed forces they could depend on and better control.

They were definitely tested as the writing on the wall became increasingly harder to ignore. That being said, abandoning all they knew, post Order 66, was going to be a challenge which looks to continue past this episode. The Empire, still in its infancy, was much different than the Republic in that they were set on galaxy domination by stomping out anyone or anything that stood in their way. Not being clones in the traditional sense, the clones of Clone Force 99 saw the world as more than black and white and possessed shades of gray. The resulting conflict shook them to their core but not all of them responded the same way. While the results of their actions will more than likely come back and affect them later on.

Whatever they chose to do next, it was not going to be on Kamino with the Empire and the rest of the clone army. Joining Clone Force 99 was a young clone girl named Omega whom found refuge in the soldiers and their outcast nature. Like it or not, they would need to work together in order to survive as the series promises more conflict between Force 99 and the Empire. Meanwhile, Omega added a different dynamic to the group with her different perspective, leading to some fun interactions.

While the fun dynamic of Clone Force 99 is definitely one of the main selling points of The Bad Batch, they don’t disappoint thanks to some stellar voice acting from Baker, the action was certainly on point as well as the animation did an admirable job keeping up with everything. Blaster shots, explosions, lightsaber action, just to name a few, were exciting and so was the teamwork on display though this is only the beginning in terms of what is possible from them.

This episode made for a promising start offering plenty of surprises along the way as Clone Force 99 attempt to forge a new identity for themselves amongst the evolving landscape.

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.