Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season Two Review

Dave Filoni has never failed to deliver excellent animated series that have expanded on Star Wars lore more than its live action counterparts ever could. Up next, cue the new season of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, one that appeals more to diehard fans as it offers them more fun adventures with Clone Force 99. In terms of more casual fans, they may have a harder time as the series presents plenty of hurdles for them to overcome as it fails to offer enough of a reason for them to want to start watching.

Set months after the events on Kamino, this season of The Bad Batch once again follows Clone Force 99 as they continue their journey navigating the Empire after the fall of the Republic. As they take on many thrilling and equally dangerous mercenary missions across the galaxy, they would find themselves crossing paths with friends and foes, both new and old, along the way. Fans of the series will undoubtedly have a blast with this new season as it recaptures a lot of what fans fell in love with in the first. Thrilling action and interesting storylines featuring plenty of exciting cameos and references are sure to make this season a satisfying addition to the animated Star Wars universe.

As always, the voice cast predominately consists of Dee Bradley Baker who voices most of the characters including every clone trooper. Hunter, Echo, Tech, Wrecker, Crosshair and of course Commander Cody among others. In addition to Baker, others make appearances that fans are likely to recognize such as Ian McDiarmid as Emperor Palpatine as well a surprising turn from Wanda Sykes.

This season’s many cameos from Commander Cody, the Wookie Jedi Youngling Gungi, and the dopey separatist droids just to name a few alongside many little tidbits present throughout are likely to make any Star Wars fan giddy with excitement. Meanwhile, viewers can expect to see many thrilling locales that fans will adore. Each episode gives viewers fun and action packed procedural storylines that are engrossing to watch and will be a hit for fans. However, for casual audiences, these stories for the most part come off as one-dimensional with little stakes, consequences and emotional moments. That being said, the season’s two part episodes are far more engaging as they allow particular storylines to breathe.

On a character level, The Bad Batch doesn’t do all that much with its titular characters, not offering Clone Force 99 much in the way of character development besides Crosshair who makes the most out of his limited screen time this season, offering potential for the near and distant future. Sadly, the character beyond them all come off as one-dimensional.

As mentioned, a problem that has plagued many of the animated Star Wars series is once again present here. This latest season of The Bad Batch simply fails to offer much for casual audiences to latch on to as its accessibility could be an issue for some viewers. While this fact isn’t necessarily a criticism per se as fans of the series are sure to love this season. However, with many one-dimensional storylines and characters, little to no impactful moments and cameos that some casual audiences may not recognize, this season is unlikely to resonate with those lacking enough prior experience with previous animated Star Wars offerings.

At the end of the day, season 2 of The Bad Batch is a blast for fans of the animated Star Wars projects but especially for fans of the first season. The action this time around is thrilling, the cameos and references are exciting and the voice work is simply brilliant. Ultimately, the lack of accessibility overall for casual audiences makes this season a fun one for diehard fans though casual audiences certainly won’t find themselves missing much.

*still courtesy of Disney*

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Olly Dyche

Journalist, Writer, Film Critic and Professional Nerd. You will probably find Olly at the cinema chomping down on some popcorn and taking in the glorious visuals of the latest theatrical release.