There is a new show among the countless others in the seemingly endless world-renowned Star Wars galaxy. Forty-four years ago, May twenty-fifth, 1977. There was general excitement, as there was a new movie coming out. Of course, nobody, not even George Lucas, could have guessed just how popular Star Wars would become.
The History of Star Wars
That first movie, simply called “Star Wars”, was followed by two more to complete the trilogy: “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” and “Star Wars: The Return Of The Jedi”. But the ball didn’t stop rolling there. No, it kept on going, growing larger and gaining momentum. On May nineteenth, 1999, the whole story changed when the original Star Wars movie became the fourth, named “A New Hope”, the second became the fifth, and the third became the sixth. Because, on that date, a new “first” movie was released, telling the beginning of the story of Darth Vader. Eventually, there was the “beginning” trilogy and the original (and now second) trilogy.
And then it continued, with the start of a third trilogy. “The Force Awakens”, released December eighteenth, 2015, continued the Star Wars universe by creating a new diabolical galactic bad guy: The First Order. When the much-awaited ninth movie, “The Rise Of Skywalker” was released, there was much elation, but disappointment also. With the ninth movie out, the main story of Star Wars would come to a close.
But already there was more in the making. A side movie called “Solo” was released, but all the others of the like were canceled. Way back in 1985 there was an animated series called “Droids and Ewoks”. There was also the well-known “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” which started in 2003 and ended in 2018. “Rebels” first premiered a year before “The Force Awakens”. “Resistance” came out in 2018. “The Mandalorian”, an instant hit, appeared in 2019 and is still going. And there’s more. “The Book Of Boba Fett”, “Andor”, “Obi-Wan Kenobi”, “The Acolyte”, “Ahsoka”, “Lando”, and “Rangers Of The Republic” are all planned. And there’s another show, animated, that came out this year by the title of “The Bad Batch”.
What Is The Bad Batch?
The Bad Batch focuses on a single squad of clone troopers known as the “Bad Batch”. The show picks up during the beginning of the Empire. The squad, officially known as Squad 99, consists of five troopers. Each one of them is stronger in one field than the others due to certain genetic alterations being superior to in the other fields. For example, one is named ‘Crosshair’, and he is an excellent sharpshooter. Another is named ‘Wrecker’, and he is large and very strong. The leader of the squad is named Hunter. The squad’s control chips (used for Order 66) are unoperational due to their genetics. The first season focuses on three main points: learning about Omega (who is a young altered clone girl) hiding from the Empire as it rises, and getting Crosshair back. In the first episode, Crosshair’s control chip begins working, and he starts obeying the Empire. But the Bad Batch has a deep connection with each member of their squad, so they try to reason with Crosshair. Unfortunately, they fail.
The series connects to many key parts of the Star Wars Galaxy. Many people think that The Bad Batch may go in a different direction than the traditional way of sticking to what is already known about the galaxy. They hope this will be the case because they want something completely new. Although each Star Wars show and movie is different, they all help fill in blanks in the galaxy. And although this is helpful, the public wants something new. The Mandalorian had been doing this, but then the second season introduced characters we already know: Ahsoka Tano, Boba Fett, and Luke Skywalker.
So will The Bad Batch follow the ways of its predecessors? The show has already included Wilhuff Tarkin, but he has played only a small part as of now. All in all, The Bad Batch is a recent addition to the fantastic, never-ending, mind-boggling Star Wars franchise that will hopefully tell a brand-new story full of new characters and planets.
Sources:
–The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2021/5/4/22418964/star-wars-the-bad-batch-disney-plus-streaming
–Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2021/05/04/bad-batch-clone-wars-disney-plus/
–Star Wars
https://www.starwars.com/news/brad-rau-jennifer-corbett-interview-the-bad-batch
–Memory
–The Bad Batch show
