5 Years Ago, Star Wars Made Its Darkest Show Ever — And No One Noticed

Star Wars: The Clone Wars is remembered fondly because the animated series offered more depth to the mythology of George Lucas’ prequel trilogy, and has since been tied into many of the saga’s live-action shows. Dave Filoni’s anthology series was uneven in quality, but its most significant breakthrough was its depiction of clone troopers, who were made distinct thanks to the brilliant vocal performance(s) of Dee Bradley Baker. While the identical clones of Jango Fett had previously been depicted as emotionless pawns, The Clone Wars examined the tragedy of men bred to serve as loyal followers to Jedi leaders they would eventually be forced to betray.

Confronting the clones’ future after Order 66 was only briefly dealt with in The Clone Wars’ series finale, but it was the central focus of the underrated spinoff show The Bad Batch. Set after the events of the prequels, and debuting five years ago today, the show had its heroes confront the weight of fascism and strive to make a small difference, themes the live-action Star Wars universe would eventually tackle with Andor. The three-season series isn’t only the darkest that Star Wars animation got, but is representative of the ambition the galaxy far, far away needs.

The Bad Batch are a group of clones distinguished by their unplanned genetic mutations, which give them distinctive abilities and more identifiable personalities. The world-weary leader Hunter, the mechanical wizard Tech, the sharpshooter Crosshair, the muscle-bound brawler Wrecker, and the former 501st member Echo were tasked with covert missions during the Clone Wars, but the consequence of being self-aware is that they aren’t compelled to pledge allegiance to the Galactic Empire. While The Bad Batch eventually offered a gateway to the Rebel Alliance, it largely dealt with heroes who had lost their affiliations.

The parallels between Star Wars and the Vietnam War have never been subtle, as George Lucas has always been adamant that the Viet Cong inspired the Rebel Alliance. The natural extension of that metaphor is that the Stormtroopers were the American soldiers sent to intervene in an unjust war, and The Bad Batch examined the plight of veterans who returned home to find they no longer understood what they had fought for. The show’s premiere episode saw the Bad Batch being informed that the Republic had “won,” but victory is in doubt when the arms race keeps escalating.

Echo had been a Clone Wars fan-favorite since Season 1, but the other four members of the Bad Batch were introduced in a four-part story arc released on Disney+ in 2020 as part of the show’s final chapter. Although they appeared to be little more than broad caricatures, the Bad Batch were fleshed out as idiosyncratic outsiders in their own series. Hunter’s leadership skills are subverted by his hero complex, as he must give up his inclination towards self-sacrifice upon becoming a mentor for the young female clone, Omega (Michelle Ang). Wrecker and Tech were specifically engineered to perform specific functions, and recognize that they’ve outlived their usefulness to the Republic. Most heartbreaking is Crosshair, who’s made to turn against his squad and become a remorseless assassin.

The Clone Wars could undercut the Republic's inherently militaristic ideals by suggesting that the clones were simply fighting for the sake of their brothers-in-arms, but The Bad Batch revealed that they were stripped of their individuality after the Jedi were executed. Crosshair’s defeated remark of “I used to believe good soldiers followed orders” could be spoken by any Star Wars character betrayed by their institutions, but it's particularly applicable to those who were created for the sole purpose of combat. Questioning the nature of one’s destiny has been integral to the universe since 1977; the Bad Batch followed in the footsteps of Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Cassian Andor, and Kylo Ren.

On an aesthetic level, The Bad Batch is a significant improvement over The Clone Wars because it reflected the same worn-down quality of the original trilogy. The Outer Rim planets the Bad Batch travel through have been decimated by the war, and the only slick, clean designs are those from the newly refurbished establishments of the Empire. The few familiar characters thrown in, such as Cas Bane and Asajj Ventress, fulfilled narrative purposes without feeling like pure nostalgia bait. Often, these recognizable faces were recontextualized in inventive ways; from the perspective of ex-soldiers never granted real authority, Emperor Palpatine only appeared as a hologram who barked propaganda.

If the biggest issue with contemporary Star Wars has been the attempts to artificially heighten the stakes, The Bad Batch succeeded by getting personal. While a small battalion of clones, even those with extraordinary powers, may not have overthrown an Empire, they found purpose in protecting their brothers from Kamino and inspiring a new generation with Omega. It’s often the small victories that have the deepest resonance, and it's these humanistic qualities that allowed The Bad Batch to find hope within the saga’s darkest timeline.

The Bad Batch is streaming on Disney+.