Star Wars: The Bad Batch | Disney+ | Final Season premieres February 21st!

[Porthos]

@PlatnumRoyce

 

Some quick checking has the budget of The Clone Wars movie at $8.5m.  It is... exceedingly unwise to just divide by four to get a cost per episode, but that'd put it at around $1.8m per episode. Considering that also adds pre-production development costs as well as P&A that a regular season run wouldn't get, chopping that down considerably sounds wise.

 

I've seen recent commentary that put TCW episodes at "$1m per episode", and frankly I can believe it.

 

But a lot of that seems to be people repeating what other people are saying, but I'd start with somewhere around $1m to $2m per episode just as a ballpark figure.

 

*does some more checking*

 

Okay, here's something a bit more concrete:

 

Quote

Star Wars: The Clone Wars had a budget of $1 million per episode
Ahsoka Tano in The Clone Wars
Disney/YouTube    

 

George Lucas wasn't shy about how much he wanted "The Clone Wars" TV series to succeed. In an interview he gave during the early days of the series' first season, he ballparked that each episode's production cost around $1 million. In 2008, this type of budget per animated episode was probably unprecedented.  

 

Fans have speculated that over the course of the series, as the creators learned how to make the show more efficiently, the "Clone Wars" budget decreased. Some have gone as far as to say that "The Clone Wars" follow-up "Rebels" had a significantly lower budget due to these improvements, but there is no way to verify this. As the series went on, it found ways to look better and better, but it's unclear if the later seasons cost more or less to produce than the early ones. 

We don't know what the budget looked like for the final season of "The Clone Wars," but we wouldn't be surprised if it surpassed even the early episodes of the series, and the same goes for the stunning first season of "The Bad Batch."

 

Read More: https://www.looper.com/614737/the-most-expensive-animated-series-in-tv-history/#:~:text=Star Wars%3A The Clone Wars,of %241 million per episode

 

internal links got stripped on the copy-n-paste, but the quote works well enough.

 

And while it is true that by refining software and reusing assets, they can cut costs, if they turn around and pour it back into the show to make it look even better, the overall budget will remain the same.

 

Plus, you know, inflation.

 

So START at $1m per episode, but probably presume up to $1.5m per (if not more), if only for inflation and art upgrades.

Edited March 21 by Porthos

[Porthos]

2 minutes ago, Youngstar said:

 

 

This article from 2008(idk if that's true of course) claims that TCW was budgeted at about $1M per episode: https://gizmodo.com/george-lucas-spills-all-about-clone-wars-at-skywalker-r-5033398

 

Referenced the same Lucas quote, but from different articles. 👍 

 

(I spent longer on my post and research though 😉)

((which got me at the top of the next page, so... "I win" 😛))

[Porthos]

Speaking of "TCW-style" animation, it occurred to me yesterday after seeing a comment about this very topic on Reddit that we don't have a name for this style of computer animation, or at least one I was aware of.  And since it is a fairly unique style, I decided to go hunting to see if it had a semi-official name outside of "TCW-style".

 

No dice.   Again, from what I can find.

 

But I did find something that...

 

Well...

 

 

 

LEGITIMATELY MY REACTION IN REAL LIFE!!!! 🤯  🤯  🤯 

 

Now the tweet does use Season 7 of TCW, so let's use a S1 pic instead:

 

 

WOW!  🤯 

 

Now it has become more and more refined as the years go on.  But can still clearly see the influence even today.

Edited March 21 by Porthos

[PlatnumRoyce]

3 hours ago, Porthos said:

TCW lasted as long as it did was, and I'm paraphrasing a long ago deleted tweet from Pablo Hidalgo, is that it had a "eccentric billionaire helping foot the cost of the series."

 

That's helpful. So if the economics of the show didn't really work at the time, that's useful and explains a good chunk of my confusion. 

 

Internet forums devoted to the TV show Firefly (which apparently are the rare fansites to stay up - I constantly stumble across them looking for contemporary to mid 2000s articles) has someone's aggregation of sci-fi show budget reports. Glancing at that, let's say it's about half the price of a somewhat expensive network tv show on a per episode basis.

 

3 hours ago, Porthos said:

AIUI, even before the Disney sale, TCW was in trouble over at CN when it came to yearly renewals (and in fact, again as I understand it, TCW really didn't become ***TCW!!!*** until a later generation of fans discovered it on Netflix post-cancellation).

I just always struggle to figure out what "TCW" means in practice because it just swings from a "core canon" artifact (look at Ahsoka and the initially reported plans for a Mandoverse film) to a stray tv show. I was a star wars obsessed kid when TCW tv show came out and outside of a Mac'N'Cheese advertisements at the grocery store, it was just completely invisible to me. I may have known that Anakin had a Padawan but it wasn't "really" canon/true/important just like nailing down a bit of lore added in random star wars book X.  I agree it got discovered on Netflix (that's definitely how I really stumbled upon it) but I've never been able to really get a good sense of the actual scale of buy-in.

 

Another way to look at "1 million an episode" is to compare it to the Direct to consumer film Open Season 2 (2008) which was a sequel to a marginal profitable theatrical film. It had a 25M budget so basically the same cost as a full season of Clone Wars (though OS3 went down to ~15M). 

 

 

Anyways, I know that's a bit rambling but my thoughts on this are a little scattered. These star wars animated films are just in this interesting little spot relative to star wars and now to the insane budgets a lot of Disney content has been receiving. 

 

[4815162342]

On 3/20/2024 at 3:43 AM, Porthos said:

Okay, now into spoilers:

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Dammit, Fennec. 

 

...

 

Still, that wording is just ambiguous enough that she might not have ratted them out.  Just replayed it to make sure and maaaaybe this is her way of "getting the information" to the Batch as Fennec did go out her way to say "the Empire's M-Count bounties" and not "your bounties" or similar language. 

 

...

 

Aren't we just about due for Ventress?  Was thinking Young Boba was gonna show up, but I dunno.

 

Gonna be interesting to see just what Fennec was playing at here.  Could still go either way, I suppose.  But after reflection kiiiiinda think she isn't ratting them out.  Not completly at any rate.  Not totally sure though and I could be easily swayed in either direction/

 

Aside from that observation, another solid entry. if one focused on character development.  Might be the most "episodic" entry so far, even though it still did advance the plot a good deal.  

 

Have to admit, I'm getting more intrigued as to just where the Crosshair/Omega storyline is going.  Might be an "old grumpy guy"/"idealistic young girl" ancient trope, but it's a well done version of said trope. Curious, might be the best word for it really.

 

Solid 8/10, I think.  Quieter episode than the last few, but good to take in a breath now and again.  One of the nicer things a longer season allows.

 

The music stings at the end sounded to me like the musical cue for a certain notable character. But it's been a while since I saw TCW so my memory my be faulty 

Edited March 21 by 4815162342

[Porthos]

2 hours ago, 4815162342 said:

 

The music stings at the end sounded to me like the musical cue for a certain notable character. But it's been a while since I saw TCW so my memory my he faulty 

Not the only person to say that, but there's also a fair amount of debate if it was said character's motif or the person who was already in the episode.

 

FWIW, prior storytelling beats/ways they tell their stories in TBB does suggest you are right.

[Menor the Destroyer]

56 minutes ago, Porthos said:

Not the only person to say that, but there's also a fair amount of debate if it was said character's motif or the person who was already in the episode.

 

FWIW, prior storytelling beats/ways they tell their stories in TBB does suggest you are right.

It sounded to me like the motif for the character shown rather than the character theorized.

[Porthos]

4 hours ago, 4815162342 said:

 

The music stings at the end sounded to me like the musical cue for a certain notable character. But it's been a while since I saw TCW so my memory my he faulty 

 

1 hour ago, Menor the Destroyer said:

It sounded to me like the motif for the character shown rather than the character theorized.

 

Surprise twist! The motif was both a floor wax and a dessert topping! 🤯

 

Spoiler

deep deep pull, I realize

Spoiler

also don't care

 

 

[4815162342]

3 hours ago, Menor the Destroyer said:

It sounded to me like the motif for the character shown rather than the character theorized.

 

Listening to Track 21 of The Bad Batch Soundtrack Vol. 1 I am now inclined to agreed with you.

[Porthos]

You know... I'm not entirely sure what fandom is gonna think of this latest episode.

 

Well, except for noting that 

Spoiler

ALL Force Teachers really are assholes.  Apparently. 😉 

 

Spoiler

Or Ventress really *IS* a Jedi at heart after all. 😛 

 

 

Still, that quip aside I'm gonna be interested in seeing how fandom takes to it.  I mean, I enjoyed it.  And I certainly have A Few Questions afterwards about a few different things.  But I do see the... potential for some folks being irritated at pacing issues, and I'm wondering if that's gonna raise its head or not.

 

...

 

Okay, yeah.  One real observation.

Spoiler

OF COURSE Omega is Force Sensitive.  To some degree.  Ventress practically spelled it out for the viewers Batch when she said "if she had potential, then she'd have to leave you to get trained."

 

What I'm curious about is just when do we see Ventress again, and in what capacity.  Coz, clearly, this ain't the last we've seen of her this season.

 

Also do find it slightly curious that neither Crosshair nor Omega mentioned the infusion/transfer aspect.  Though, now that I think about it, I don't think either of them know that part of it, do they?  Come to think of it, I don't think they do.  

 

So now that makes me wonder if Ventress is gonna be doing some digging on her own, and that's how she gets roped back into things as she gets hints about Project Necromancer. 

 

Well, and a second observation:

Spoiler

I presume the Veruca Salt's of our little fandom will want to know just WHY Ventress is actually alive.  But you know what?  Us knowing how she's alive didn't fit this tale, so I'm content in finding out another day.

 

Besides, "I'll tell you about that story another time" is a time honored tradition when it comes to SW!  

 

[4815162342]

Episode kinda petered out but it basically set up the endgame choice Omega and the Batch will have to make re what Omega wants and needs as opposed to what the Batch dudes want for her

[Porthos]

 

 

I can't easily search Twitter right now but looks like screeners went out for all but the final episode.  I'll try to add more if I can find them.

Edited March 28 by Porthos

[ZeroHour]

Finally caught up on this season so far. I think this has been their strongest. A lot of forward momentum that the show has sometimes lacked. I will say that I hope the next animated show leaves the clones and this time period behind. I'm a little cloned out at this point. The only exception for me would be if they 

Spoiler

wanted to do a Ventress show. They can absolutely give me more Ventress and I'm glad she's no longer a character who met her demise off screen in a book.

 

Speaking of things I don't need to see for awhile though, jaded adults teaming up with a force sensitive moppet is now fully a Star Wars TV cliché. We've now seen versions of this in The Mandalorian, Rebels, the Obi-wan show, The Bad Batch, and to a lesser extent Ahsoka. Let's not revisit this well for a good long while. I can only wish that Omega becomes one of those force potential people who's power fades because they never use it that Star Wars is always talking about but never shows. However, I've resigned myself to the fact that she'll probably be force pushing people across giant chasms before the series is out.

 

[Youngstar]

Those were some bleak episodes. But man this season continues to fire on all cylinders.

[Porthos]

Bruh

[Porthos]

1 hour ago, Youngstar said:

Those were some bleak episodes. 

 

Spoiler

As long as the credits are good, I'm up for any job.

 

More seriously:

Spoiler

"Bruh" doesn't really do it justice, but that's pretty much the only way to describe it.

 

Obvious statement is obvious, but Emerie is gonna have a real crisis on her hands.  She's just enough of a cipher that I'm still not sure what she's getting out of all of this.  Her backstory/motivations might be the single biggest unexplored angle to all of this. Wouldn't call it a weakness because mystery is pretty central to her character and her arc.  But just why she is the way she is and what she is getting out of all of this is something I'm curious if it will be examined or not.

 

Possibly what Omega could have been like if she kept on the path she was before Clone Force 99 entered the picture, maybe?  Or had a much less nurturing mentor?  

 

Regardless, I don't expect a happy ending for her.

 

Also have to admit I flat out did NOT expect to see that sort of detail regarding Project Necromancer.  Though in retrospect it makes perfect sense.  And in fact casts an interesting light on 

Spoiler

Palpatine's interest in Force Children as far back as S2 TCW (also starring You Know Who).  We all thought at the time it was to create a bunch of dark siders at Palps beck and call and under his direction, and I'm sure that was the main motivation. 

 

[ETA as mentioned in SW Rebels]

 

But Palps has plans within plans within plans.  And while it would be an obvious post RotS retcon, Palpatine being interested in Force Sensitive Children also because of their blood as part of a plan to make himself immortal makes complete sense in light of this current story arc.

 

If so, then this is retroactive continuity done right.  Something that adds to the backstory instead of just trying to cram it in.

 

Edited April 3 by Porthos

[4815162342]

Things looking a little precarious for the Batch and Omega

[Menor the Destroyer]

That was an intense couple of episodes.

[Porthos]

48 minutes ago, 4815162342 said:

Things looking a little precarious for the Batch and Omega

 

Now why did I hear that in Waylon Jennings' voice? 

[Porthos]

Much much more of a transitionary/setting the tables episode than the last two, but an interesting one.

 

And one that I didn't see coming, though I probably should have as it was a very logical conclusion to the puzzle being presented.

 

(as was the reason why it hadn't been brought up yet)