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

[Eric Duncan]

 

[Porthos]

Something occurred to me as I now hit the Bad Batch arc in S7, and since it's related to this show, I'll pop it in here.

 

Gonna really miss the B1 Battle Droids.  There's just something about the combination of child like innocence/dopiness with the world weariness at their lot in life that somehow exactly hits my sweet spot when it comes to my sense of comic relief.

 

Doesn't hurt that Matthew Wood sells the hell out of them when they are treated like the cosmic chew toys that the almost always are.

 

Might get a few cameos of them here and there, I reckon, especially at the beginning of the series. But, not gonna lie, I'll miss them,  Quite a bit.  I figure they'll be some sort of comic relief in the show.  Hope it sticks as well as these guys did in TCW.

[Darth Lehnsherr]

2 hours ago, Porthos said:

Something occurred to me as I now hit the Bad Batch arc in S7, and since it's related to this show, I'll pop it in here.

 

Gonna really miss the B1 Battle Droids.  There's just something about the combination of child like innocence/dopiness with the world weariness at their lot in life that somehow exactly hits my sweet spot when it comes to my sense of comic relief.

 

Doesn't hurt that Matthew Wood sells the hell out of them when they are treated like the cosmic chew toys that the almost always are.

 

Might get a few cameos of them here and there, I reckon, especially at the beginning of the series. But, not gonna lie, I'll miss them,  Quite a bit.  I figure they'll be some sort of comic relief in the show.  Hope it sticks as well as these guys did in TCW.

They work much better in an animation setting than in live action. 

I just really want to see how the Republic slowly transforms to the Empire aesthetic and hopefully we can see what happened to all the tech the Separatists had. 

[Porthos]

7 hours ago, Darth Lehnsherr said:

I just really want to see how the Republic slowly transforms to the Empire aesthetic and hopefully we can see what happened to all the tech the Separatists had. 

Wasn't gonna comment on this as I've probably been too chatty about my rewatch as it is, but this is something I noted already happening in TCW as the series went on.  In Season 5 and 6 especially, where we had quite a few episodes on Coruscant, I noted a rise in fascistic architecture and esthetic.  

 

Things like the huge statues of the clones, the dark foreboding militaristic plazas.  Perhaps not surprisingly, the prisons were very Empire-esque. Even the camera angle shots of how scenes were framed were trying to invoke a Leni Riefenstahl type feel (though of course the OG films did as well, but here I thought it was leaning even more into the direct source material).

 

I was actually pretty impressed to see the subtly here in showing that, thanks to the war itself, the Republic was already well on its way to being transformed before the events of RotS.

 

One other thing I meant to keep track of but kinda slid by was to note how many scenes centering on the Jedi Temple had a sun setting in the background as the series went on, as a symbolic sign of the dying light of the Jedi.  More than a couple were done that way and I am fairly certain it was intentional.

Edited May 1, 2021 by Porthos

[Porthos]

 

Ooh, I like this one. 👍

[SnokesLegs]

On 4/27/2021 at 8:49 PM, Porthos said:

Rating of "6+" is hella weird as well.  Means it's rated for a non-US territory, and I can't match the usage of "6+" to any country that currently has Disney Plus.    Not familiar with all the ins and outs of TV ratings in other countries, naturally.

 

But, kinda sus at the moment. 😕 

I’ve seen that rating on Disney+ UK when watching early seasons of The Simpsons. The whole show on the synopsis page has a “12+“ rating, but when starting the episodes it would sometimes show “6+” in the corner. I think Clone Wars is the same actually.

Edited May 2, 2021 by SnokesLegs

[Porthos]

2 hours ago, SnokesLegs said:

I’ve seen that rating on Disney+ UK when watching early seasons of The Simpsons. The whole show on the synopsis page has a “12+“ rating, but when starting the episodes it would sometimes show “6+” in the corner. I think Clone Wars is the same actually.

That plus something I ran across just now might explain the title leaks then.

 

Apparently screeners did go out for The Bad Batch, as I just mentioned in the D+ thread:

 

 

If the screeners are available within the D+ app itself via a code/restricted link, then that makes some amount of sense.  I just didn't know that the UK had a 6+ rating.

 

So, now shifting to... PLAUSIBLE, as the Mythbusters crew might say.

 

*thinks*

 

The 75m thing for ep 1 matches perfectly with the leak, so upon further review:  CONFIRMED. 

 

====

 

Also, depending on just when the review/social embargo lifts not long now before we get the first impressions about this bad boy.

Edited May 2, 2021 by Porthos

[Porthos]

Quote

Geek Interview: Dee Bradley Baker – The Bad Boy Of Disney+ Star Wars: The Bad Batch

 A'bidah Zaid

May 3, 2021

7 min read

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Most talent would be happy to land a role in the ever-growing Star Wars universe of movies, TV shows and animated series, but veteran voice actor gets to do it all not just once, twice, three times or four times, but five all at once, with his voice starring role in Disney+’s new animated spin-off, Star Wars: The Bad Batch.

Following seven seasons of the hit Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series, which ended its run with a bang with the final Siege of Mandalore story arc delivering high-octane lightsaber action, heartrending moments, and narrative tie-ups to the canonical movie universe, Lucasfilm is not closing that final chapter, and continuing the series’ legacy in a new animated show. 

 

Releasing on May the 4th, The Bad Batch follows an elite team of experimental clones who had gone rogue after Admiral Tarkin called for their termination. The titular Bad Batch comprises leader and stoic soldier Hunter, former ARC Trooper turned cyborg, Echo, computer and weapons specialist, Tech, the hulk of the team aptly called Wrecker, and lastly, team sniper, Crosshair.

 

Speaking at a press conference alongside head writer Jennifer Corbett and producer Brad Rau with Geek Culture in attendance, the bad boy behind The Bad Batch, Dee Bradley Baker, whose voice has traversed the world of Star Wars in The Clone Wars and Rebels, shared that voicing many characters at one go is like an easy magic trick. 

For starters, each of The Bad Batch characters are different from one another, unlike the clones in The Clone Wars. Commending the clear writing, jumping from character to character “feels like I’m jumping from rock to rock on a stream.” 

“I can see the rock, I can see the [characters], I feel like I know them, and it actually helps that they’re they’re further differentiated vocally, and also in terms of their personality and their mood, so it comes off looking as more of a magic trick, than it does maybe with the clones,” said Dee. 

 

Set in a post-Clone Wars world, the Bad Batch, like other clones, were created to fight for the Republic. Whilst the elite team of soldiers were capable in taking out enemies, their deviance and inability to conform to orders have now become a problem when the Empire was formed, and when Palpatine’s Order 66 kicked in. 

“This time period is one of the reasons I got so excited about the show. Other than this oddball group of characters, I found it intriguing and engaging to watch a series where the question became ‘What happens after the war’s over?’”, asked Corbett. 

 

“What happens to all these clones who all they know is being soldiers, especially for the Bad Batch who do things differently as it is with the Republic and how they react to this new environment and the new way of doing things and new way of following rules which again isn’t their, their favorite thing to do.” 

 

“It was interesting to just sort of talk about the transition from the Republic, to the Empire and what that looks like because it’s not what we saw in the original trilogy where it’s the dominance of the Empire. This is kind of like the early stages and I found it interesting to show planets and places that were happy that the war is over and they don’t really understand the implications of what an Empire actually means and it’s kind of just laying the groundwork for what, everyone knows the Empire to be later on.”

As hinted in the trailer, The Bad Batch later come across a girl named Omega, who squirreled her way into the hearts of the unit. Whilst early episodes have yet to reveal how integral she is to the overall narrative, viewers will easily be able to notice parallels between Hunter and Omega’s relationship and Din Djarin and Grogu’s relationship in The Mandalorian. 

 

“It’s interesting in terms of the story, in the writing, to have this kind of personal relationship with a younger character, and to see how that changes and how they accommodate that and how that works because it’s more of like an uncle-niece, or a father-child dynamic, but not entirely because Omega has her own interesting potential of powers and so it’s interesting to see all of that unfold,” said Dee. 

 

“I think it connects you to the story in a personal way so it’s not just an action story as Star Wars never is. There’s a personal story that’s also playing out as well that connects you to the entire story.”

Producer Rau adds, “This family dynamic [makes] the stories emotionally charged and emotionally based and it gives the action a lot more texture honestly. Let’s face it, we’re blowing stuff up and we’re having fun doing that but to have the emotional context helps. We are coming into characters that are familiar and yet we don’t know that much about them and it gives us room to kind of play around with how those characters develop.” 

For head writer Corbett, the familial relationship within Clone Force 99 struck a chord. This is especially since the 40-year old served the United States Navy and is no stranger to the types of relationships depicted on screen. 

 

“When I saw the original story arc for the Bad Batch that was meant for The Clone Wars in the final season, I immediately responded to it because I got the dynamic between this squad and I understand how people in the military become like brothers and sisters very closely when you’re sent on missions together when you’re in close quarters. The camaraderie and also the banter that comes with living with people so closely in high-stress situations – that’s what I try to bring to this – how this squad, even though they are these elite soldiers, they are this family,” shared Corbett. 

 

“They don’t have to agree all the time and each of them brings different perspectives because they’re also very different and I think that speaks to the military – no one comes from the same background. Everybody has their different reasons for doing what they’re doing, and it is a family dynamic in real life.” 

 

Whilst The Bad Batch looks at another series of events and characters entirely, it doesn’t stray too far from its predecessor, The Clone Wars. From the get go, The Bad Batch maintains the same visual style as The Clone Wars, unlike the other Star Wars animated shows Resistance and Rebels, which have gone on to adopt their own aesthetics. According to Rau, the similarity was intentional to “honour the style and the legacy” of The Clone Wars. 

The transformation from Republic to Empire is a profound moment in the entire story of Star Wars and The Bad Batch is the first and only series to cover the impact of the wars and the gradual change. The series attempts to shed light on the political tensions and divide as well as deliver hard action loved by Star Wars fans of all ages. Smartly weaving topics of chosen family and loyalty, The Bad Batch proves that it’s not to be missed, not with everything up their sleeves. 

“There’s a lot there to unpack and it’s coming,” teased Dee before letting out a devious laugh. “There’s always a plan.”

https://geekculture.co/geek-interview-dee-bradley-baker-the-bad-boy-of-disney-plus-star-wars-the-bad-batch/

 

@Darth Lehnsherr should be glad to see that the change of Republic to Empire is gonna be one of the themes touched on.

 

As I suspected Omega looks to be the entry/gateway character for younger fans ala Ahsoka and Ezra.  Interesting to see a Hunter/Omega dynamic and I'm curious to see what will be new brought to the table.

[Porthos]

Been hearing about it from a couple of other sources, but I just saw a Bad Batch TV Spot on Sunday Night Baseball.  Quick 15-20 second hit, so nothing huge, but is showing that Disney is putting some marketing muscle behind this.

[Porthos]

Collective fandom reactions when the Bad Batch inevitably run into the Martez Sisters is gonna be lit. 👍  👍  👍 

 

Spoiler

They actually do have a rather good dynamic together, you know. 

 

[Porthos]

 

 

Embargo has lifted. 

[Porthos]

Doing a scan of the bird site and reviews seem to be good.  Mostly from SW Super Fans or writers known to be friendly to SW though, so a bit of a grain of salt.

 

There are also a LOT Q&A's being posted with the production team, which makes me think that one that got posted yesterday jumped the gun.

 

Either way, this does seem to be a more or less continuation of TCW, if focused on one group.  We'll see how reaction continues to shape as the day (and weeks) go on.

 

[Porthos]

DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT CHECK OUT THE FANTHA TRACKS REVIEW OF THE BAD BATCH!!!!!

 

I read the opening bit after the spoiler warning, and well...

 

DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT CHECK OUT THE FANTHA TRACKS REVIEW OF THE BAD BATCH!!!!!

DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT CHECK OUT THE FANTHA TRACKS REVIEW OF THE BAD BATCH!!!!!

DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT CHECK OUT THE FANTHA TRACKS REVIEW OF THE BAD BATCH!!!!!

DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT CHECK OUT THE FANTHA TRACKS REVIEW OF THE BAD BATCH!!!!!

DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT CHECK OUT THE FANTHA TRACKS REVIEW OF THE BAD BATCH!!!!!

DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT CHECK OUT THE FANTHA TRACKS REVIEW OF THE BAD BATCH!!!!!

 

Also:

 

 

Spoiler

 

Edited May 3, 2021 by Porthos

[Porthos]

 

WAS THAT SO HARD TO DO!!!!!!

 

(good length tho)

[Legion Again]

Ooh boy, here I go checking out the fantha tracks review fo the Bad Batch again.

[Porthos]

16 minutes ago, WandaLegion said:

Ooh boy, here I go checking out the fantha tracks review fo the Bad Batch again.

I honestly have no idea how spoiler filled it is.  But I saw something toward the beginning that will have no meaning to Filthy Casuals (i.e. most SW fans), but when I read them, I couldn't NOPE out of there fast enough.

 

The ironic thing is, I didn't notice it at first.  It was only when I went back to double check to see if 

Spoiler

the opening narration from Tom Kane was actually new or not when I saw exactly two particular words that got seared into my eyeballs.

 

As said, couldn't NOPE out of there fast enough.

Edited May 3, 2021 by Porthos
reworded things to make them a bit more vague

[Porthos]

Small Sample Size, but Omega (who has been revealed as being voiced by Michelle Ang) seems to be getting good reactions already.

 

That was a bit of a worry, as children in otherwise adult filled casts can always be something of a tricky balance to pull off.  See, for example, initial reactions to Ahsoka Tano.  

 

Find out for myself soon enough.

 

Also, might as well pop in the last character poster:

 

 

[Inceptionzq]

👀👀👀

[Porthos]

41 minutes ago, Inceptionzq said:

👀👀👀

SW fans in 2022 are gonna get fed.

 

Confirmed

(Most of) The Book of Boba Fett

Andor

Obi-Wan Kenobi

 

Rumored in Production Now/Soon to be in Production

The Mandalorian S3

The Bad Batch S2

 

Grapevine is buzzing a tiny bit

Ahsoka

 

That last one is mostly KRT spec, I think.  But it might be informed spec.

 

But if we presume an actual Xmas Week launch for TBoBF and peg it around 6 to 8 episodes (it apparently just wrapped principal photography, so it mimicked the length of a Mando season in shooting time, give or take because of COVID)

 

5 to 7 weeks of Boba Fett (first episode being Xmas 2021)

12 weeks of Andor (episode count given at Investor Day)

4 to 6 weeks of Kenobi (rumored episode count is in this range)

8 weeks of Mando (late in the year)

14 to 16 weeks of Bad Batch (presuming a similar rollout as this year)

 

equals 43 to 49 weeks of SW goodness.  Throw in a possible 4 to 8 weeks of Ahsoka and you get 47 to 57 weeks.

 

Might seriously be new SW each and every week, with the occasional off-week for specials/breathers.

 

That's just a guess though.  S3 of Mando might be pushed back quite a bit since it isn't confirmed to be in production yet.

 

Edited May 3, 2021 by Porthos

[Inceptionzq]

14 minutes ago, Porthos said:

SW fans in 2022 are gonna get fed.

I was thinking about that. On top of all that, books, comics, and the Fallen Order sequel too.