The second season of Star Wars: The Bad Batch is here, and already it’s going dark! We’re treated to TWO episodes to celebrate the premiere of The Bad Batch Season 2. However, given these are set months after the events of Season One’s finale, mainly the destruction of Kamino and the Empire thought they killed off Clone Force 99, a lot has changed.
It’s something The Bad Batch does well as a show. We can see how quickly the Galactic Empire is taking control of the galaxy. Some big reveals in these episodes also tie up some Clone Wars storylines. Dee Bradley Baker voices all of The Clone Troopers and is joined by Michelle Ang as Omega. However, they’re also joined by Rhea Perlman as Cid and a newcomer to the cast, Wanda Sykes as Phee Genoa. Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 2 airs weekly on Disney+.
Space Dads In The Bad Batch Season 2
Season 2’s opening is grand! It’s already doing something I’ve wanted since the first season. This is spending more time with the characters of Echo and Tech. Hunter, Wrecker and Omega somewhat overshadowed them in the first season. Yes, it’s hard to do when you have five main characters, but in these opening two episodes, it’s great to expand the underrepresented characters even more. However, that’s not to say we don’t get some good scenes with Hunter and Wrecker.
The second episode of season 2 really sees Clones Force 99 in their prime. While Tech is injured, he’s still an essential part of the episode. Echo, on the other hand, works very closely with Omega, and I’m really impressed with how they are developing this character in the second season so far. My only concern is whether this writing might fall off as we go deeper into the season, especially when Crosshair returns to the limelight. Additionally, we’ve also got Captain Rex coming back, along with Commander Cody.
What I am saying is this show is going to get crowded soon. Therefore, giving each character the spotlight they deserve will be hard. We’ve also got new characters being introduced to the cast. Wanda Sykes voices Phee Genoa, an associate of Cid, so we’ll likely see a bit more in the upcoming season. I think she could be a clue to some Jedi hiding out. We know we’ll be seeing the Wookie Jedi Padawan Gungi later down the line.
Clone Troopers, besides The Bad Batch, are featured in this episode, thankfully. And the reason I mention this is because we spend some time following Clone Captain Wilco. It’s still interesting to see how the Clones react to their Rogue Brothers. Clone Force 99 is also unwilling to kill their own brothers. Personally, I am wondering if this dynamic will change at some point later down the road. Given what we know is going on in the galaxy.
Destroying Count Dooku’s Image
Since The Bad Batch trailer, we knew we’d go to Castle Serenno, Count Dooku’s former Castle. As rightly established in this episode, Dooku is long dead, and his Separatist Army has long since been defeated and crushed. However, we never really learned what happened to his homeworld of Serenno and his personal assets, such as the Castle. We do in the two opening episodes, and it’s dark for Star Wars.
The Empire destroyed the planet and its population. This is dark I mean, there are a couple of dark scenes in these opening episodes, but I think this one really sums up the empire as a whole. Rather than simply letting Serenno fade away into obscurity, they wipe them out fully. However, It makes sense when you think about the Empire as a whole. Sereno and its people represent something the Empire does not want. Rebellion. We see this through other stories, like Andor and Star Wars Rebels.
Though one redeeming aspect is, we get the character of Romar Adell (Hector Elizondo). He’s a survivor of the bombardment and also someone who represents the planet’s future. The Empire may have destroyed his planet and people, but he has hope for the future. Returning to spending more time with Tech, we see how he helps Romar and somewhat secure the future of the Serennians.
Overall, both episodes give us more detail on Count Dooku. He may be dead by this point, but The Bad Batch Season 2 has more to add to his story. We see Dooku’s schemes and war’s effect on his people. It deprived them of their resources and ultimately cost them their world and lives. Obviously, many believed in Dooku and his anti-republic stance, but I don’t think they wanted to see their home destroyed. Additionally, I am hoping this is something we will continue to explore throughout the second season. These are Clone Wars moments and how they are changing.
Rampart Cares Not
One aspect that shocked me is the ending of the second episode of season two. While I am shocked, I’m not totally surprised. This is Admiral Rampart’s (Noshir Dalal) decision to murder Clone Captain Wilco. All through these two premiere episodes, we’re treated to scenes of Captain Wilco and they serve their purpose of adding more of a human side to the Clone. He’s not just a number or a blank face. He’s an actual Clone Trooper who is thinking for himself.
Ultimately that thinking for himself is what gets him killed. You can almost feel like it could come down to the Inhibitor Chip and the Trooper wanting to follow his orders and submit the report. Rampart decides to kill him, and the report with Clone Force 99 is rewritten. This is as it likely threatens Rampat’s position within the Galactic Empire and could put his own projects on hold. He mentions Governor Tarkin, so you know he’s serious.
Still, shooting the Clone Captain at point-blank range and having his body fall off into the remains of Serenno was very cold. It shows us that not only is Rampart not messing around, but neither is this series either. It’s going to do what needs to be done to tell the story of how the Empire doesn’t care about its Clone Troopers. They were essential tools that have now served their purpose. Throughout the first season, it’s reinforced that the Clones are a symbol of the Republic that should be torn down. I now fear for the safety of Commander Cody when he turns up.
The Bad Batch Season 2 is Here To Stay
Overall, this is a strong start for The Bad Batch Season 2. It has combined old material with new material and thrown us back into this era of the Star Wars universe. We are telling the new stories of the rise of the Galactic Empire and tying up loose ends from Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Something a sequel series should do and should be good at.
Continuing from The Bad Batch and the other animated shows, Kevin Kiner’s score for the show is just excellent and, in my opinion, should be compared to the scores of the films because it contains some of my favourite scores. The music from these first two episodes into season 2 really helps to enhance their scenes, whether epic moments or apprehensive ones.
We had an excellent little time skip in this episode, a couple of months after Kamino. Yet, we still are seeing the republic turn into the empire, which is something season 1 did very well, showing that it is not an immediate switch. We still see V-Wings and not TIE-Fighters, which is nice. But how we might see the last vestiges of the republic transfer in this season will be interesting, especially with Palpatine shown in trailers as appearing later in this season.
One aspect that will shine through is that Clone Force 99 can do more. We see Echo try and make his case on this multiple times. They’re all in a position where they can help those in need and do more than they currently do. However, will that happen? Who actually knows? I think the trailers give us a good example of what will happen. An example of this is us seeing Omega with Gungi later. Helping a Jedi is a big deal.
How To Watch The Bad Batch Season 2
You can watch the two premiere episodes of Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 2 via Disney+. The season comprises 16 total episodes that will air weekly on Wednesdays. As a heads-up, some upcoming episodes will air on the same day. This looks to be the case for the mid-season finale and the eventual two-parter season finale. It’s a big year for Star Wars, with The Mandalorian Season 3 not far away. Additionally, we’ve got Star Wars: Ahsoka coming later this year.
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