While live-actionStar Warsshows likeThe MandalorianandAhsokahave been driving a lot of conversation surrounding the franchise lately, any die-hard fan will tell you that some of the best material can be found in the various animated series.Star Warshas been investing in animation for decades now, with the first big breakout animated series beingStar Wars: The Clone Wars, which premiered in 2008. That series, run by the legendary Dave Filoni, did a lot to restructure, recontextualize, and even redeem a lot of the characters and stories from theStar Warsprequels. This trend continued intoStar Wars: Rebels, another Filoni show that ran from 2014 to 2018. Now, the latest animated series to carve out some space in the galaxy far, far away isThe Bad Batch, a spin-off fromThe Clone Wars,which is set in the years immediately followingEpisode III – The Revenge of the Sith.
The Bad Batchfollows a ragtag group of unusual clone troopers who, instead of being identical carbon copies of Jango Fett, were biologically altered to have enhanced traits that could help the Republic win the Clone War. These clones –Hunter, Wrecker, Tech, Crosshair, Echo and Omega– make for an odd family of sorts, and their adventures give fans a deeper look into the state of theStar Warsgalaxy in the aftermath of the prequel trilogy. The series has recently begun airing its third and final season, and it has been praised by fans as some of the bestStar Warsmaterial of the modern era.
However, to casual viewers, how important isThe Bad Batchreally? Are you missing out if you don’t watch the show? Here’s what you need to know.
Update July 22, 2025: This article has been updated followingThe Bad Batchseason three premiere and includes more recent developments in the Star Wars franchise.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch
The Bad Batchpremiered on Disney+ on August 10, 2025. This came two years afterThe Rise of SkywalkerandThe Mandalorianpremiered, meaning from the get-go, the series could begin laying the groundwork tofix certain narrative issues with the sequel trilogy, notably how Palpatine returned. This was first teased inThe Mandalorianseason two, butThe Bad Batchhas been doing a lot of the heavy lifting. As the series focuses on clones, it makes sense for the series to establish retcons for Palpatine’s clones on Exegol. This isn’t the first time aStar Warsanimated series has been used to help fix the live-action films. Much of the love fans now have for the prequel trilogy comes fromThe Clone Warsanimated series, which helped flesh out many of the ideas and stories the films never could. It enriched the franchise.
The Bad Batchalso features many ties toStar Warspast, present, and future. It featured the character of Fennic Shand, who was first introduced in The Mandalorian before becoming a major supporting character inThe Book of Boba Fett. This, combined with the cloning storyline that will play out inThe Mandalorian, firmly connectsThe Bad Batchas an important narrative thread in Dave Filoni’s live-actionStar Warsseries.
Related:Star Wars: The Bad Batch Cast and Character Guide
It also connects the two major animated series,The Clone WarsandRebels. It shows how Captain Rex spent the early days of the Empire before audiences saw him in Star Wars: Rebels, having given up in the fight against the Empire. The pilot ofThe Bad Batcheven features a young Caleb Dune, who fans know grows up to be the character Kanun Jarrus fromStar Wars: Rebels. Caleb survives Order 66 thanks to The Bad Batch, tying the titular characters to an important part of the Galactic Saga.The Bad Batchteaches a young Hera Syndulla how to be a rebel, a skill she will showcase in bothRebelsandAhsoka.
The films ever require you to watchThe Bad Batchin order to understand something. However, that does not mean the series is unimportant.The Bad Batchprovides a lot of supplementary material to the larger stories in the universe. In many ways,The Bad Batchacts as a missing piece of the franchise, integral to connecting various stories. While you’re able to still enjoyStar Warswithout watching these, it makes the experience richer to watchThe Bad Batchand see how the clone commando units' actions would have major ramifications across the galaxy, even if they never realized it.
Developing the Galaxy
On top of understanding the heart of what madeStar Warsgreat to begin with,The Bad Batch(likeThe Clone WarsandRebelsbefore it) also does an incredible job of expanding the galaxy the series exists within. Each episode and storyline brings the series to a new planet with new characters, new settings, and new concepts. Unlike the recent films, which have becomeobsessed with the Skywalkersand other characters of the original trilogy,The Bad Batchis thoroughly focused on telling its own story, with original characters and exciting new ideas. Filoni, along with Jennifer Corbett and Brad Rau, has created aStar Warsstory that stands completely on its own while still providing plenty of the interconnectivity that fans love.
The Bad Batchhas explored a rather fascinating but overlooked time period in the franchise,the early days of The Empire. Fans saw the Galactic Republic fall inRevenge of the Sith, but much of the franchise, likeAndor, Star Wars: Rebels,andRogue One: A Star Wars Story, explores the early days of the Rebel Alliance right before the events of the original trilogy. Even stories likeSoloexplore the Empire after it has been firmly established, butThe Bad Batchdelves into how the transition happened for everyday citizens across the galaxy, how Clone Troopers were phased out for Storm Troopers, and how the Empire truly became the massive, unstoppable force audiences saw in the original trilogy.
Related:Why The Bad Batch Is the Best Star Wars Series On Disney+
While the films, and even shows likeThe Mandalorian,have become stuck in a rut of fan-service-based decisions to some extent,The Bad Batchbarely bothers with it. There are moments of exciting crossover, but they are rarely ever the focus of the show. There’s a clear story that is worth telling, and it does not deviate too far from it. Some people may complain that the show is full of “filler episodes” that are just one-off adventures and stories that don’t forward the overall plot of the season.
While it’s true that Filoni’s shows have always had plenty of standalone episodes like that, those episodes are a key part of what makes these animated series so great.The Bad Batchdoesn’t burn through all of its story too quickly. It takes its time and develops its characters through these various universe-building adventures, which then gives the audience more time to gain an understanding of and fall in love with the Bad Batch themselves.
Any casual fans who haven’t watched Filoni’s shows are really missing out on some of the most genuine and faithful-to-the-brandStar Warsmaterial that exists. That goes for all of Filoni’s shows,The Bad Batchincluded.
The Bad Batchis currently airing its final season, which will conclude on August 23, 2025. This certainly will be the end of an era for fans, and while it is unknown who will make it out of the series alive, based on past series likeThe Clone WarsandRebels, it is safe to assume that anything can happen and just because a character is not mentioned in the original trilogy does not mean they will die.Characters from theStar Warsanimated series have made the jump to live-action, and there is a good chance many characters in Rebels might as well.
Notably, Dave Filoni is set to direct an epicStar Warscrossover film that will tie various threads introduced in the live-action Disney+ series. This includesThe Mandalorian,The Book of Boba Fett,Ahsoka(which means, by extension,Star Wars Rebels), and the upcoming series,The Skeleton Crew. There is also a chance that, in this epic Star Wars crossover event,The Bad Batchmight have a role to play.Star Wars: The Bad Batchand the various series in the New Republic Era take place about 28 to 30 years apart, meaning that fans could be treated to an older version of The Bad Batch, as well as a grown-up Omega.
ThroughThe MandalorianandAhsoka, there has been a noticeable uptick in the amount of material from Filoni’s animatedStar Warsshows that have been making the jump to the big screen. AsThe Bad Batch’s story grows more and more weighty with each season, fans can be hopeful that the series will have some sort of effect or impact on Filoni’s new film.
A Good Story Is Always Essential
Regardless of whetherThe Bad Batchconnects or does not connect to otherStar Warsstories, what matters is whether it works on its own. TheStar Warsfranchise is at an interesting place. While general audiences still seem to love the franchise, asThe Mandalorianwas the most streamed show of 2023 by Neilsen andAhsoka,ranked in at number 9, there is a mindset among hardcore fans that the franchise is not as good as it used to be. That is always a matter of debate, but it can be said that the large amount of stories on Disney+ have left fans feeling a bit burned out. Combine this with the fact that audiences were largely disappointed byThe Rise of Skywalkerand are still waiting for anewStar Warsmovie until at least 2026; there does seem to be a desire for a really goodStar Warsprogram.
Some might say the only reallygoodStar Warsseries isAndor, and while that series is great,The Bad Batchis proof thatStar Warsas a franchise is still going strong. Some might dismiss it or not take it as seriously as a priority to watch because it is animated, but that mindset is one that should change. Is a live-action version of a story more serious than an animated counterpart? The recent reaction to Netflix’s live-actionAvatar: The Last Airbenderseries shows that sometimes an animated project can be better than the live-action counterpart.
Were you slightly disappointed byThe Book of Boba FettorAhsoka? Think there is no goodStar Warsanymore? GiveThe Bad Batcha watch and see if you still think that is true.
