The second trailer for the animated spin-off series Star Wars: The Bad Batch has been released ahead of the show's May release date. The series follows the adventures of an elite experimental clone trooper unit after the fall of the Republic and the rise of the Galactic Empire. The full trailer shows off new footage and gives fans more details regarding the plot of the show.
First appearing in the final season of the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Clone Force 99, a.k.a. "The Bad Batch," is an elite squad of experimental clones with desirable mutations that make them lethal in battle. The series is a spin-off to its Clone Wars predecessor and looks to tell the story of Clone Force 99 in the aftermath of that show.
The new trailer opens with infamous Star Wars villain Grand Moff Tarkin overseeing Clone Fonce 99 during a training exercise. While impressed by their capabilities, Tarkin expresses concern over the squad's apparent disobedience and disregard for orders. The trailer then goes on to introduce each uniquely skilled member of The Bad Batch. This includes Hunter, the leader of the squad who possesses heightened senses, Echo, a cyborg who was initially rescued by the squad in the final season of The Clone Wars, Tech, the brains of the operation, Wrecker, a super-strong clone who relishes in destruction, and Crosshair, a sharpshooter with extraordinary aim.
Other familiar faces seen in the trailer include mercenary Fennec Shand, who first appeared in the live-action show The Mandalorian, in which she was portrayed by actress Ming-Na Wen. There is also an appearance by controversial resistance fighter Saw Ferrara, who also made his debut in the original Clone Wars series and went on to appear in the live-action spin-off film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, where he was played by Forest Whitaker. There’s also a mysterious new character, a young child credited as ‘Omega’ who appears to be very familiar with the members of Clone Force 99. It remains unclear what happens next, but it appears that The Bad Batch has a bit of a falling out with the new imperial administration, as we can see them escaping a cloning facility while Tarkin orders them to be hunted down.
The Bad Batch is just the latest of many upcoming Star Wars TV shows coming to Disney Plus in the future. The live-action spin-off series Andor has been shooting since November and is eyeing a 2022 release date, and it was recently announced that the Obi-Wan Kenobi series would begin production next month.
While most of the upcoming Star Wars projects are being done in the traditional live-action format, it’s nice to see that the Clone Wars style of animation is being kept alive. The original animated show, created by George Lucas and developed by Dave Filoni, was arguably the first successful Star Wars TV show, premiering years before The Mandalorian made its debut.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch will debut on May 4th with a 70-minute premiere. Future episodes will be available Fridays.
Source: Star Wars | YouTube