The Bad Batch continues in their own animated series from Dave Filoni and Jennifer Corbett revealing what happens after Order 66! It premiered today on May the Fourth Be With You on Disney+. We were introduced to Clone Force-99 in the last season of Clone Wars with “Bad Batch”, http://geektruth.blogspot.com/2020/03/star-wars-clone-wars-bad-batch-review.html. There is military drums and chatter as we see the episode title. Then, it shifts to the narrator, the return of Tom Kane! This was a strong part of Clone Wars and of course reflects back to World War II narration on newsreels. We are brought up to date with the state of the Clone Wars with Revenge of the Sith (2005). This is probably the last time we hear it since the war is basically over, but maybe he follows the Bad Batch squad or we find the actual narrator of the HoloNet broadcast! It settles on Depa Billaba (Archie Panjabi) defending with clone troopers on the snowy world of Kaller. This was actually shown in the comic book series, Kanan: The Last Padawan, by Rebels executive producer Greg Weisman. The Jedi and clone troopers are entrenched taking fire from the droids and tanks. Clone Commander Grey (Dee Bradley Baker, he provides all of the voices of the clone troopers including the Bad Batch!) wonders about the commander and he arrives, Caleb Dume (Freddie Prinze, Jr.), he of course takes the name Kanan Jarrus!
He has brought some reinforcements, five clones that he says are “different”, there is a rumbling in the forest. The battle droids (goofily voiced by Matthew Wood from the films and animated series) hear what looks like snowy movement on a hill and turn to blast it. A boulder plows through a line of battle droids. Then, in classic Bad Batch fashion they go through the remaining droids; Hunter with his vibroknife, Tech with explosives, and Crosshair sniping them! The leader, Hunter, orders Crosshair to move the tanks! He fires cables that connect the tanks and Wrecker starts tackling them forward. They fall over a cliff and the rest of the squad makes short work of the other battle droids. Hunter walks forward with the entire squad after the battle and takes off his helmet. He has the black, facial tatoo and red bandana like Billy (Sonny Landham) in Predator (1987). Hunter meets with General Billaba and suggests a counter attack and she does so. Wrecker is excited to find the “little Jedi” and Caleb (with adult voice) introduces the squad. Hunter explains that their actual reinforcements were rerouted to the capital. Tech updates them on the state of the war that General Kenobi is taking on Grevious on Utapau.
General Billaba says that they should focus on Keller and sends Caleb with the Bad Batch. They leave and Commander Grey recieves a communication, uh-oh. Billaba turns to see the hologram of Palpatine say, “Execute Order 66” to Grey. He fires on the Jedi Master, Caleb hears the battle and rushes to help her. She screams for him to run. As he does so, there are the screams as Depa Billaba dies, emotional, we know what happens with Order 66. The Bad Batch run up to Caleb, but he holds his lightsaber to them, and runs off betrayed. The Bad Batch are not affected by Order 66. This was suspected by everyone since they are clones that don’t follow the Kaminoans programming. Hunter sends Tech and Echo to check with Commander Red, Crosshair to find Caleb with himself, and Wrecker to stall anyone. Hunter and Crosshair move through the forest. They find Caleb in a tree and Crosshair fires on him! It looks like the Bad Batch programming varies with Crosshair wanting to be a “good soldier”, strange, the Bad Batch don’t fit the mold of a good clone troopers. It is apparent where Crosshair is going with this series, Fugitive-style. Wrecker meets with clone troopers who have orders from the Supreme Chancellor and start running into the forest. He warns Hunter.
Tech explains the Jedi betrayal that Hunter doesn’t accept and Crosshair finds a good explaination. They are going to have to stop Crosshair who blasts the tree branch Caleb is on. He ignites his lightsaber and knocks back Crosshair into a tree. Hunter tries to calm down Caleb and he runs away. Caleb reaches a cliff with waterfalls. Hunter reaches Caleb and takes off his helmet saying that others killed his master. Caleb hears clone trooper chatter and leaps across the chasm. Crosshair walks up and Hunter explains that the Jedi died in the fall. Other clone troopers rush up to the cliff’s edge. The shuttle of the Bad Batch, the Havoc Marauder, reverts from hyperspace. Tech reports they are approaching Kamino. Crosshair is still suspicious about the Jedi’s “death.” Tech has to resend the clearance code to V-wing starfighters that flank them. When they land, Hunter notices shock troopers from Coruscant, and a body is taken away with a lightsaber falling. We saw in The Lost Missions of Clone Wars that Jedi Master Shaak Ti was at clone facility on Kamino.
They return to their barracks, Echo is new since he just joined the squad, Crosshair confronts Hunter over saving the Jedi. Echo is confused since he is still loyal to the Jedi commanders. Tech explains that the specialty programming of the Bad Batch made them immune to Order 66 and other regular clone trooper programming. He also says that Echo may be different because of his ordeal on Skako Minor, he was freed in “A Distant Echo” http://geektruth.blogspot.com/2020/03/star-wars-clone-wars-distant-echo-review.html. As the storm continues outside on the Kamino seas, a briefing is called for all clone troopers, we finally discover what happened to the clones after Order 66. All of the clone troopers are assembled and Palpatine gives his speech which was at the end of RotS. Above them, Hunter notices that the Kaminoans have a child clone. Palpatine declares the formation of the Galactic Empire and the clone troopers cheer except the Bad Batch. Afterwards, the Bad Batch are walking down the hall past clone troopers and Kaminoans discussing the situation. Hunter notes that they are being followed. They turn to see the clone girl who introduces herself as Omega (Michelle Ang). The actress was Alex in Fear the Walking Dead. The animated series usually has a young ally, Ahsoka in Clone Wars and Ezra in Rebels.
The Kaminoan doctor, Nala Se (Gwendonline Yeo) notes that Omega is her assistant. Yeo also voiced Nala in the Clone Wars episodes. Omega leaves with Nala Se. A medic for the team is pretty cool. A shuttle lands and arriving is Admiral Tarkin (Stephen Stanton)! The actor provided many voices in the animated series including Tarkin in Clone Wars. He meets with Lama Su (Bob Bergen) in the white room with the chairs. Bergen is an incredible voice actor for Looney Tunes and also provides the voice of Luke Skywalker in video games. Tarkin is there to end the clone trooper program with conscription replacing the clones. At the clone mess hall, Hunter explains there is an Imperial evaluator, then Omega joins them. They are impressed that she would hang around them. A clone trooper shows contempt for them and gets food thrown at him by Omega. Echo sighs that this is another fight with the regular troopers. He later sees in the overhead window, Tarkin watching the fight, he met with Tarkin in “Citadel Rescue” (2011) when he was captured. We also have the appearance of AZI-3 (Ben Diskin), the medical droid who was in Five's episodes in Clone Wars. Plus, there is also another SW cameo! Will the Bad Batch smuggles out Baby Yoda? The episode deals with the concept of conscientious objectors, refusing to follow an order on moral grounds, with the programmed clone troopers and the rogue Bad Batch. The squad has to find the truth of the new Empire, somehow bring in Omega, and find their own way in the galaxy!
Five Vibroknives out of Five!
#BadBatch, #DeeBradleyBaker, #MichelleAng, #StephenStanton, #FreddiePrinzeJr, #ArchiePanjabi
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