Lucasfilm recently revealed the successor to their blockbuster animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars called The Bad Batch, premiering sometime next year.
Earlier this year, Lucasfilm Animation finally closed the book on their long-running hit series Star Wars: The Clone Wars after more than a decade-long run.
Fans will be glad to know, however, that the production company already has a follow-up show in the pipeline called Star Wars: The Bad Batch, set to air on Disney+ in 2021.
The cavalry has arrived! Star Wars: The Bad Batch, an all-new animated #DisneyPlus Original Series from Lucasfilm, will debut in 2021. Get all the details: https://t.co/Q0A22VViHG pic.twitter.com/MepLLamA7d
— Star Wars (@starwars) July 13, 2020
The baddest of the Star Wars clones
The upcoming animation won’t be a direct sequel but rather a spin-off series following the exploits of an elite squad of clones that make up Clone Force 99, though they prefer to call themselves the Bad Batch.
They were first introduced during the seventh season of the recently completed show and are known for possessing unprecedented individual skills unlike any clone trooper, resulting in them boasting a 100 percent strike rate for all missions attempted.
Following the events of the Clone War, the Bad Batch find themselves working as mercenaries, taking on daredevil jobs in hopes of finding new purpose.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch brings back executive producers Dave Filoni, Athena Portillo, Brad Rau, and Jennifer Corbett, along with Carrie Beck as co-executive producer, and Josh Rimes as producer, all of whom have worked on previous Star Wars animated projects.
https://twitter.com/starwarstuff/status/1282711247700611072
Meet the Bad Batch
Clone Force 99 is comprised of four members: Hunter, Wrecker, Tech, and Crosshair, each mentally and physically designed to excel in their roles.
Hunter is the wild-haired Republic sergeant and leader of the Bad Batch who sports a half-skull face tattoo. Looks-wise, he resembles the other clone troopers quite a bit, but that’s pretty much where the similarities end, since he outclasses the average clone in every aspect when it comes to the battlefield.
Wrecker is Clone Force 99’s brawn. A hot-headed, smart-mouthed behemoth of a soldier who’s capable of hoisting a clone gunship with ease, and is known for making quips even in the face of doom.
DID YOU KNOW? The idea for the "BAD BATCH" came up from George Lucas, who wanted to explore in 2012 the idea that there were clones that were a little bit more unique from one another & who were an enhanced skills special forces unit. Their designs were finalized a year earlier. pic.twitter.com/PEp2xbyFYf
— Raul Mares (@raulmares72) July 14, 2020
If Wrecker’s the brawn behind the operation, then Tech is the Bad Batch’s brains. While he’s quite the adept soldier, Tech’s specialty lies in his proficiency in science and technology, which far surpasses that of man or machine.
Crosshair is, as his name suggests, the resident sniper of the group, known for his frosty, calculating nature and his animosity towards regular clones.
The squad is later joined by a fifth member named Echo after they rescue him from a Separatist base on Skako Minor.
It’s too early in Star Wars: The Bad Batch’s development to hope for a release date, but fans of the Clone Wars animated series will definitely want to keep an eye on Lucasfilm Animation’s next project.
Image courtesy of Star Wars blog