With less than two weeks to go until the May 4th premiere of The Bad Batch, I'd like to take a look at some of things from the trailer that got me most excited about this upcoming series (not that I wasn't already excited)!
5. Saw Gerrera
Saw Gererra is a character that, now that I think about it, has shown his face in a lot of Star Wars media. The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Rogue One, Jedi: Fallen Order, the Rebel Rising novel, and those are just the most prominent ones. I guess it only makes sense for him to turn up here in The Bad Batch too.
I think Saw a really interesting character- he's complex, morally grey and has such a rich personal history. It'll be so much fun to see exactly where he's at at this point in the timeline considering this should be only shortly after his Clone Wars appearance, but long before his appearance in Rogue One. He still has several years to go before he picks up Jyn, too. I'm excited to see how he and the Bad Batch cross paths, and what they do in each others company.
4. Finding out who Omega is
Omega was the big reveal in The Bad Batch trailer that got everyone talking. Who is this child? What are they doing hanging around the Bad Batch? What's with the Kaminoan-looking circlet they're wearing? There's a lot of speculation going around, and something that we engaged in a little with Johna in our podcast about the trailer, but regardless of who Omega turns out to be and what they're like, there's one thing for sure- I am definitely excited to meet them and learn more about who Omega is, and I'm just as excited to see what role they play in this story.
3. Fennec Shand
I think we all love Fennec Shand, right? The awesome sniper-assassin who was unfortunately "killed" in season 1 of The Mandalorian, and then thankfully brought back in season 2. I'm sure everyone was thrilled when it was first announced that she'd be showing up in The Bad Batch. I'm excited to see what role she plays in the story, and how much (or little) she'll get along with the Bad Batch. Will she be hired by the Empire to hunt them down? Will she form an uneasy alliance with them if they're in need of a sniper (which I only say because of the unfortunately lack of Crosshair appearances with the rest of the group in the trailer)? Who knows! But I'm excited to see her, because I think she's really neat.
An aside- one of the reasons I wanted to go to film school was because from when I was really young I was fascinated with learning about the behind-the-scenes things for movies. One of the first movies I watched behind-the-scenes stuff for (back when those features were on our DVDs) was my favorite Disney Princess movies, Mulan and Mulan 2. If you're familiar with those movies, then you probably know that Ming-Na Wen, who plays both The Mandalorian and The Bad Batch appearances of Fennec, voices Mulan in those films. I have really distinct memories of watching clips of her from when she was recording lines for Mulan, and I remember being so enchanted by the fact that despite her voice being the only thing they used, she was really putting her whole body into acting out what was happening. I'm only bringing this up to say that I know she's a very skilled and passionate voice actor, and I don't doubt that she'll bring the energy I saw her use for Mulan as a child into The Bad Batch- and I am extremely excited for that.
2. Learning more about what happened to clones post-Order 66
This is something that I've always been so, so interested in, and yet something that has not yet been explored too much in-depth. Of course we know the basics- the clone troopers were used by the Empire as stormtroopers until they outlived their usefulness thanks to the advanced aging science the Kaminoans used on them, but there isn't very much detail on exactly how everything went down. How were clones treated? What happened to ones discharged from the Empire? All answers I hope that The Bad Batch will answer- Both about the particular band of misfits we're following, as well as about all other clones in general.
Also... Commander Cody! Please! What happened to him? Did he and Rex ever cross paths? I need to know!
1. Captain Rex!!!
REEEEEEEX!!! Best clone, obviously. I'm gonna be honest, I was really surprised to see him turn up in the trailer, but very happy. And as thrilled as I am that we're going to see Rex again, it also gives me so many questions.
What's he doing? How long (if at all) did he an Ahsoka travel together before splitting up after The Clone Wars finale? How does he meet the Bad Batch? Has he run into Wolffe and Gregor yet? So many questions, all of which will hopefully answered in some capacity. I can't wait!
Thanks for reading! Is there anything I didn't mention that you're most excited for? Let us know!
Also, feel free to vote in our poll on your favorite member of The Bad Batch on the home page, or take this quiz about which one is your soulmate!