Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 1 is nearing its action-packed conclusion, but it seems that Clone Force 99 will be back for more missions.
Created by The Mandalorian producer Dave Filoni, the animated series picks up after the game-changing finale of Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 7, following Clone Force 99's adventures amidst the execution of Order 66 leading to the rise of the Empire.
The group of elite clones consists of Hunter, Tech, Echo, Wrecker, and Crosshair, but the latter betrayed his squad in order to join the Empire. While escaping from the Empire's forces in Kamino, a new recruit in the form of Omega joined the team as they escaped the clone-infused planet.
During the first season, The Bad Batch explored the exploits of Clone Force 99 through different planets as they tried to survive while being on the run from the Empire. The team was also heavily involved with daring missions for different clients in order to gain credits while also escaping bounty hunters like Fennec Shand and Cad Bane.
Ahead of the two-part finale of the hit Star Wars series, it looks like Clone Force 99 will live to see another day as evidenced by an official announcement.
THE BAD BATCH SEASON 2 IN 2022
Disney+ officially announced a second season for Star Wars: The Bad Batch which will premiere on the streaming service in 2022.
Along with the announcement, The Bad Batch executive producer Dave Filoni shared an official statement about the renewal:
“The entire Lucasfilm Animation team and I would like to thank Disney + and our fans for the opportunity to continue telling the story of the Bad Batch."
Disney+ and ESPN+ President Michael Paull also expressed his excitement about the upcoming sophomore season of The Clone Wars spinoff series:
“Fans have enthusiastically embraced the action and drama of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, and we are excited to see the Star Wars animated universe continue to expand on Disney+. As the dedicated streaming home for the Star Wars franchise, we can’t wait for the second season of this fan-favorite animated series.”
The announcement video can be seen below:
Star Wars: @TheBadBatch will return for a second season in 2022. Prepare for the two part finale of season one starting tomorrow, only on @DisneyPlus. #TheBadBatch pic.twitter.com/TOs5Lh34bT
THE BAD BATCH SEASON 2: WHAT'S NEXT?
Many would agree that this latest news about The Bad Batch is a welcome development, especially after the overwhelmingly positive reception toward the Clone Wars spinoff series.
It remains to be seen what other storylines The Bad Batch will tackle in Season 2, but there's a strong chance that it will continue to tackle the narrative about the Empire's new stormtroopers who are not clones. To recap, Episode 14 saw Hunter being captured by Crosshair and the new recruits in an Imperial military base on Dora, setting up an action-packed confrontation between two former brothers from Clone Force 99.
Based on what's been revealed so far, it's reasonable to assume that the remaining members of Clone Force 99 will rescue Hunter, but the massive Imperial forces waiting for them on Dora could hint that they will need reinforcements. It's possible that they will contact Captain Rex for assistance, thus paving the way for more cameos.
Another key storyline that Season 2 could explore is the rise of the Rebellion. In many ways, this makes narrative sense considering the place of The Bad Batch in the timeline of the Skywalker Saga.
It will be interesting to find out if Clone Force 99 was involved with the early adventures of the Rebels considering Captain Rex was one of its major figures then.
The first part of the two-episode finale of Star Wars: The Bad Batch will premiere on Disney+ on Friday, August 6, 2021.
