The Bad Batch is back and it’s better than ever. This season expands a lot on the team chemistry and takes great lengths to show how much of a family they are. This outing also introduces various political threads to the series which expands the scope and gives more depth to the story itself. At the same time, it is inevitable that some people will complain about filler just like any animated Star Wars series, but there is less filler in the newest season compared to the first.
Season two of The Bad Batch picks up a little bit after the Attack on Kamino. The season takes a couple of episodes to get into the important arcs of the series, such as the secret of Kamino, but you get plenty of time to develop important storylines which gives the series true stakes. A highlight of the season is in episode three, which gives us insight into the clone’s psyche after the events of the destruction of Kamino and Order 66.
Clone Wars was previously the only project that gave a good amount of character development for the clones, but thankfully we get some more of that in this latest entry in The Bad Batch. In a strange turn of events, some of the best episodes do not even focus on The Bad Batch. While time with the team is often an amazing experience, it can be a nice change of pace to explore this world more fully.
Every character in season two has a chance to shine. Omega is still cute as ever, but there are numerous times when you will find yourself annoyed with her decisions, which is keeping in line with her character. Hunter is still awesome with a classic character archetype: the lone wolf becomes a father figure. This is an arc we are seeing a lot more of in general. Wrecker might be the most taxing character, but he has a good fan base with him, and Echo and Tech prove to be the weakest links in the group, even if they are still a lot of fun and important to Omega’s character arc. In fact, an episode that focuses on Omega, Echo, and Tech is one of the standout adventures of the season.
Viewers will recognize a lot of returning side characters like Rex and Palpatine, but they are not used strictly for pure fan service. The series always finds a way to ensure that they are used as integral parts of the story. Rex is used mostly as a mission given in the latest season which is fine since this series is primarily focusing on the Bad Batch and his role suits him in this series. Palpatine may not be in the show for too long, but his story arc is arguably the most important for the entirety of season two.
Overall, the second season of The Bad Batch is a great ride with the crew just as fun as ever. Although you have several returning characters entering the mix, they never distract from the main cast for too long. The series could benefit from being a bit tighter for those that are not a fan of filler. Although, by sacrificing these moments you are eliminating some character-enriching moments that may not be strictly important to the plot, but ultimately allows us a little more time with these characters we’ve grown to love. This latest season of The Bad Batch improves upon the success of the previous one, and fans are sure to find a lot to love.
New episodes of Star Wars: The Bad Batch debut every Wednesday on Disney+.
