There’s something novel about opening an episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and hearing the early 20th-century serials-style announcer. From the moment I heard Tom Kane’s voice bringing me up to speed on the story for this week’s new episode of Clone Wars, I was immediately taken back to my teenage years, watching this show on Saturday mornings.
Take a look at this week’s story:
The battle for Anaxes! The home of the Republic shipyards is under attack from Admiral Trench’s Separatist forces. Jedi Generals Mace Windu and Anakin Skywalker lead a two-pronged attack on the ground and in the air.
But after weeks of heated battle and mounting losses, the Republic’s grip on Anaxes begins to slip away…
When Dave Filoni announced back in 2018 that they were finally going to finish The Clone Wars story (that was cut short by Disney’s purchase of LucasFilm in 2012), every big Star Wars nerd ever rejoiced. Starting this week, we’re going to finally start getting some answers to the lingering story threads left from Season 5.
Let’s begin with some basic facts:
- Season 7 will mostly be a direct continuation of the main storyline from Season 5. Season 6 is considered “The Lost Episodes” and is a collection of self-contained stories.
- This season wraps up the Clone Wars story, which is expected to end coinciding with the rise of the Empire in Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith.
- There will be 12 episodes, releasing weekly starting this Friday, February 21, 2020, exclusively on Disney+
As always, there may be slight spoilers, but we’ll keep them to a minimum
This week’s episode is titled “The Bad Batch.” If the title of the article didn’t give the important new element away, the title of that first episode probably will. Clone Force 99, known as “The Bad Batch” is called in by Captain Rex (the clone, not the Star Tours pilot ?) to aid in an infiltration mission to recover the Republic’s strategy algorithm. This task force isn’t made of ordinary clones though. These clones were born with “desirable” genetic mutations, making them essentially super soldiers. It’s quite fitting that their unit was named in remembrance of 99, a malformed cloned who died defending Kamino in Season 3.
The Bad Batch
The Bad Batch, each with their own specialized skill, are a really interesting addition to the Grand Army of the Republic. They create an intriguing foil to the “regs” as they call the regular clones. Traditionally we see the clones being intensely loyal, strategic, and relying on their numbers, but Clone Force 99 has a reputation for unorthodox tactics, gung-ho behavior, and maybe even downright insubordination. They seemingly don’t even report to anyone, they’re a rogue unit within the army.
The zealous nature of the Bad Batch leads to some predictably awesome action scenes. In fact, most of this episode is action scenes. Generally, the best Star Wars action scenes feature Jedi but the beginning of this season is one instance where the focus was really on the clones and the relationships between them. Come to think of it, Anakin and Mace Windu are barely even in this first episode.
To be quite honest, the meticulously crafted side stories are really what makes The Clone Wars so interesting, popular, and dense; there’s a reason why the series has over 120 episodes. Opening with these guys, rather than jumping straight back into Ahsoka’s story from season 5, was a bold move. The exhilarating performance from the clones was a surprisingly fun way to get things going.
Clone Force 99 Takes the Lead; Rex is the Star
One of the first scenes with the Bad Batch (which was actually teased at Star Wars Celebration last year) shows them rushing a huge group of battle droids on their own, showcasing their individual and group combat skills. Hunter leads the group, Wrecker holds a piece of their crashed gunship as a shield, Tech calls out where to throw detonators, and Crosshair hits the marks on the detonators.
It’s all very well choreographed and in sync; one of the best small-scale battles we’ve seen…and it’s only clone troopers. Sure, one of them can flip an entire gunship like it’s a Volkswagen Beetle, but the message to the viewer is clear: these guys can hold their own. The Bad Batch complements both the regular clones and their Jedi generals quite well.
Despite all this, Clone Force 99 isn’t the focus of this story arc, it’s Captain Rex. Although this particular arc was already shown in an unfinished state back in 2015, I won’t give away the twists. It’s a pretty emotional affair, showing off Dee Bradley Baker’s range as he voices all the different troopers.
Is there anything you should watch to prepare for Season 7?
If you haven’t watched any of the series, you’ll likely be very lost. I had to take a moment to remember Rex’s former squadmates, Fives and Echo (they’re important to this season’s plot).
I would definitely recommend Fives’ arc (Season 6, Episodes 1-4), and Echo’s (Season 3 Episodes 1-2). I can only speculate for the rest of Season 7, but I definitely recommend giving Season 5 a re-run, particularly the last six episodes that cover the Takeover of Mandalore and Ahsoka’s expulsion from the Jedi Order. Filoni has stated that those two arcs will be a major focus for Season 7, eventually converging together for the Siege of Mandalore and Order 66.
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Let’s Hear From You!
Any Clone Wars fans out there excited to jump back into the series? What kind of things are you expecting? Will this season hit the heights of The Mandalorian? And how will it fit in with all the other Star Wars shows currently on, or coming soon, to Disney+? Let us know in the comments below.
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