The Bad Batch Producers Reveal Why The Show Is The Perfect Star Wars Gateway - Exclusive
Given how much detail George Lucas has always loved to pack into the "Star Wars" films, it's easy to be daunted by the amount of canon there is to absorb about the saga's fictional universe. And that was before series like "The Clone Wars" and "Rebels" really blew the doors off, tossing in a whole host of new characters, some of whom would go on to become massive fan favorites. With some 11 theatrical films now in existence, plus multiple seasons of the aforementioned animated series and "The Mandalorian," one could be forgiven for believing that diving into any new offering that comes along requires a ridiculous amount of back-research.
Thankfully, the creative minds working behind the scenes understand that and they're intent on making sure that new fans can find their way into the "Star Wars" universe without having to time travel back to the original film's debut in 1977. Take Jennifer Corbett and Brad Rau, the folks in charge of the new animated offering "The Bad Batch." A spin-off of "The Clone Wars," the series follows the titular squad of clone super-soldiers from the end of the Clone Wars through the rise of the nascent Empire, as they try to find their places in a changing universe. According to Rau, it's a great place for new viewers to take their first steps in a galaxy far, far away.
The Bad Batch: New faces, new mission
In the estimation of "Star Wars: The Bad Batch" director Brad Rau, it's the show's protagonists — its titular Bad Batch of genetically aberrant clone super-soldiers — that make it a good entry point for new viewers who may not have lived and breathed "Star Wars" canon. "I think honestly, even if a non-fan who has never seen 'Star Wars' wants to get in on something, 'The Bad Batch' is the perfect thing to start with, because we're talking about characters, the Bad Batch themselves, that we've only seen a little bit," he says. "They're new characters. So, to take that idea and then go into this era that we've never really seen on film in any media is sort of this interesting, fresh start. Even if you don't know that much about 'Star Wars,' you can hit the ground running."
None of this is to say, of course, that the show doesn't connect to the larger mythos. Long-time fans will have plenty on which to hang their hats, but creator Jennifer Corbett points out that the show's creative team have been very careful about who and what they bring in, and why. "It's very tempting to want to play with all of the action figures," she says, "Because there are so many out there in the galaxy right now, but we try to be very careful in who we choose and why, because we want to make sure it serves our characters' stories and isn't us just being fan service-y. So, everything we do has a purpose."
Episodes 1 and 2 of "Star Wars: The Bad Batch" are currently streaming on Disney+.