TV

The Bad Batch

'Andor' isn't the only show that can explore the horrors of the nascent Empire.

Photo: Disney+

What happened to the Clone Army after the Revenge of the Sith? Star Wars: The Bad Batch follows a group of elite clones with genetic mutations and special skills (all voiced by Dee Bradley Baker) who strike out on their own as mercenaries during the Empire’s early days. Not unlike Andor, the show deals with some of the thornier issues and harsh realities of fascism and the Star Wars universe, albeit in a slightly more kid-friendly way.

Season one of The Bad Batch premiered on Disney+ in 2021. The second season began in early 2023.

  1. Episodes 15 - 16 The Summit / Plan 99
    The Bad Batch Season-Finale Recap: The Empire Strikes Batch This two-part finale is kind of frustrating because this is what the show could be every week but isn’t.
  2. Episode 14 Tipping Point
    The Bad Batch Recap: We’re in the Endgame Now This is it. This is the show we’ve been waiting for, the episode everything has been building toward.
  3. Episode 13 Pabu
    The Bad Batch Recap: The Great Flood The Batch is starting to grow a spine and think about more than just surviving
  4. Episode 12 The Outpost
    The Bad Batch Recap: Good Soldiers Follow Orders Crosshair is finally at a crossroads.
  5. Episode 11 Metamorphosis
    The Bad Batch Recap: In a Galaxy Far, Far Away, No One Can Hear You Scream Maybe punting on the larger plot can be forgiven if we get a sweet Alien riff out of it.
  6. Episode 10 Retrieval
    The Bad Batch Recap: The One With the Dickensian Nightmare It’s Oliver Twist by way of Star Wars.
  7. Episode 9 The Crossing
    The Bad Batch Recap: Enough With the Mundane Missions The Bad Batch follows up an incredible two-part game changer with an underwhelming one-off mission.
  8. Episodes 7 - 8 The Clone Conspiracy / Truth & Consequences
    The Bad Batch Recap: City of Walls and Secrets The Bad Batch’s two-part political thriller ranks up there with some of the best The Clone Wars ever did.
  9. Episode 6 Tribe
    The Bad Batch Recap: Star Wars Does Pandora Eywa has heard the wookiees’ prayers.
  10. Episode 5 Entombed
    Star Wars: The Bad Batch Recap: Treasure Planet It’s a Star Wars–meets–Indiana Jones Lucasfilm extravaganza — with a bit of Horizon Zero Dawn sprinkled in for good measure.
  11. Episode 4 Faster
    Star Wars: The Bad Batch Recap: Now This Is Podracing! The Boonta Eve Classic isn’t the only dangerous high-speed race in a galaxy far, far away.
  12. Episode 3 The Solitary Clone
    Star Wars: The Bad Batch Recap: Are We the Baddies? Crosshair and Commander Cody go on what seems like a cool, throwback The Clone Wars mission … until it’s not.
  13. Episodes 1 - 2 Spoils of War / Ruins of War
    The Bad Batch Season-Premiere Recap: A New Hope The clones are starting to finally reckon with the fact that their brothers are now the bad guys.

The Latest on Star Wars: The Bad Batch

  1. viewing guide
    Prepare Yourself for Star Wars: The Bad BatchWhat to watch ahead of the new Disney+ animated series, which builds directly on The Clone Wars and other entries in this ever-expanding universe.
    By Brian Tallerico
  2. trailer mix
    Jason Momoa and Keanu Reeves Are Up to No Good in The Bad Batch TrailerFrom the director of A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night.
    By Halle Kiefer