GleamBlog

You won’t find much consensus if you ask Star Wars fans which movie or project feels like the definitive expression of the franchise. “The Empire Strikes Back” is the most loved film, true, but it hardly captures the breadth of a universe that includes 11 movies, 14 TV shows, and countless novels, comic books and more. “Return of the Jedi” has the Ewoks going for it; on the other hand … it has the Ewoks. “Star Wars,” from 1977, started it all; George Lucas’s 2005 prequel, “Revenge of the Sith,” works for dark-side enthusiasts, and Hayden Christensen stands. There are a few sequel trilogy truthers out there, as well as some die-hard “Rogue One” supporters. Others point to the animated show “The Clone Wars” or “Star Wars Rebels” as their favorite.

Fans can debate the best Stars Wars longer than it takes to do the Kessel Run. But the most Star Wars Star Wars project? It just ended its three-season run on Disney Plus.

“The Bad Batch,” a show about a group of ragtag clone troopers on the run from the Empire, wrapped up its final season this week. The show isn’t just a nod to the Star Wars story — it is the Star Wars story, all bottled together into one show. “Bad Batch” connects to almost every era of Star Wars — the prequels, the sequels, the expanded universe, the original trilogy and everything in between. It draws inspiration and characters from novels, comic books, video games and a long list of Star Wars material (no matter if it’s considered canonical or not). The show is packed with so many minute plot points about the Empire, the Rebellion, the Jedi, the Sith, clones and more that it might leave you wondering if you even understand Star Wars at all.

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On its face, “The Bad Batch” shouldn’t have been all that interesting. It centered on a group of a clone soldiers who deserted the Empire and tried to survive on their own. No lightsabers, Millennium Falcons or bitter Wookies in sight. But the show’s central storyline had deep ties to the main Star Wars mythos. That’s mostly because the group — Hunter, Wrecker, Echo, Tech and Crosshair — was tasked with watching over Omega, a young female clone who is being sought out by the Empire for her apparent connection to the Force. And Emperor Palpatine — yes, the Palpatine — wanted to use her for his own unnatural experiments.

And that’s just the beginning. “The Bad Batch” dipped into the deepest of Star Wars lore, ripping ideas about the dark side, clone soldiers and the ongoing galactic war itself to underscore that the galaxy far, far away is smaller than you think.

Nothing is more monumental than the featured location of Mount Tantiss — a massive mountain with an Imperial base built inside of it that appears in multiple episodes of the show.

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This isn’t any old mountain base, though. Mount Tantiss is a location that originated in Star Wars data logs decades ago in ’90s Star Wars novels. Its claim to fame? Housing a clone of Luke Skywalker, aptly named “Luuke,” as well as a treasure trove of Palpatine’s heirlooms and personal keepsakes that made for MacGuffins throughout multiple books, video games and comics.

In “Bad Batch,” it was a similar story. The Empire used the base to conduct experiments with clones — including an ominous-sounding “Project Necromancer.” Though we never got a clear answer about the project’s goal, it was shrouded in vague dialogue about cloning technology, the force and various dark-side mumbo-jumbo. Many fans believed it was a tie-in to 2019’s “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” where Palpatine was resurrected by vague cloning technology (something that also happens in ’90s Star Wars comics).

“Once we knew this was a possibility that we could get into Tantiss, as fans, we got so excited,” said Brad Rau, supervising director and executive producer for the show.

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Outside of Mount Tantiss, “Bad Batch” was packed with connections to the wider Star Wars galaxy. Fennec Shand, a bounty hunter who appeared in recent live-action projects “The Mandalorian” and “The Book of Boba Fett,” stopped by for a visit with the clone soldiers. Similarly, Palpatine made an appearance in Season 3, speaking with the Imperial commanders and soldiers about the cloning operations. (Ian McDiarmid, who played the role in all three Star Wars trilogies, voices the character in the animated show.)

Characters such as Commander Wolffe and Commander Rex, two popular characters from the Star Wars animated shows, popped up for brief appearances. And Asajj Ventress, an assassin-like dark Jedi who debuted in “Clone Wars” and has her own novel, showed up with a minor role in Season 3. Add in the mention of labor camps, which had a prominent position in the “Rogue One” movie and critically acclaimed show “Andor,” and you can see a show oozing with “Star Wars” lore and storytelling. Every episode has a thread that leads to anything Star Wars.

The final scene of the show was a wink to the bigger story at play. Omega, grown up and safe from the Empire, hopped in a starship to fight alongside the Rebellion, the famous group that eventually enlists iconic Star Wars heroes Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia.

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Writers for the “Bad Batch” show were clear that these Easter eggs are fun little teases for fans. But they also play a role in telling their protagonists’ story. These soldiers, despite being so obscure and offbeat and far removed from the main Skywalker family drama, had an important role to play in how the Star Wars story unfolds, they said.

“Even though we’re talking about these big things, we see the Emperor, we see Mount Tantiss — that is the backdrop,” said Jennifer Corbett, head writer and executive producer for the show. “It’s really about our squad … and how they find purpose in the galaxy, and how they’re always there for each other and finding a way to be a part of the galaxy and make a difference.”

Put another way, the “Bad Batch” soldiers dealt with the debris kicked up by almost every other installment in the franchise. Though they didn’t battle Darth Vader on Mustafar or hide baby Luke Skywalker, they fought on the front lines. The war part, no stars needed.

correction

A previous version of this story said the character Fennec Shand appeared in "The Clone Wars." She did not.

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