The Bad Batch recently wrapped up its first season in strong fashion, and with the recent announcement of a second season on the way, there is much to look forward to for the animated series’ sophomore effort. While the first season may have not reached the highs many diehard fans of The Clone Wars and Rebels were gifted with in their high points, I felt the series had the strongest inaugural season of any Star Wars animated series. Acting as a continuation of The Clone Wars story, while following a cast of characters we already knew the majority of from prior shows, the season lacked the “growing pains” that tend to occupy the early seasons of prior Star Wars animation before they began to hit their stride. While we have a year before we get to see the titular group of Clone Troopers in action again, there is much to speculate on what we may see in Season 2 of The Bad Batch, and while there is much to anticipate, here are five story possibilities I hope to see the most in the future.
*STAR WARS: THE BAD BATCH SEASON 1 SPOILERS AHEAD*
Crosshair's Continued Redemption
By the conclusion of Season 1, Crosshair’s story had me the most intrigued for what is to come in the second season. Following Crosshair’s chilling reveal that he had already removed his inhibitor chip and still chose to side with the Empire instead of rejoining his former brothers, the season ended with the tease that Crosshair would leave Kamino with his brothers after working together to escape from the fallen city, yet instead chose to stay behind, remaining loyal to the Empire that left him behind to die as they destroyed the former home of the Clones. Dave Filoni, Jennifer Corbett and crew in the season’s final two episodes made Crosshair go from a character I had no sympathy for whatsoever following an entire season’s worth of war crimes, to perhaps my favorite character of the series, as, while still in the wrong, his reasons for remaining with the Empire made sense, as his brothers did not return to save him once they removed their chips. His feelings of abandonment felt real and resonated with me as a viewer, so with the teases we had of Crosshair working together with his brothers once again had me on the edge of my seat, yet we seem to be playing the long game here with Crosshair, and I like that. He could either choose to stay with the Empire, while being less confrontational with the Batch going forward (as we see glimpses of him growing fond of Omega despite them still being on opposing sides), or we could see him continue to question where he belongs as the season progresses, as the Empire did leave him behind, just as his brothers did that drove him to his loyalty towards the Imperials. Perhaps the Empire sees him as a failure due to what happened on Kamino and turns their back on him early on next season, and we see him on his own questioning where he belongs as the season carries on. We have seen redemption arcs done right in Star Wars animation before on several occasions, Agent Kallus in Rebels being a prime example of that, so if this is the case with Crosshair, I hope they overdeliver with the story, and most importantly, give us some time with the character after his turn instead of ending his story right then and there. Being redeemed should not mean your story ends at that point.
More Clone Troopers Defecting From The Empire
Season 1 introduced Captain Howzer, a Clone who renounced the Empire’s ways to help his friends on Ryloth, and he immediately became a fan favorite with audiences. Clones we knew from The Clone Wars series were known to have removed their chips and gone against the Empire’s tyranny by the time of Star Wars Rebels, and many have speculated a “Clone uprising” could be coming at some point during The Bad Batch’s story. Clones such as Howzer and Cut Lawquane going against the Empire and spreading the same message that Rex and Clone Force 99 have against their rule seems to be planting the seeds for this growing conflict, as does the Empire’s continued phasing out of Clones in favor of the conscripted volunteer TK Troopers we saw at the season’s conclusion. To many, seeing Kamino in flames as the season concluded was a sign that The Clone Wars era officially came to an end; The Empire no longer sees much use for the “regs”, and Rex and The Batch finding Clones throughout the galaxy that chose to defect on their own would be a very compelling overall arc for the show’s second season. It allows for the return of fan favorite Clone Troopers we have yet to see, such as Commander Wolffe, and also the opportunity to create more instant fan favorite characters following in Howzer’s footsteps. If a Clone uprising is what we are leading to, sign me up.
More Cameos That Connect to the Greater Story
One knock on the show’s first season was many felt the season was too reliant on cameos of previously established characters, some feeling these “cameos of the week” overshadowed the story of The Batch themselves. I myself loved seeing characters like Captain Rex and Hera Syndulla make appearances, but I see the concern many have with these cameos. I totally can see why one would watch an episode and think, “This is fun, but did we REALLY need to see Saw Gerrera show up again?” However, given Lucasfilm’s track record with how they have handled existing characters returning in Rebels and The Mandalorian to the benefit of the story, I am not concerned that this will hurt the show, rather I feel it will enhance it going forward. I’m confident we will see the likes of Rex and Cad Bane make further appearances in Season 2, but there are many other story opportunities with other characters that could occur as well. Midway through the season we learned that Omega, like Boba Fett, is a genetically unaltered Clone of Jango Fett, essentially making them twins, and since then many, myself included, have clamored for the two to share the screen together in the future. An encounter with a surviving Jedi in the aftermath of Order 66 would also lead to great story potential now that the whole crew has removed their inhibitor chips, perhaps one has joined Rex’s efforts against the Empire, or they encounter a Jedi in hiding during one of their mercenary missions. Lastly, this is a Dave Filoni created show after all, so it’s pretty much a given that Ahsoka Tano will appear at some point, it’s just a matter of when. There are plenty of other characters I’d love to see appear if their addition to the show strengthens the development of the Batch as characters, and if that’s the case, give us more.
And, on that topic....
a Showdown Between Rex and Cody
I mean, it HAS to happen, right?! Perhaps the two most recognizable Clone Troopers in the Star Wars universe, since Rex made his first appearance in The Bad Batch, all I have wanted to see is a confrontation between the Captain of the 501st and the Commander of the 212th. Two close comrades in the Clone Wars now on different sides - Rex having his chip removed, while Cody is synonymous with Order 66 itself, being the first Clone we see turn against their Jedi General. I went into the first season thinking this meeting between the two was seemingly a guarantee, but Rex having less appearances than I expected derailed this, but I still think it’s a given we’ll see it. For starters, in the greater Star Wars canon, we pretty much know next to nothing about Cody's story after he turns on Obi-Wan Kenobi. His appearances in The Clone Wars made him a much more well-rounded character, as the show did for dozens of Clones, turning them from faceless soldiers into individual compelling characters, but unlike Rex and others, we know nothing of Cody’s fate. Will Rex search for his brother and look to remove his chip, or is Cody like Crosshair and firmly entrenched in the Imperial propaganda, regardless of any manipulation from his chip? The Batch fought with both characters in their arc in The Clone Wars, so they’re connected to this story and there’d be no fear of it being a side story or pushing the main group aside in this scenario. I’m under the belief Rex will have a major recurring role in Season 2, and, like Rebels did in their second season, slowly building towards the eventual meeting between Ahsoka and Vader, Season 2 of The Bad Batch is just primed for a similar encounter between these two Clone brothers. I’m waiting to be blown away by what Lucasfilm Animation gives us if we do in fact see this confrontation.
The Bad Batch Discovering Their True Purpose As A Group
Right now, Clone Force 99 are still adjusting to their role in the everchanging galaxy. Their brother chose to not return with them when given the chance to rejoin them, they witnessed their home as an abandoned shell of what it is, and then experienced its destruction firsthand, plus their continued work as mercenaries under Cid while protecting Omega at all costs. As strong as I felt the first season was, Hunter and Omega (and later Crosshair) got the majority of the time to develop as characters, while characters like Tech and Echo weren’t given the development many hoped they would get. As we now know the show will continue for multiple seasons, I have no reason to believe we won’t see them get more screentime this season, and the glimpses we saw of them in the spotlight (Tech’s conversation with Crosshair in the finale and Echo’s role in the mission on Daro come to mind) have me looking forward to them getting their time to shine. As the second season progresses, I expect big changes for the group’s philosophy of what they are fighting for. Like Crosshair, they seem to be questioning what their role is in the Galaxy: are they meant to be mercenaries working questionable jobs for the likes of Cid, or will they break away and join up with their brother Rex? How will they react to Crosshair’s decision: do they continue to try and bring their brother back, or was him staying behind a sign that they are simply on different paths in life now? I fully expect Omega to become more and more a full-fledged member of the group, filling Crosshair’s place in combat as opposed to having to stay behind on the ship every mission at Hunter’s behest. She already has her signature Zygerrian bow as a weapon, perhaps she gets her own armor this season? The figure addict I am can already feel my bank account shrinking thinking about the possibility. Also, with AZI-3 leaving Kamino with the group, droid lovers should fully expect some wholesome scenes with him and Gonky on the Marauder. Season 1 had the Batch trying to adapt, doing what they feel they need to do while not serving the Empire, Season 2 is where I believe they will fully grasp what their true purpose as a group really is.
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