‘The Bad Batch’ Producers Discuss Connections to Other Series, Cameos, and More in New Interviews
Ahead of The Bad Batch season 2 arriving tomorrow on Disney Plus, in-depth interviews and new exciting details won’t stop trickling in.
In a new interview with ComicBook.com, The Bad Batch producers Brad Rau and Jennifer Corbett discussed the connections to other recent Star Wars live-action series such as Andor and Obi-Wan Kenobi, as well as the care that goes into fitting each narrative into an increasingly busy timeline.
As the space between the prequel and original trilogies continues to get fleshed out with new content on Disney Plus, writers work closely with the Lucasfilm Story Group to ensure that any new narratives don’t interfere with other stories in development.
“Where we are in The Bad Batch, it’s a bit early into the era of the Empire that we’re far enough away from Obi-Wan and Andor… But that’s not to say that some of the storylines that we have don’t affect those shows. We really rely on, you know, the Lucasfilm Story Group, who is with us whenever we have story conferences, and they comment on storylines if some are veering into territory that could affect other things that are either in development or are currently being made, we’re made aware of that. But so far, we haven’t been told, ‘No, you can’t do that because of this.’ It’s really more of a collaboration and just making sure that we’re telling the best stories without affecting other things coming up.”
It’s encouraging to learn that animation is given the same level of care and collaboration when it comes to crafting narratives that not only avoid stepping on toes, but also introduce opportunities to enrich existing stories. We saw some notable examples of this in season 1 of The Bad Batch with the introduction of a galaxy-wide chain code requirement in exchange for Imperial credits, or the transition from clone troopers to stormtroopers. Eagle-eyed fans were also quick to notice and appreciate small details that demonstrate narrative connections, such as the redesigned Senate pods in Andor. Rau commented on how this detail in Andor impacted the way they designed the newly minted Imperial Senate in season 2 of The Bad Batch:
“The Senate, it’s awesome as fans to see what’s going on in there… And speaking of the Story Group, we talked with them, also, all the way through. In the Senate, we were discussing how we see the Senate pods in Andor, and that had an effect — although it’s not a one-for-one, it’s different — but it did have an effect on how we redesigned those pods slightly. We just try to be consistent and true through all of it. But in the trailer, when you see Palpatine in the Senate, it’s like, give me a break.”
Regarding the introduction of the Senate in season 2, Corbett adds:
“I think we were excited to just do something that was very political, sort of a noir type vibe because it felt it felt very much like Clone Wars, and even prequel era. We had a lot of fun doing those.”
Similar to the creative process of The Clone Wars, Corbett later goes on to describe how the writers for The Bad Batch start by discussing what genres or narrative elements they’d like to see in a new season, and how those themes might lead to interesting new stories and growth for the characters.
In another interview with IGN, which you can watch here, Rau discussed potential cameos, many of which have already been revealed in trailers, such as Gungi and Commander Cody’s. He described the enthusiasm and care in the writer’s room as they weave fan-favorite characters into the narrative:
“We definitely have some [cameos]. We are always very careful when we talk about this, but you can see in the trailer it’s so cool to have Cody back. And seeing him in animated form is so awesome. We have Gungi the Jedi. We have Palpatine. Incredible! I am not going to say much more than that. But anytime we can bring in characters like that it’s so exciting in the writer’s room. And as we design the characters, as we talk about all the different details to these stories together it’s really fun when we have those extra action figures to play with.”
He then went on to shed some light on the Bad Batch’s current state of affairs and how it’s evolved from where we last saw them in season 1:
“I mean like Jen said, living gig to gig is pretty much it. They are trying to clearly stay off the Empire’s radar while the ‘space dads,’ quoting Jen from earlier, as raising Omega, and she’s kind of raising them too. It’s this weird dynamic among all of them.”
Rau references a quote from Corbett — who’s also the head writer of the show — which describes Hunter, Echo, Wrecker, and Tech as “space dads.” In many ways, Omega’s upbringing in this volatile and shifting time for the galaxy is reminiscent of Ahsoka’s story. Although Omega’s relationship with the rest of the Bad Batch is unique in that it could be described as being more collaborative and communal as they seek to chart a new path for themselves both as clones and as a family. Rau talked more about this unique relationship:
“So as a tight-knit family unit you see how they have evolved. You see, in particular, how Omega has grown up a little bit, and her hair is a little longer. At some point, the Batch have saved up enough money to buy her a new outfit. Thank goodness she is not wearing Kamino pyjamas forever. They’re really at a crossroads. It’s something we always talk about. They’re going to have to make decisions about what they’re going to do in the future. About what they’re going to do for Omega and for themselves. And she’s going to make her own decisions and they have to deal with that as well as dads. So you know, it’s a really interesting narrative time that we’re a little bit later on to deal with all this stuff through the season.”
It’s clear that we can expect another season of entertaining and thought-provoking adventures from The Bad Batch. Season 2 premieres tomorrow on Disney Plus. Remember to come back for a spoiler-free review of the first 14 episodes (out of 16) and an in-depth discussion of the first two.
UPDATE: Lucasfilm and Disney Plus have shared another TV spot ahead of tomorrow’s premiere.
Tomorrow, the Batch is back!
Season 2 of Star Wars: #TheBadBatch is streaming only on #DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/Bg28wjZYO0
— Disney+ (@DisneyPlus) January 3, 2023
When she isn't watching her friends and family's eyes glaze over at the mention of The Clone Wars, she's at the park with her dog, Melvin, or on the couch with a book in one hand and a drink in the other. Physically, she lives in Ohio; spiritually, she lives in Naboo.
