If you’ve been keeping up with “Star Wars,” you’ve probably heard of “The Bad Batch.” These rebellious clones have been seen by many, and they just got their final season. And let me tell you, it is their best.
I had very low expectations for this season, as I thought that the other two were overrated, however, the third season was far better than the other ones.
The plot is simple: the empire, an evil government that is led by the dark side of the force, is after one of the main characters, Omega, for something in her blood. In past seasons, I felt that Omega was annoying and entitled, but she has changed as a character throughout the series into a less bratty child. However, I would still say that she’s the worst character mostly because of how there are so many good characters in the show, but at least she is more tolerable in the new season.
Many factors went into “The Bad Batch” that made it a stronger story than the past two seasons. Prominently, the development of the antagonist, Dr. Hemlock was a strong point. Hemlock is a great villain because of his wicked fixation about getting what he wants, which is something we usually see in “Star Wars” with characters like Grand Moff Tarkin, Emperor Palpatine, and Darth Vader. This strengthens the season because of the urgency the viewer feels about the protagonists evading Dr. Hemlock.
Other compelling aspects include the soundtrack. It fits each scene perfectly, and the end-credit song is very good. It doesn’t bring nostalgia like the end theme for “The Clone Wars” or “The Avengers,” but it was still very strong. The soundtrack contributed to a more interesting story simply because the music raised excitement, eeriness, and emotion.
Most importantly, the season had a strong finale. It felt great to see an all out attack on the empire by the small group of the main characters and side characters. While it wasn’t the most unique addition, seeing that it had many points that other pieces of the franchise already have, it was one of the better presentations of the idea and leaves viewers with a strong impression.
While I think that this season was pretty good, they probably could’ve added more character development. While characters like Omega, Dr. Hemlock, and Crosshair all had decent development, a majority of the characters could have been more dynamic. It would have been nice to see characters like Wrecker and Hunter change a little more than they did this season.
One thing which was overlooked again in the creation of this season was the plot. I noticed that this season, like the first two, was very stretched. While shows like “The Clone Wars” handle that issue perfectly by adding an interlaid three episode part style, “The Bad Batch” did not have that kind of stability.
Another thing they could’ve improved was the character cameos. As much as I like seeing characters return that we presumed were dead like Asajj Ventress, a sith who had been presumed dead since midway through “The Clone Wars.” I feel that it would’ve been better to integrate the characters in slightly slower. It just felt too sudden.
All in all, “The Bad Batch” presented an OK final season, which is good mostly because they were given a pretty bad batch to work with. Because of its minor setbacks that give it a weakness when it comes to other films that Lucasfilm has put out, but also its strong parts such as its strong story, soundtrack, and its strong finale, I have to give it a 3 out of 5, which is better than the older seasons, which I would rank with a 2 out of 5.
