Lucasfilm recently announced a new show based on the Bad Batch from the Clone Wars. Do we really need another Star Wars prequel era series?
It was recently announced that there will be a spinoff series from The Clone Wars based on the “Bad Batch.” This was the battalion of Clone Troopers who were all biogenically enhanced with what basically amounts to superpowers.
Many fans seem to be extremely excited about the news, but this Star Wars fan certainly is not. This is an era that has already been extensively covered with seven seasons of The Clone Wars, the Star Wars Rebels series, and even the films Solo and Rogue One.
While it taking place after Order 66 is certainly interesting, I for one will be hard-pressed to find the time to watch it. Here are some reasons why we don’t need another series set in the prequel time frame.
This era has been thoroughly covered
The Clone Wars had seven seasons and 133 episodes. These were all set in between Episodes II and III. While many of these episodes dealt with the war itself and the interaction between the Jedi and their clones, many also explored other aspects of the galaxy.
The show is supposedly going to be about this elite task force trying to find their way in a new world. That sounds very similar to the arcs we saw in The Clone Wars that dealt with Boba Fett and even Darth Maul. Do we really need to see this group of ex-troopers find themselves in the galaxy and more importantly do we even care?
Also with this series taking place after the events of The Clone Wars are we just going to see the same type of villains? We likely won’t see Darth Vader but I’m sure we again will get some lower-tiered Moff type of character who will be hunting down this group, trying to end their shenanigans.
We’ve already seen former Clone Troopers adapt in the Empire era
The fact that this show takes place after The Clone Wars shouldn’t add any intrigue to it whatsoever. We have already seen clones and how they adapt to the new world after the Republic fell in Star Wars Rebels.
I believe it was in season two, where we got reacquainted with Rex and a couple of his trooper buddies. They were hanging out on a planet and getting into some trouble with the Imperials. They were able to take out their inhibitor chip and began living by their own rules. It didn’t take them long to join Ahsoka in helping out the fledgling Rebellion and join the cause against the evil Empire.
Why would the Bad Batch be any different? I’m sure we will see them either dealing with Order 66 or because they are so intelligent and enhanced, they’ll figure out about their chips and remove them. Either way, them dealing with a new world is something we’ve already seen and don’t care to again.
We already know what happens
With another series being set in the Prequel era, it means there’s no real mystique about how it’ll all end. Sure their individual fates can be something unknown, but we already know where the state of the galaxy is going and the futures of the Alliance and the Empire.
Stories that are prequels lose a little luster as the ultimate outcomes are all already decided. We know the Empire will rise to a dominating power in the galaxy and the upstart Rebel Alliance will rise up to fight against it. Throughout this new series, we may ultimately learn this elite clone troop’s place in it all. If they are truly mercenaries who take the highest paying job, they may indeed work on and for both sides.
Whatever role they take on in the new world, will be decided fairly early in the series. After that, any outcome about the major powers in the galaxy at the time of this show has already been revealed. There is no larger picture to care about, and that makes the overall scope of the show very small and uninteresting.
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It’s time to explore other eras
As stated above, the Prequel era has already been thoroughly explored. First, there was the prequel trilogy, then there was The Clone Wars show, then Star Wars Rebels, and the films Solo and Rogue One, and we can’t forget to mention the Cassian Andor series and the Obi-Wan series that will also be set prior to A New Hope. What else needs to be said about this era? Why is Lucasfilm so hellbent on sticking in this time frame with many of their shows and films? It’s time to move on and explore some new eras in the Star Wars universe.
There is plenty of room to go way back and do a show about the rise of the Jedi and the Sith. They could also jump way ahead and look at what Rey does after inheriting the Jedi. They could also go back and explore the time between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. A show detailing the rise and fall of the Luke’s Jedi Academy would be fascinating, as would a series based on Lando and Luke searching for the Sith Wayfinder and Ochi of Bestoon. The search for Ezra Bridger in a Star Wars Rebels sequel series would also be much more welcome of an idea than a show about a group of elite clone troopers, that honestly, were the weakest part of season seven of The Clone Wars.
Perhaps Lucasfilm is saving many of these time frames for future Disney+ series or films, but it’s time to move on from the Prequel era and give fans something new to feast their eyes and hearts upon.