This article has some spoilers for Star Wars: The High Republic novel The Fallen Star.
With the next season of The Bad Batch looming on the horizon, I thought it would be fun to muse about the possibility of what could happen in Season 2. These range from the wildest of speculation to actual probable possibilities.
The creation of the Broken Horn Syndicate
When Roland Durand first appeared in The Bad Batch episode “Infested,” I was initially frustrated. This show loves having cameos, so if they were bringing in a Devaronian character, it felt like the perfect opportunity to use Cikatro Vizago from Star Wars Rebels. But when Roland brutally got his horn cut off by Pyke Syndicate, I realized the possibility of something far more interesting than just a simple cameo.
We could possibly see the creation of the Broken Horn Syndicate, the organization that Vizago leads in Rebels. Both Devaronians have lost one of their horns which is actually used as the symbol for the group. Roland also mentions that his mother, Isa Durand, doesn’t seem to be the most loving person as she’s a fearsome crime boss. Not even the Pykes want to start a war with her. Perhaps Roland decides to start his own group to get out from under his mother’s rule. We could also see a younger Vizago as Roland’s second in command or even a visit to Lothal if it becomes their base of operation.
Star Wars Resistance tie-ins
The Bad Batch head writer, Jennifer Corbett, got her start with Star Wars Resistance. In fact, she never worked on Clone Wars or Rebels. The characters from Star Wars Resistance are ones she knows very well including writing the first appearance of Venisa Doza in “Rendezvous Point.” Venisa, in particular, is absolutely one of the characters that could show up in The Bad Batch.
Resistance states that both Venisa and Jarek Yeager both fought for the Rebellion. While The Bad Batch takes place well before the events of Star Wars Rebels and the Original Trilogy when there was a Rebellion, that doesn’t mean we couldn’t see these two show up and already starting to push back against the newly formed Empire. Maybe we could see Yeager’s wife too who is still currently nameless. They named Hera’s mother, Eleni, in The Bad Batch. They could do the same for Yeager’s wife.
They’re not the only Resistance characters running around in this time period either. Both Imanuel Doza and the ace pilot Griff served in the Empire. It would be so much fun to see the Bad Batch face off against two future heroes. They could even go on board the Colossus, which was originally an Imperial ship.
Some wilder possibilities are Aunt Z, Orka, and Flix. We don’t know how Aunt Z’s species, the Gilliand, or Flix’s species, the Gozzo, age. It’s highly possible they can live for that long. Orka is the real outlier, as Chadra-Fans usually only live about 40 years. Though this is according to SW5e, the tabletop game, so take that with a grain of salt. Orka’s not really in the mix. Both Flix and Aunt Z are absolutely in play until we’re told otherwise about their species.
I think Aunt Z is by far the best possibility of these three. Like the Bad Batch’s ally, Cid, Aunt Z also works with the scum and villainy of the underworld. Like Cid to the Batch, Aunt Z provided Kaz with important information that he needed to survive in the real world. Maybe Aunt Z and Cid know each other with the old Trandoshan taking a younger Aunt Z under her wing.
There are so many possibilities for Star Wars Resistance characters in The Bad Batch.
Rescuing clones will be a pivotal plot point of the season
Season one of The Bad Batch focused a lot on the Batch meeting other “regs” or regular clones. We got to see Gregor post-Clone Wars and prior to his appearance in Rebels. Cut Lawquane returned with his kids and wife, Suu. Who could ever forget the two weeks that #HotHowzer took over Twitter when fan-favorite Howzer hit the scene? The regs were an important step in the Batch’s journey as they learned they’re not as different from their brothers as they thought. And of course, the king himself, Rex, continues to play an important role in the series.
It felt like a huge setup for season two. With Commander Cody set to return in season two, it seems like more regs are on the way. One shot from the trailer of what looks to be a group of teenage boys especially caught my attention. In the season one finale, clone cadets are being sent away from Kamino. Could these teenage boys be those cadets who need to be rescued?
Thematically, this is a fantastic direction for the show. In the new canon, we haven’t gotten much from the clones’ point of view about their thoughts on the changing Empire. They’re being phased out and left behind. How does that affect these once heroes to be treated like garbage?
I especially love this idea for Echo. He is the only reg in the Bad Batch. It would especially be an important topic for him to explore. Caught between not being a regular clone and being enhanced like the Bad Batch, I bet Echo has some interesting stories coming up.
Will Burryaga from The High Republic show up?
I want to be transparent and say that this is the wildest of these predictions and I don’t actually think this will happen. But when the “no body, no death” rule is in effect and characters like Maul can claw his way back from death, anything can happen in Star Wars.
In the High Republic book The Fallen Star, Jedi padawan Burryaga goes missing during the crash of Starlight Beacon. At no point do we ever see his body. While most of the Jedi assume he’s dead, padawan Bell Zettifar is not ready to give up so easily on his friend. Bell already made this mistake with his master, Loden Greatstorm. Bell makes a promise to keep searching for Burry.
With the High Republic still being written and Phase III probably over a year away, I really doubt that we’ll see Burry’s fate determined outside of the project.
But to wildly speculate, one big surprise in the season two trailer for The Bad Batch was the appearance of Gungi, the Jedi youngling from Clone Wars. With Wookiees able to live hundreds of years, maybe Burryaga has survived his possible ill fate and took on this young Wookiee to be his padawan in this new time period. One of the scrapped Clone Wars arcs did also take place on Kashyyyk. Even if we don’t see Burry, maybe the Wookiees still have his lightsaber or mention him. It would be a really cool niche connection back to the High Republic.
Boba Fett pretty much has to show up at some point
Maybe it doesn’t happen in season two. Perhaps it’s the next season finale cliffhanger. But at this point, Boba Fett is probably coming to The Bad Batch.
He is name-dropped by Tech in season one saying that he’s their brother. Before he was named by Jango, Boba’s name was “Alpha” which ties him to Omega, the last unaltered clone of Jango Fett. The last couple of years has been Boba Fett’s time to shine in The Mandalorian and Book of Boba Fett. The Mandalorian in particular has made many connections back to The Bad Batch such as Dr. Pershing wearing a similar uniform seen in the Batch’s season one finale. It feels only natural that bringing Boba into the show is the next plausible step.
While Temuera Morrison is wonderful, I think this would see the return of Daniel Logan to the role. The time period of The Bad Batch would call for young Boba, who Logan voiced in Clone Wars. There is some precedence for this too. When Saw Gerrera showed up in season one, he was voiced by his Clone Wars actor, Andrew Kishino, not Forest Whitaker who plays him in Rogue One and Andor. It would be such a joy to see Daniel continue in this role.
We know that Boba Fett is running around in this time period. He might not be the big bad bounty hunter he is later, so it would be really cool to see him starting up. Plus, the Empire is still hunting Omega. What’s stopping them from going after Boba Fett too?
Only time will tell what will actually unfold in The Bad Batch. Regardless of what happens, it seems from the trailers that it will be an exciting season.
The Bad Batch Season 2 will premiere exclusively on Disney+.
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