The Bad Batch: Another Reason We Reckon Star Wars Animation Is The Best Star Wars

The animated world of Star Wars has been around almost as long as the original trilogy of live action films. Not so long ago and far away, that galaxy we all know and love entered the world of animation in 1985 with Droids and Ewoks.

But Star Wars animations began in earnest in 2008 when the OG creator of the franchise, George Lucas, released The Clone Wars animated feature film.

The film would spawn its very own animated series of the same name. The series, created by George Lucas and later overseen by Dave Filloni, covered the tumultuous battles, politics and jedi-fuelled drama that went down between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. 

And from The Clone Wars, the animated world of Star Wars as we know it today was born. Here’s why we reckon the animated series embodies the best of that beloved galaxy far, far away. 

Filling In The Gaps 

Currently, Star Wars takes place over at least three generations, making it a story that covers 80 years (give or take). That’s a lot of time, even for ten films, to cover. Many questions and details are left dangling in favour of the grand design. 

But the animated side of Star Wars picks up these dangling threads, often filling the gaps left by the films and answering the questions no one thought to ask. How did the Jedi win the Clone Wars? What happened to the Clones who defied Order 66? How did Anakin and Padme hide their love affair so successfully for so long? 

It’s in these gaps that Dave Filloni has made a name for himself as a driving force behind Star Wars’ animation, lending a hand in Rotten Tomatoes Certified fresh series such as The Mandalorian, The Force Awakens, The Clone Wars and The Bad Batch. Plucked by George Lucas to assist Lucas’ in creating The Clone Wars, Filloni is now the executive creative director of Lucasfilm.   

Iconic New Characters 

The Clone Wars debuted many of the iconic characters of Disney’s Star Wars era. Ahsoka Tano is now a live-action staple in The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett and in her own upcoming live action series. But fans of Star Wars’ animations know her as Anakin Skywalker’s padawan, and arguably The Clone Wars’ main character. 

Captain Rex, one of the millions of clones created to fight for the Jedi, made his first appearance in The Clone Wars. Now, he’s one of the leading characters of The Bad Batch. A leader of the 501st division overseen by Anakin and Obi-Wan, Rex was one of the few clones who refused to enact Order 66, the genocidal order against the Jedi. 

The villains of the animated series are some of the most iconic in the Star Wars franchise, too. Take The Clone Wars’ baddie, Asajj Ventress, the sadistic apprentice of Count Dooku and one of the few female villains in the series. 

Or callous space outlaw Cad Bane, whose beef against bounty hunter Boba Fett is so consuming, he’s appeared in the Rebels and The Bad Batch series, and even got a live action debut in The Book of Boba Fett. 

These are just a few of the characters that make animated Star Wars so iconic that even the current batch of live-action content can’t help but borrow from them. 

It would be impossible to list all the reasons animated Star Wars is worth a watch. So, why not see for yourself? 

The Bad Batch, a Star Wars original series, streaming only on Disney+.