Star Wars: The Bad Batch

It is really disappointing that a lot of this series is just filler and doesn't add anything at all to the story or to the characters. This could easily be half the length.

This show is really good. I understand why people don't like it, and they have some fair points that I agree with. I don't mind filler episodes if they are done well. Sometimes they're done well, other times, not so much. The plot centric episodes are really good though, and the characters are good, with crosshair being the show stealer in terms of writing, and the animation is incredible. Not all characters worked well. I feel like echo got sidelined, but he had his fair amount of development in the clone wars. This show's greatest strength is the world building. Seeing the Republic's transition to the empire from the clones point of view was great. Overall, it's the best first season out of any star wars animated show, but not one of the great ones YET. It's like a 7.8/10 for me.

Top drawer animation with storylines that rival the very best the franchise has to offer.

Gripping and engaging, the Bad Batch is a worthy successor to the Clone Wars and a notable entry in the franchise.

With a plot centred on propelling the narrative of Palpatine's fledgling Empire, fans will find much to enjoy as we are shown the paradigm shift from the perspective of many worlds we are familiar with.

It's a difficult transition from the Clones point of view, as they find themselves having done their duty and a changing world that no longer requires their services.

Poignant and powerful are the few episodes dealing with this specifically.

Bravo.

My original review is below, and I'm happy to report the show does indeed go in interesting directions. Basically, half the episodes are standard "mission of the week" type filler that can be skipped. However, hidden away in this show about defective clones is some of the most important SW backstory and setup for plotlines that carry all the way through to the new First Order era of content. And it's fantastic. Not just the stories, but the style, animation, soundtrack, etc, are fabulous. I grew up with the original trilogy, and this is some of the best content I've seen in the entire franchise. Do yourself a favor and find a list of the essential Clone Wars and Bad Batch episodes and watch them. You don't have to sit through all the boring filler - there's still hours of epic stories and character arcs to be enjoyed.

____________

Interesting start to this new series, but it's already slipping into tired, formulaic plots that we've seen many times before. The characters already feel stale and annoying. There is promise here, so hopefully they will take the show in interesting directions. However it's worrying that episodes are already starting to seem like filler.

Yes there are filler episodes, but I urge you to remember The Clone Wars. Quit making excuses and watch The Bad Batch. What are you waiting for?