Otaku no Culture

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Dave Filoni’s love for Star Wars makes this latest instalment, The Bad Batch, a must watch. One reason is simply because it’s a continuation of the ongoing narrative which started in the animated Clone Wars series, and another is how the psychological action-adventure drama sees the loss of freedom (and will of an individual) a permanent theme. It’s safe to say knowing the movies, Episodes 2 “Attack of the Clones” and 3 “Revenge of the Sith” will do more to establish the backdrop for anyone needing a refresher.

The first ten minutes of the pilot reveal when this tale takes place in that timeframe. One detail to take note on is that Caleb Dume, a.k.a. Kanan Jarrus of Star Wars Rebels is a Jedi in training who’s escaped death.

A hundred eighty rotations later, the team of Hunter, Tech, Wrecker, Crosshair finished their mission and are headed home to Kamino. They are still wondering what Order 66 is supposed to be about and whether that kid died “a long time ago.” When they land, the newly minted Empire is setting up shop. The passage of time is perplexing because, according to most resource guides, a cycle is often in reference to a day instead of an hour. Unless we’re dealing with a theory that there’s 42 hours in a cosmic day (aka rotation), not much time has really passed.

The team soon has Grand Moff Tarkin wanting to see how well they function. Their way of independent thinking is a result of their faulty programming. They are one of the first batches of clones created for the Republic’s War against a Phantom Menace, and since their introduction in The Clone Wars Season Seven, I’m enjoying this look at the war from a conscript’s perspective (even though they’ll eventually turn into mercenaries).

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Tags: Action, Adventure, Dave Filoni, LucasFilm, Pilot, Star Wars, The Clone Wars