TV Discussion Minimum "Required Viewing" for Star Wars Shows

Now that we'll be getting near-weekly on-screen content for the forseeable future, the sheer amount of it is likely to be intimidating for newcomers. Many will watch new shows like The Mandalorian with little knowledge of the broader universe outside the films, and there's nothing wrong with that. But for those who are curious about say, the Darksaber, or the inhibitor chips, or Ahsoka, what are the absolute necessities to recommend, and what can be skipped?

For The Bad Batch so far, my recommendations would be these The Clone Wars episodes:

• S1E1: "Ambush" - introduces the idea of the clones as individuals, shows relationship between them and the Jedi
• S1E16: "The Hidden Enemy" - shows dissent among the clones, introduces Rex and Cody
• S2E10: "The Deserter"
• S3E1: "Clone Cadets", S1E5: "Rookies", and S3E2: "ARC Troopers" - not technically chronological, but makes sense as a trilogy which introduces Echo, 99, and the phrase "Bad Batch".
• S3E18-20: The Citadel Arc - more of Echo's story
• S6E1-4: Order 66 Arc - Inhibitor chip is introduced
• S7E1-4: The Bad Batch Arc

Has anyone made a watching list for something like The Mandalorian Season 2?

 

I would say watch Episodes 1-6, Mando Season 1 and all the Ahsoka and Mando episodes in TCW and Rebels. Or just watch the whole thing

 

There's a lot of Ahsoka episodes. Or do you mean something like the Disney+ Ahsoka episodes list?

Honestly, I don't think TPM is necessary viewing for The Mandalorian. AotC explains who Jango is, but other than that, I wouldn't call it necessary either if Mando is your starting point.

That said, the thing with TCW is that so many plotlines are intertwined, you'll watch an episode with Bo-Katan, wonder where Maul came from, then before you know it you're finding you have to watch most of the franchise to understand how every little thing connects.

 

Not sure if this would be "required viewing" for Bad Batch, but I would highly recommend TCW episodes 7-10 of Season 4, the "Darkness on Umbara" story arc, which covers a lot of the themes around treason, unlawful orders and disobedience among the clones. It's my favorite clone-related story of the series. When Crosshair decides to execute Order 66 at the beginning of Bad Batch, it seemed to me that he was just "following orders" even though his chip wasn't working. His loyalty ran deep, I think their indoctrination was deeper than just genetic/neural tayloring, the ethics and values they were taught made a big impact too.

 

I almost put that arc in my list. Dogma is definitely an interesting example of clones struggling with loyalty, hopefully he shows up again. I would also consider "Innocents of Ryloth" (the Waxer and Boil episode) as an addition - the first "tough guys with kid" episode.

I think Crosshair's chip was working, just not as well as usual.