A/V Star Wars: The Bad Batch Series Discussion Thread

I think the point he's making is that SW books & comics & movies & tv shows are all fictional expressions of events.
If you were writing a history book about "Back to the Future", it might say "Dr. Emmett Brown first tested time travel in a mall parking lot. His friend Martin "Marty" McFly aided him in this test. Even though Dr. Brown was almost killed, the test was successful." Now compare that to the fictional expression of those dramatized events in the actual movie.

 

just don’t give them your chain code

 

Quite. First, you identify, then you.... assess.

 

The "hazy window of history" argument has been used a few times. I think it's a legitimate if a bit lazy argument. I also think that the narrative flashback POV of the Ahsoka novel and Kanan comic allow for wiggle room, basically the same legitimate argument, works slightly better because we're taking about narratives told from that specific character POV. I mean that hazy historical window also applies to Lego content, ESB events happed, ESB Lego didn't happen but the broad strokes actions did.

Anyway one non canon thing / stylistic thing was that title of episode 1 "Aftermath" was in the basic red font like the Clone Wars "Siege of Mandalore" finale arc. The title of episode 2 "Cut and Run" was white font, after the red with death title card font of the episodes of BB and TCW that took place in Order 66. Of note the episode title card styling only started in the last 4 episodes of Clone Wars, which is a transition to the start of Bad Batch. It's a great way to show that TCW and BB are of a piece/transition narratives, if the title card literally burning from Clone Wars to Bad Batch wasn't obvious enough for you.

 

And no intro sequence, which seems to be the style of the Disney+ shows.

 

I agree with everyone (everyone? we're in agreement??? in lit????) that this was a good episode. I have a random comment/question about someone but goes back to the Tarkin plot:

Spoiler

Cut's hair is turning white. It wasn't in TCW. This could be Obi-Wan syndrome, but I suspect it's meant to show he's still got the advanced aging thing going on. If it is that fast, how long until most of the clones get it? I always assumed the advanced age thing was 2x the normal aging rate, but do we have any idea what it actually is?

 

Exactly - that's how you can have things like Droidography, a canon reference book, directly referencing characters and events from The Freemaker Adventures, a Lego series.

Speaking for myself, maybe I'm splitting hairs but I don't see "hazy window of history" as an argument as much as just an observation of how they're actually approaching the storytelling. Story Group is embracing both "everything is canon" and "canon can be fluid" simultaneously, and has for a while. The reconciliation of those two seemingly contradictory approaches that makes sense is a paradigm in which the things we watch / read / play are potentially inaccurate retellings of the "actual events." The argument I will make is that regardless of how anyone wants it to be or what anyone thinks Lucasfilm promised them re: canon, this is how it is, and accepting that and adjusting our expectations to match will make for a more satisfying, less frustrating experience as fans. Square pegs, round holes, all that good stuff.

 

In this episode there is a maybe contradiction, but not really in that the aftermath novel mentioned Cut was living on the planet still, it’s possible that he later moved back. So it’s not really a contradiction

 

Maybe he goes back and visits old friends on Saleucami from time to time post-Empire?

 

The main point of why he was brought up is still correct. so it’s not that big of a deal

 

I think Cut and his family might have moved around place to place.

 

I'm really liking this series so far. It's far exceeded my expectations already. Initially, I wasn't overly excited to see a series about a squad of experimental clones, but I see now what the true purpose of this series is. Just as Rebels used the story of an orphan, a lost girl, a genocide survivor, a jaded pilot and a fallen knight to show us the events of the galaxy leading up to the Battle of Yavin, the Bad Batch is showing us the galaxy in the aftermath of Order 66 and the Declaration of a New Order.

It's only been two episodes, but I'm already loving what we're seeing. The Clone War has ended and the Republic and the Jedi have both fallen. A new era has begun and, mere days after it has, we're seeing sweeping changes.

Events like the ones on Kamino and Saleucami show what we've known for years. The Dark Lord of the Sith sits on the Galactic Throne and all free beings are now his subjects. Seeing the Kaminoans and Saleucamians losing their freedom and having to comply with the harsh new regulations reminds me of this passage from the ROTS novel:

"Within the public office of the Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic, a last Jedi Master battled alone, blade-to-blade, against a living shadow.

Sinking into Vaapad, Mace Windu fought for his life.

More than his life: each whirl of blade and whipcrack of lightning was a strike in defense of democracy, of justice and peace, of the rights of ordinary beings to live their own lives in their own ways.

He was fighting for the Republic that he loved."

The Jedi lost the war. The Sith rule the Galaxy now. Freedom, liberty, and justice are all being corrupted and curtailed. Seeing the second episode struck a chord with me and for the first time, I found myself wishing that Mace had prevailed. If Anakin hadn't gotten in the way, Mace Windu could have ended Palpatine and his opressive Empire could have been halted before it began. Trillions of sentient beings could have remained at peace and at liberty.

As it is, the long night has begun and freedoms are beginning to disappear.

 

There's what? 15-20 years between the two statements? On this one they have loads of latitude.

 

I do have to wonder if we’ll see Omega in anything else. If we do it’s either gonna be the book of boba or the Ahsoka series. We’ll have to wait and see

 

I'm pretty confident they will.

I mean she's so young after all (And we don't know how her aging process really works to be honest) plus if she's popular you BET will see her again. Disney gotta build that roster of new characters after all

 

Disney does need more new popular characters. They have Grogu, Mando and that’s basically it for new popular characters. At least major. Sure people like Aphra are popular but they haven’t made their way to screen yet.

 

Key word...Yet.

Aphra is another one I think will be get her debut ...one day.

 

I thought Sloane would appear on screen by now as well. Both popular characters who I think will eventually make the jump from page to screen.

 

Well the TV side is finally ramping up so...It's possible.

Cobb Vanth popped up so anything or anyone is up for grabs.

 

If Cobb Vanth can show up, anyone can at this point

 

Sloane has appeared in all but movie or tv show.

 

After watching this episode, I could t help but think of the episode in season 1 of the Mandalorian where Djin wants to leave Grogu with the shrimp farmers. Of course the heroes aren’t allowed to ditch their little sidekicks like that!

There was another call back to Mando with the whole chain code business. This episode made it sound like the whole chain code system was set up after the Empire was formed, but Boba Fett’s code included people from before it’s creation like Jango. So we’re chain codes widespread before the Empire, but not tracked as closely in everyday business?

 

I just thought up a probable origin for Omega:

Spoiler

Jango likely desired a son and a daughter so the Kaminoans created Omega but because they used part of the DNA of his lost sister that he kept, Jango couldn't bare to look at her without seeing flashbacks to what happened so he gave her to Nala Se. Boba Fett may or may not be aware of her existence.

 

I think the first part is possible or at least some variation