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

I do confess, the Bad Batch has some gorgous 3d visuals, especially planetscapes, but those storyboard do make me wonder what a 2d animation version of the show would have looked like.

Course, there is Visions at least, and it was said before there might be more star wars anime on the way, so why not both?

Now for something completely different: Is it just me, or does Ventress ship look like a modification of the J-Wing from TFA concept art?

Pretty extensive modifications admittedly, but the overall shape and some key details stand out to me as distinctively similar.

 

I see it as an inversion of her original starfighter, both in style and in shape.

 

In that regard I give it a 70/30 chance we get an anime series announced at Japan. Like a full on one that has a consistent plot and not do whatever you want with visions.

I think it’s our best hope for a 2D multi season show. (That has a consistent plot)

 

I’m crossing my fingers for the Roninverse being given a full series at some point… it’s just too juicy not to!

 

Interesting thought. I hadn't looked at it like that, but I see what you mean.

Agreed. Normally I would never suspect such a thing, but between the higher ups visiting Japan, holding a star wars celebration in Japan, and a direct if brief statement that there would be more star wars anime in addition to visions, it all feels like such an announcement is likely.

Hmmm...that would be cool...but ronin has gotten a lot of love already and there are other good visions stories as well.

In particular, I recall Ninth Jedi being pretty popular and the lead creator not so subtly hinting that he would like to make it into a full series.

 

I would actually rather have wholly original stories outside of what’s presented in visions. Give me something wacky. But give me something new

 

Oh yeah, definitely. That would be my first option. Just, the ronin mention got me thinking of visions continuations first. After all, a new show could be anything, so there is less to base a discussion off of.

 

Bleak.

Spoiler

I got a good chuckle out of Cad Bane and Todo working the same gig they were doing fifteen years ago. (Fifteen years!!!) I think Todo even uses the "nanny droid" quip in the original episode!

Interesting that Tarkin isn't clued in on Project Necromancer, I wonder if that's because Palpy knows his motivation comes from maybe one day ascending to Emperor and having an immortal God-King kinda rules that out.

Saw some speculation that the planet at the start is Zeffo, that would be a fun little detail!

Also from Hemlock's data pad it looks like these clone shadows are Dark Trooper precursors, I wonder if it goes Clone Shadow, splits into Death Trooper and Mark 1 Dark Trooper, then we see the DT-series droid project which combines with the Dark Trooper project to make the Mark 3s we see in Mando.

Sad to see the shuttle go, glad Gonky is safe! I loved the planet Phee landed on, kinda Polis Massa adjacent.

Great stuff!

 

Spoiler

Welp, the empire is pretty good at smashing all the progress the batch has made. I wonder where everyone will be at the end of the show.

Interesting that Bane has a midichlorian tester for his work, given that later on the Empire doesn't seem to have the technology and tests for force sensitives in other ways (notably in rebels in the part where Ezra goes undercover in an imperial academy)

Anyway, here are the remaining scenes from the trailer. Looks most or maybe even all of them are from Juggernaught.

 

Hell of a two parter.

Spoiler

What's in Hemlock's vault? Kids, wait, no, specimens. And ones having had cold, alphanumeric names inflicted on them, clearly to prevent anyone caring about them.

The sequence with the kid in the marketplace at the start, it being sold out by the Aqualish and Bane turning up was a very effective illustration of how the Empire works. The second also built on that very well too.

Fairly certain a bunch of very cheesed off clones are going to be having words with Cid very soon.

Just noticed in this episode, why is Project Necromancer underway so early? Is Sidious already burning himself out? Interesting that Tarkin is out of the loop on it too.

 

Spoiler

Two separate points/ideas:

1. Is there no chance the original goal of Necromancer is to get an Anakin Skywalker clone with an undamaged body? I mean, we're on Tantiss, where crazy old wizards run around with Skywalker clones. That'd be a hell of a thing for Ahsoka to run across while fighting Thrawn in Season 2 of her show, and far more interesting than Luuke or a beat-for-beat retelling of the OG Zahn trilogy.

2. We're in, what, 17 BBY right now and Project Necromancer is basically nowhere. That is, just because the one test with Omega's blood passed, doesn't mean that there aren't more hurdles in growing a Force-sensitive body. Dathan is "born" in about 12 BBY. Whatever Sheev's intentions for Necromancer, it makes sense from the surrounding continuity that he'd have started pretty quickly after eliminating the Jedi and the cloners - he'd still need the institutional knowledge from Kamino and plenty of specimens. The part I find interesting is that it seems like Sheev knew even before destroying Kamino that cloning a Force sensitive person (and maintaining the Force sensitivity) was more complex than cloning normies. Is there some secret history in the TPM-AOTC gap of the Sith trying to use Kaminoan tech to clone . . . someone? Or even before Sifo-Dyas makes his layaway order for clones?

I like that Tarkin is out of the loop on Necromancer. It mirrors Thrawn being out of the loop on the Death Star project. Just because Sheev has trusted, competent subordinates, doesn't mean he wants everyone knowing everything. And everyone is such a petty little turd about their secret knowledge.

My one bold-ish prediction is that the Bad Batch will "successfully" stop whatever is happening on Tantiss (and kill Hemlock), but we'll see in an epilogue that shows the work continues on Exegol. Perhaps under the watchful eye of Gideon (presumably not a Moff yet, but maybe a Captain or higher)?

 

What a ****ing two parter

Spoiler

I liked Karr already but she has shot way up. My current working theory is that she is a failed version of Omega. Hence why Nala Se abandoned her to hemlock.

Also my other theory is the end of the show will have the founding of the hidden path. I mean Omega knows Ventress who knows Vos, and Omega is about to meet a bunch of force sensitive kids. Wild I know.

I really don’t want this to end. But as each episode goes by I am more and more convinced that this won’t be goodbye for all of these characters I do expect some to die. But not all. I think Omega still has an important part to play in this story.

 

So, has anyone else noticed that they're remaking...

Spoiler

The Mandalorian season 2?

Last episode we had the Batch meet with a non-aligned Force Sensitive person who gave some exposition on the Force and what Omega will have to do going forward. Similar to Chapter 13: The Jedi, but with different action set pieces.

That wouldn't be so weird were it not for this two-parter involving the Empire capturing Omega (using what many are saying is a Dark Trooper prototype, no less) to go use her for blood/cloning experiments. On top of that, going by the trailer we're going to watch the Batch next week steal a juggernaut presumably as part of a scheme to find out where Tantiss is. Similar to when Din and Mayfeld infiltrated the ISB base?

This is getting too close for comfort. As isolated episodes I don't think I would notice, but the parallels are stacking up to the point where I can't help but feel some deja vu.

 

It's sorta like poetry
It rhymes

 

Mandalorian season 2 but better. My sig doesn’t lie. I do genuinely like this more than all Star Wars content.

 

Starting to view the level of memory some of you have as more curse than blessing.

 

I’ll remember the most obscure Star Wars details but not where I put my car keys.

 

The entire premise of the two shows is practically identical: gruff warrior(s) looking after a very special never-seen-before child-MacGuffin hunted by the Empire for their special M-Count blood so that Palpatine could somehow return, and that child melts the warrior(s) heart in the process.

 

Same.

Though even then I didn't notice the similarities until pointed out. And honestly, even with them point out they don't bother me that much - like yeah the overall plot structure is similar, but the devil is in the details, and in particular Omega and Grogu feel like very different characters.

Which version?

 

I did not even know they were in TROS

 

You have chosen...wisely.

Yeah they are just indistinguishable blobs in the big crowd shot in the film.

But BTS material has revealed concept art and models for a lot of those blob ships and some are pretty cool. I am not particularly fond of that D-Wing, tries a little too hard to be its letter and I have no idea how you would land it, but I still wish some of them had gotten clearer shots in the movie alongside resistance versions of the classic rebel ships.