‘Star Wars: The Bad Batch’ Has ‘Beautiful Animation’ on Par With ‘the Clone Wars,’ According to Sam Witwer
The latest Star Wars show that fans can get excited about is about the Bad Batch. Introduced in Star Wars: The Clones Wars’ seventh season, this group of mutated clones goes on special missions for the Republic and can get a lot more done than the average Clone trooper. Sam Witwer — who voiced Maul — has already seen the animation and it sounds really good.
‘Star Wars: The Bad Batch’ will premiere on Disney+ next year
Lucasfilm and Disney announced Star Wars: The Bad Batch on July 13. It’s the first animated show announced following the return of The Clone Wars for a final season. The Bad Batch consists of four genetically mutated clones whose differences heighten their performance. By the end of their arc — the first one in Season 7 — they added one more member: Echo. Everyone thought he was dead after Season 3.
“The series follows the elite and experimental clones of the Bad Batch… as they find their way in a rapidly changing galaxy in the immediate aftermath of the Clone War,” the statement about the new series read. “In the post-Clone War era, they will take on daring mercenary missions as they struggle to stay afloat and find new purpose.”
Not much else was really known about this series; would the animation resemble The Clone Wars or Star Wars Rebels? Or something entirely new? Well, Witwer has (some) answers.
Sam Witwer — the voice of Maul — already saw the animation and loves it
The Direct reported that Witwer hosted a Twitch stream on July 16 and shared that he’s seen a few episodes and knows where the story begins.
“I will tell you it looks really really good. It looks absolutely beautiful,” he said. “The story…at least I know where the story begins for the first several episodes and I was very pleased because it’s a little area of Star Wars that has not often been visited. “
Dave Filoni, who was the supervising director of The Clone Wars, is executive producing this new series. Plus, a lot of other creatives from Lucasfilm’s recent hits like The Clone Wars and The Mandalorian are on board too. Such as Brad Rau, who’ll be the supervising director and Jennifer Corbett, who’ll be head writer.
“It meant getting a lot of people back in there that was previously been at Lucasfilm and moved on when Clone Wars was canceled,” Witwer continued on the live stream, noting that using people who’ve worked in this universe before really helped the series. “In order to do Clone Wars, you needed a lot of those folks back. What I liked is that they didn’t just put all back that together only to let them go again.”
Going back to how The Bad Batch looks, Witwer noted that it is closer to the caliber of animation seen in the newest season of The Clone Wars.
“So what I saw was brilliant, extraordinary, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful animation,” he said. “I won’t say what it looks like but I will say this, of the quality of Clone Wars where that bar is set, yes absolutely, totally [it meets it].”
This is a new, undiscovered time in ‘Star Wars’ to explore
Like Witwer stated above, this is a time period within Star Wars that fans haven’t seen before. The show takes place after the fall of the Republic. Emperor Palpatine begins his reign in the new Empire. Darth Vader has risen, and Obi-Wan is in hiding.
The clones that used to make up the clone army were slowly transitioned out to make way for Stormtroopers. These Stormtroopers were recruits. The clones’ job (to overthrow the Jedi and Republic) was done, and the need for these obedient, genetically modified soldiers were gone. But fans don’t get to see that (it’s only mentioned in different books and comics).
To see the beginning of the Galactic Empire from the clones’ point of view will be interesting. Not to mention, these mutated clones have different purposes and missions than regular ones. What will the Empire have the Bad Batch do? And how long will they continue to do it? 2021 will bring answers to fans everywhere.
