'The Bad Batch' Season 3 Review: Return of the Clones

They're back! Dee Bradley Baker and Michelle Ang return (again) to star in the final season of the animated Disney Plus series.

The third and final season of The Bad Batch debuted yesterday with its first three episodes, following the Gang of Four (all voiced by Dee Bradley Baker) as they endeavor to rescue Omega (Michelle Ang) from the clutches of evil.

Disney kindly provided the first eight episodes to preview, so I can safely say that the series continues its run of high-quality animation with a plethora of action sequences that continually delight the eye. (In all, 15 episodes are scheduled for Season 3.)

As might be suspected, the series continues the idea of four faithful clones (and one unreliable fifth) who represent a ‘bad batch’ of automated robots who do not always follow their designs and, in fact, actively rebel against their orders, usually to protect another, younger clone, Omega, who is prone to get into trouble as she follows her own, somewhat parallel mission in life. The bad batch and Omega share a fervent desire to act against the Empire, and are willing to do whatever it takes to foil their dastardly plans.

Is there a need to know more? Only that the series moves briskly through its pace, and the action rarely flags. The first three episodes are meant to capture the eyes and hearts of devoted Star Wars fans, which means the narrative threads from the first two seasons get tangled up quickly in a rush to advance the narrative.

Thankfully, the pace slackens a touch as the episodes proceed, allowing the viewer to catch their breath and absorb what’s happening. And I think it also allows viewers who are not so devoted to all things Star Wars to figure out what’s happening too. (Or, at least, me.) If you can adjust to the pace and the show’s perspective, it becomes much more engaging and entertaining; it’s not just explosions and weapon fire.

And the Australian accents put another global touch on everything! It’s a happy reminder that the Star Wars universe really has spread around the world, and manages to reach out to the far corners of our modern civilization.

Creator Dave Filoni will be making a live-action Star Wars movie, as announced last year, one that’s focused on closing out “the interconnected stories told in The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and other Disney+ series,” according to StarWars.com. We shall see.

Two more live-action series and the second season of another animated series are scheduled to unfurl on Disney Plus this year. For now, The Bad Batch supplies a very pleasant of eye candy to enjoy as it continues its run until May. [Disney Plus]