Commander Cody And Gungi Are Returning In The Bad Batch Season 2
"The Bad Batch" are marching for their comeback. At Star Wars Celebration, host David Collins sat with executive producer and supervising director Brad Rau, executive producer and head writer Jen Corbett, story editor Matt Michnovetz, veteran clone voice actor Dee Bradley Baker, and Omega's voice actress Michelle Ang to discuss season 1 and the Bad Batch's future. Creator Dave Filoni also made a momentary appearance to introduce them.
Disney also debuted a new trailer for "Star Wars: The Bad Batch" season 2, which revealed the return of two fan-favorite characters: Commander Cody, who was played by Temuera Morrison in "Revenge of the Sith" and returned in "Star Wars: The Clone Wars;" and the Wookiee Jedi Gungi, who debuted in "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" and was previously presumed to have been killed during the execution of Order 66.
A direct sequel to the "Clone Wars" animated series that continues its signature CGI style, "The Bad Batch" deals with a post-Republic aftermath that was previously unseen and untouched onscreen: What happened to the Kamino-bred Republic clone soldiers and how did the Empire make the swap to stormtrooper recruits? A chunk of those answers can be found in season 1, but there are plenty of chapters still waiting to be told.
Can Crosshair be redeemed?
"The Bad Batch" consists of genetically enhanced clone soldiers who conscientiously reject the transition to the Empire and are on the run: The leader Hunter, the nerdy Tech, the hulking Wrecker, and the medically enhanced Echo. Under their care is the mysterious young female clone, Omega (Ang).
Season 2 is on the horizon. When we last left off, the Batchers made a difficult decision to sever ties from the Empire-loyal Crosshair, who removed his control chip to confirm that he's all loyal. Meanwhile, Kaminoan clone scientist (and Omega's original guardian) Nala Se has been taken into Imperial custody to conduct classified experiments for the Empire (hinted to have vague connections to the Sequel Trilogy).
Panel host David Collins asked a common fan question: "Can Crosshair be redeemed after season 1?" Evasively, Baker used his Crosshair voice to reply, "I often wrestle with this question myself," which is accurate to Crosshair's silent arc in season 1.
Jen Corbett said that her favorite moment was pairing Omega with Rebel veteran Hera Syndulla, while Baker's favorite moment was when Wrecker prepared Omega's room as a balm to terrible times in the galaxy: "It plants the flag on what they have to learn as the universe shifts to tyranny."
They spoke about featuring other veterans of the "Star Wars" universe, such as Fennec Shand, Cad Bane, and Hera Syndulla. To up the Batch's stakes, Corbett said that, "We wanted a bounty hunter to be after them." Filoni told them about a character that was about to be introduced in "The Mandalorian," so the team chose to feature a younger Fennec. Corbett continued, "When Cad Bane comes into the story, she's new, he's the old guard."
As for the bombardment of Kamino in the finale: "It's the final nail in the coffin for the production of clones," Corbett confirmed. "There's the sequence where we see quick shots of the empty rooms and empty embryos area ... Where does the clone story go from there?"
In the next season of The Bad Batch...
The Bad Batch have undergone a design makeover since they've been away. They rolled a new clip that showed Omega in a new navy jumpsuit and cap-like helmet, and her Bad Batch brothers in familiar armor with adjusted color palettes. Without giving away much, Omega puts her energy crossbow to use.
Fans roared when the team played the season 2 trailer (an extended version of the one that was released online). In the new footage, we glimpsed more adventures undertaken by the Clone Force 99 and Omega. Crosshair is ingratiating himself to the Empire, repeating the mantra, "Good soldiers follow orders." Rylothian Twi'leks are seen being arrested by the Empire. There's no word if the Syndulla family will resurface again, but the sight of oppression on Ryloth hints heavily toward their reappearance. What many (read: also me) have been personally looking for was more on the "reg" clones.
Much to cheers in the room, Commander Cody is back and serving the side of the Empire. Glancing at what appears to be Rylothian inscriptions, Cody wonders aloud if the Empire is doing the right thing — a thought that Crosshair shuts down. There's a possibility that Cody may grapple with his (attempted) execution of Obi-Wan Kenobi in "Revenge of the Sith," and he may even end up switching allegiances.
We also see the return of the Wookiee Jedi youngling, Gungi, brandishing his green lightsaber. Whether any of his other Gathering cohorts also survived Order 66 is another question. But the juiciest part came at the end of the trailer, when Omega is on the brink of encountering Darth Sidious.
"The Bad Batch" season 2 will premiere on Disney+ in Fall 2022.