Dee Bradley Baker Says 'The Bad Batch' Is "Dramatic And Satisfying"
Voice actor Dee Bradley Baker really breathed life into the clone troopers throughout the run of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. While the clones did not display much personality in the live-action films, the TV series had the time to flesh out various clone troopers, giving them their own quirks and slight differences in how they speak.
One particular group of clones that Baker got to voice was the elite squad of unique clones known as the Bad Batch. Introduced in the final season of the series, they are set to have their own spin-off series, which will premiere on Disney+ on May the 4th. The trailer that we have seen shows that the squad will be dealing with the Republic's transition into the Empire, leaving them to figure out what their purpose is.
In an interview with Disney D23 Magazine, Dee Bradley Baker had the following to say about the highly anticipated upcoming animated series:
"It's a beautifully written show. [Supervising director Brad Rau and head writer Jennifer Corbett are] really smart and they really love Star Wars. They're all the things that a fan could want for the best kind of Star Wars experience."
Some fans like to know that the people working on Star Wars projects are knowledgeable enough about the lore. For example, Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau have shown time and time again on The Mandalorian that they have a grasp on what tools they can use within the Star Wars sandbox to further their story. It seems that Baker has a lot of confidence in Rau and Corbett as he calls them huge fans, which may bode well for viewers. He goes on to talk about The Bad Batch's connection to its parent series The Clone Wars:
"It takes what we found in The Clone Wars to another level of depth and awesomeness. It's real Star Wars in the best possible sense... It's an amazingly dramatic and satisfying series or story for anyone, whether you know Star Wars or not - but especially if you love Star Wars."
Accessibility is can be a concern for viewers who might be coming into these sorts of projects without having watched everything beforehand. However, Baker's comments seem to indicate that one can come into this viewing experience cold, without much prior knowledge, and still get a lot out of the experience. His comments might also alleviate worries of viewers who think that the Bad Batch do not have much depth to them. Of course, we will just have to see how the execution is handled. Baker does, however, reaffirm that the series will be rewarding to those who have watched The Clone Wars:
"A fan who has paid attention to where things ended [in The Clone Wars] might be able to guess where we're going to start [in The Bad Batch]."
In The Clone Wars season 7, the Bad Batch take part in the Battle of Anaxes, where they rescue Echo and add him to their team. This appears to be very close to the end of the war, and we know from the trailer that there will be overlap with Palpatine's declaration of the first Galactic Empire. With this in mind, fans are expecting to see the Bad Batch grapple with Order 66. With Echo having been in the custody of Separatists who experimented on him, one might wonder whether or not his inhibitor chip remains intact. And of course, there is the question of potential inhibitor chips within the rest of the squad. There are some expectations for this show, but Baker seems to be reassuring fans that it will be a satisfying viewing experience.
Source(s): The Direct