Dave Filoni Is Continuing Star Wars' Greatest Theme

Out of all of the cinematic universes that exist in film history, none of them are as popular and influential as Star Wars. The Avengers might dominate comics, and The Lord of the Rings is the most popular book series of all time, but Star Wars is no doubt the franchise of choice for the big screen. Like any major series, there are often major themes that run through them. For Star Wars, that theme is family.

Of course, there are the obvious connections with Luke being related to Vader and Leia, but there are also the factors regarding finding family that is not related to you by blood. Rey is a Palpatine, but finds closer family ties with the Skywalker line. From the loss of Luke's aunt and uncle being the main driving force for the start of his journey to the connection that Din Djarin and Grogu formed in The Mandalorian, Star Wars has always, at its core, been about family. Even George Lucas himself described the series as a soap opera.

Now, with the latest piece of Star Wars media, The Bad Batch, we are seeing the creator, Dave Filoni, continue that trend with a common focus of "Wolf" and "Cub" characters, that is to say, an older character mentoring a younger up-and-comer. From Obi-Wan to Anakin, Anakin to Ahsoka, and Din to Grogu, this has shown up many times in the series. 

In The Bad Batch, we see a galaxy post-Order 66, with an elite unit of clone troopers doing the Empire's bidding. Even though we are only five episodes in, we are still seeing that Wolf/Cub dynamic playing out with the characters of Hunter and Omega. Hunter is the grizzled commander of the unit, while Omega (played by Michelle Ang instead of Dee Bradley Baker, who voices the rest of the clones) as an enhanced clone that is heavily implied to be Force sensitive. In a galaxy where anyone who is Force sensitive is either killed or corrupted by the Empire, this will obviously be bad news if anyone werre to find out. 

The current conflicts in the time period immediately after Order 66 add a lot of tension to the story, especially as it pertains to Omega's relationship to Hunter. We have seen before how the Cub and Wolf change each other, such as how Din Djarin sees Grogu as a mere bounty before becoming his father in all but blood. A grizzled, tough character softening up a bit when they take someone under their wing is obviously not unique to Star Wars, but it is likely that Hunter's relationship with Omega will sand off some of his rougher edges. From there, it is not too hard to see how things play out. Omega is discovered to be Force sensitive. Something bad happens. Hunter will have to make a choice between the Empire and his ward. At first it will look like he is choosing the Empire/the rest of his crew, but eventually, we know he will save the Cub in the end. 

Maybe, maybe not.

Regardless of how it plays out in the show, it does tie into the repeated theme in the larger Star Wars saga, that is to say, finding a family that is not related to you by blood. Whether that is the Wolf taking in the Cub, troops forged in battle by fire, or events bringing people together, family has always been a large part of the saga.

For now, it is hard to say exactly what direction The Bad Batch will take. Filoni has made the dynamic work before with Anakin and Ahsoka in The Clone Wars, so there is no reason to think that he cannot do it here again. 

Source: Inside the Magic
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