Overall Thoughts: Spin-off story starts off rock solid, but gets less interesting as it goes.
I have to be brutally honest, I have seen very little of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Maybe that puts me at a disadvantage here, I don't know. But, that being said, coming off of two very good seasons of The Mandalorian, I was intrigued to try out The Bad Batch. Could a new fan-favorite animated series be born here?
And the answer is, at least for this season, I'm leaning towards no. Bad Batch does manage to get off to a really good start with its feature-length premiere. Through its first four or five episodes, it does a nice job developing its central characters and establishes some engaging stakes. However, beginning with episode 6, the central development takes a back seat to more episodic writing. Not saying there aren't entertaining developments occasionally, but the overall potential of the characters and story becomes far less urgent.
Perhaps the most frustrating issue is that the season doesn't really end on a strong note, or with a convincing-enough cliffhanger. One military base is destroyed that puts the main characters in danger. Yet, there really aren't any game-changing developments in the second half of the season to keep you incredibly invested. If there's anything I would be interested in seeing more of (hopefully) in Season 2, it would be learning more about Omega and letting her develop more as a character, as well as her relationship with her friends.
Speaking of Omega (a memorable voice performance by Michelle Yang), she is the most memorable character in the cast. She has a tough, honest, sincere persona about her that is easy to like. The overall gang is decent, but some of the characters do come across as borderline stereotypical in some ways. Voice acting is pretty solid, all around, however. And I gotta say, it's pretty darn impressive that all of the other male clone characters are from the legendary Dee Bradley Baker. His versatility on all of these characters is incredible. I honestly would not have thought all of them to come from the same actor.
Of course, the appearance of one or two characters from other corners of the Star Wars universe in the first half of the season does help boost the overall bottom line. The animation is a step or two above the quality of The Clone Wars, with a handful of impressive action sequences and solid background imagery. The music score by Kevin Kiner does a nice job remaining fairly subtle in its execution while nodding to familiar galaxy themes.
Ultimately, it feels like The Bad Batch's first season may not be rewatchable like its' animated predecessor, unless you are a diehard fan of this franchise. For casual fans, it has its' moments, especially in the first half of the season. But, it's not a must-watch by any means. And, unlike Mandalorian, the jury is out for me as far as whether or not I'd be interested in watching a second go-round with this show. If it can deliver a story that generates more buzz, then maybe I'll try it again. But if not, I'll be fine waiting for the next season of Baby Yoda.
Grade: C
