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Star Wars fans and Star Wars: The Clone Wars fans were overjoyed when the first season of Star Wars: The Bad Batch came out. The series builds upon a group of clones introduced in the last season of The Clone Wars and the first season included fan-favorite characters such as Captain Rex and Star Wars: Rebel’s Hera Syndualla. The next season of The Bad Batch promises more returning characters, including a few we never thought we would see again.
Editor's Note: This article was last updated on December 13 with the latest trailer and release date.
When and Where Is Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 2 Coming Out?
The original posters announcing Season 2 put the release date in the fall of 2022 and Disney+ later announced a release date of September 28, 2022, a few days after the trailer was released. That, however, did not happen. Star Wars: The Bad Batch is now scheduled to premiere on January 4, 2023, with a special 2-episode premiere and a total of 16 episodes that will probably follow the weekly Wednesday release pattern typically seen in other Star Wars shows. As is with all the Star Wars content, this series will be released exclusively on Disney+. Luckily Disney+ has just increased its service to include more countries, so everyone can have access to their favorite Star Wars content.
Watch The Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 2 Trailer
As is becoming typical for the upcoming Star Wars content, Disney initially released two separate trailers for the upcoming season. One was only released for the attendees of the Star Wars Celebration, but we also received a public trailer on YouTube just a few days later. The publicly released trailer is included here and shows a decent chunk of changes since the last season. Some of the more notable ones is the return of Gungi, a Jedi youngling introduced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. We also see that Omega and the rest of the Bad Batch have changed their armor away from focusing on their former unit and more towards a family, which is a bit of foreshadowing for this upcoming season. More recently, we got another trailer, surprise dropped exclusively to the series' "Extras" tab on Disney+. Check it out below and be sure to read our trailer breakdown for any details you may have missed.
Who Is in the Cast of Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 2?
The cast list is somewhat limited for The Bad Batch, and that is because of the phenomenal skill of voice actor Dee Bradley Baker. Every single one of the clones is voiced by him, so that means that all five members of the Bad Batch are voiced by the same person. While that sounds odd, his skill at making each clone unique with different vocal patterns, inflection, and other details make it an amazing performance.
Michelle Ang will also be reprising her role as Omega, Star Wars' only female Jango Fett Clone. We have also seen that Rhea Perlman will reprise her role as snarky mercenary godmother Cid. As of right now, we can’t be sure, but there are rumors that Ming-Na Wen may reprise her role as Fennec Shand, and we can certainly expect Dave Filoni to continue his habit of making cameos between series as frequently as possible. More recently, Disney+ announced that Wanda Sykes would be guest-starring in the season as Phee Genoa.
What Do We Know About Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 2?
Luckily for the fans, Star Wars Celebration gave us a ton of information for the upcoming series and an additional trailer. Not only does the additional trailer indicate that The Bad Batch will be working with Gungi, but also searching for new allies (another Ahsoka appearance anyone?). But the real gem of the extra trailer is the return of Commander Cody after Order 66.
Commander Cody is one of the few clones highlighted in the original movies with Temuera Morrison playing him in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. He was Obi-Wan Kenobi’s commander and worked closely with both the Bad Batch and Captain Rex during the war. After Disney erased the expanded universe content Cody was left in an unknown position. Cody was always known for his loyalty, and we will see whether he will continue working with Crosshair for the Empire or defect with the Bad Batch.
Another one of the major themes teased by the Star Wars Celebration panel for The Bad Batch is the search for purpose. As clones, the Bad Batch was created as an army to fight for a government that no longer exists. We can see some of this mindset shift in the armor of the Bad Batch no longer having their unit insignia, but that is not the only change we can see. The clones, Echo, in particular, have switched from trying to protect Omega as a civilian and have been training her as part of the team. Omega finally has a helmet and the writers have hinted at Echo taking up a leadership role by training Omega as a solider. So as the Bad Batch left their identity as a soldier, Omega is becoming one.
What Is the Future of Star Wars: The Bad Batch?
For now, a possible third season of The Bad Batch has not been confirmed, but Disney is certainly showing no signs of slowing down Star Wars content production. Especially with resources being spent on shows across all periods such as Obi-Wan Kenobi and even some anthology series Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi it is hard to imagine Lucasfilm’s creative directive Dave Filoni would end one of his favorite projects prematurely.
The second season of Star Wars: The Bad Batch is sure to be another exciting season. The series is making callbacks and connections to everything from Star Wars: Rebels to the Star Wars: Republic Commando. And Bad Batch makes all of these connections while still telling a heartfelt story of veterans looking for this place in the world and mentoring a young woman to maturity (we hope). Whether you are an ultra-fan who has seen or read every Star Wars project ever or looking for a hopeful A-Team style to watch with your family, Star Wars: The Bad Batch is a great show for you.