The Disney+ original animated series Star Wars: The Bad Batch follows the elite and experimental clones of the Bad Batch (first introduced in The Clone Wars) as they find themselves in a galaxy that’s transitioning from the Republic to the Empire. Each of them individually have a skill that they contribute to make the squad stronger and that they use on mercenary missions while they try to find their new purpose.
During both a virtual press conference and a 1-on-1 chat just with Collider, animation voice actor Dee Bradley Baker talked about voicing each of the Bad Batch, why he finds it easy to jump from character to character, what makes this group such a force to be reckoned with, why being a part of the Star Wars universe is special, and what he’s most excited about with this show.
Question: We first met the Bad Batch in the final season of The Clone Wars. For those who aren’t familiar with them, how would you describe them?
DEE BRADLEY BAKER: Of the team, you’ve got Hunter, who’s the leader of the pack. He’s got tracking skills and smell and this heightened sense that helps him gauge the terrain. And then, you’ve got Tech, who’s very technically oriented. He’s always got a handheld device that he’s working on, and is super cool, super calm, and competent with all things technical. And then, you’ve got Wrecker, who to no surprise is the muscles of the group. He’s got incredible strength. And then, you’ve got Crosshair, who is the sharpshooter of the group. He’s a contrary character and quite interesting in the dynamic. And then, you’ve also got Echo, who is a modified android clone, from The Clone Wars episodes, who was brought on board with the Batch. That’s the gang. Together, they are a force to be reckoned with.
Would it be like asking you to pick a favorite child, if I asked who’s your favorite member of the Bad Batch?
BAKER: It’s fun to be Wrecker because he’s so honest and clear and funny. I have great affection for all of them. They’re all very interesting fellas. Wrecker is probably the furthest away from me, out of all of them, and he’s great fun.
You’ve done so many voices on so many shows. What makes being a part of a Star Wars series special? What does it mean to you to be a part of this universe?
BAKER: The Star Wars universe and my work in it is very special to my heart, uniquely so, because of how far it reaches back in my life. I was just a kid when I first saw Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, when it first came out. My love and enthusiasm for Star Wars runs very, very far back. On another level, as a voice actor, I’m never given this kind of a project that’s both straight ahead, but that also calls upon me to act, in a way that’s more down the middle and that throws the whole scene to me, often. We, as voice actors, just don’t see that. There’s nothing that I have, in my career, to compare it to. So, in both the artistic challenge and the fulfillment of connecting into this thing that I’ve loved since I was a kid, they come together in this way where it’s unique in my life. I just don’t think I’ll ever see it again. It’s so gratifying and so fun to do because of that.
What can you say to tease this season and what you’re most excited about?
BAKER: To me, the most exciting thing about The Bad Batch is that, for fans and people who like Star Wars, anyone wants to check this out, can jump into a really fun and invigorating and engaging story at this very dramatic, unexplored moment in the Star Wars mythology. When you’ve got this upheaval transfer from the Republic into the Empire, that’s when things essentially shift from a more democratic tone into a more authoritarian society where things are not going as well. It’s a really interesting dramatic moment, in the larger macro sense, politically speaking, in terms of the power. But the nice thing to add to that is you’ve got this great little action story in the middle of it, with this personal relationship with a new character, Omega, to add a family type element to it. It’s not just action and politics. You’ve got a personal story of people trying to survive, trying to do the best thing, and making the tough choices, as the world comes their way. It’s a really great setting, for anybody to jump into the Star Wars universe and take a look at it. It’s a heck of a ride.
What are the challenges that the Bad Batch is going to face?
BAKER: In the sudden, shocking transition from Republic to Empire, it becomes a suddenly much more rule-based power structure of the galaxy and of the universe. The Bad Batch are not so much a rule-based unit. They’re very much a team, but they’re not like the Clones are, where it’s more of a top down command structure. It’s very interesting to place them in the middle of this transformational moment and to see how that plays out.
How would you describe the dynamic between Omega and the Bad Batch?
BAKER: It’s a fascinating relationship that unfolds. At first, the team is their own sealed unit. They’re certainly not used to having anybody else along or working with anybody else. Although, they brought Echo on board, after Echo proved himself to them and they came together on that. It’s interesting, in terms of the story and the writing, to have this personal relationship with a younger character and to see how that changes and how they accommodate that and how that works. It’s more of an uncle/niece or a father/child dynamic, but not entirely. Omega has her own interesting potential of powers, so it’s interesting to see all of that unfold. It connects you to the story in a personal way. It’s not just an action story, as Star Wars never is. There’s a personal story that’s also playing out, that connects you to the entire story.
What can you say about the journey for Crosshair and how big of a threat he’s going to be for the Bad Batch?
BAKER: Crosshair is a really interesting lynchpin member of the team. His practical usefulness on the team is that of a sniper. That’s someone that stands further back from the rest of the group, and just takes ‘em out, one by one. That’s very much his character. He’s not someone who’s running around with the team. He’s assisting the team, in a very strategic and laser focused way. His nature is set to be apart with the team that he is a part of. That very definitely plays out, as the larger political story plays out, of this instantaneous mega transformation from Republic to Empire. As anyone who’s watched Star Wars knows, it’s a very profound moment in the entire story of Star Wars, and that’s part of what’s so interesting. You have the personal dynamics of these few characters, who are a lot of fun to hang out with. They’re really competent, really fun, and interesting. This whole larger process is playing out, among their dynamic, as well. There’s a lot there to unpack, and it’s coming.
Do you approach Clone Force 99 any differently than you did in The Clone Wars Season 7, now that they’re headlining their own series?
BAKER: Yeah, Clone Force 99 is another step beyond what I’ve been asked to do in The Clone Wars series. The tricky thing for the Clones is that the differentiation is much tighter between characters, although it has to be decisive and clear. The Bad Batch are actually much further apart from each other, which oddly makes it a little bit easier to jump from character to character to character. For me, it feels like I’m jumping from rock to rock on a stream. I can see the rock. The writing is clear, and what I jump to is that character. I can see them. I feel like I know them and it actually helps that they’re further differentiated vocally, and also in terms of their personality and mood. It comes off looking more like a magic trick than it maybe does with the Clones, but it’s still a really fascinating process, as a voice actor, to have these scenes where I’m just talking to myself, switching from character to character to character, as we go through the script. That’s typically how we do it. We just go straight through it. It’s fantastic fun. It’s really an interesting project.
Is it fun to get to be a one man band on this show?
BAKER: Yeah, I frankly would love to hang out with the Bad Batch. I don’t think that I would be allowed to because I just don’t have that level of competency, just in terms of what they have to do. I don’t think I’d fit in, at all, but I sure like them and I really feel like I know them. Each of them is interesting and intriguing, in their own way, and they’re even better together, as a group. I think they know that and that’s part of what’s really fun about them. It’s like The Beatles or Monty Python, where separately they’re okay or really good, but together, they’re amazing.
Is there a plan for a finite amount of episodes?
BAKER: There’s always a plan.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch is available to stream at Disney+.