Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Episode 6 in Season 2 of The Bad Batch.After a few weeks of little plot movement, The Bad Batch returned with a bang. The 6th episode of Season 2, "Tribe," takes the characters to the planet Kashyyyk, best known as the home of the Wookiees. Despite Chewbacca's status as a major character in Star Wars, little time has been spent on his home world, so seeing the planet is always exciting. But it isn't what stands out most in the episode. It's no secret that The Bad Batch is closely connected to The Clone Wars. Picking up right as the first series left off and reusing many characters (including the bad batch clones themselves), The Bad Batch serves as an immediate sequel to The Clone Wars. "Tribe," in particular, took clear inspiration from the previous show as it reintroduces Gungi, a Jedi padawan who appears in The Clone Wars Season 5. Though his appearance is small, he's certainly memorable as the few Wookiee Jedi to appear in the franchise. The continuation of his story shows that he survived Order 66. It may not be a particularly happy ending for the character (if it is the end), but it's better than the alternative.
To get more of a beloved story is always a good thing, especially after the difficulties The Clone Wars faced. The show suffered a cancelation after Season 6, leaving the plot unfinished. But it later returned to Disney+ for a revival season. As thrilling as the final season was, especially after six years, it was only 12 episodes, so not every story the creators planned could make it to completion. In the years before the final season, The Clone Wars' creatives released information about storylines they had developed for another season ahead of the cancelation. Some of these unaired plots were expanded into print media. Asajj Ventress and Quinlan Vos' story can be read in Christie Golden's novel The Dark Disciple and Darth Maul's in the comic miniseries Star Wars: Darth Maul – Son of Dathomir. But other story arcs were released online in the form of their story reels, and some eventually made it into the final season of The Clone Wars. The introduction of the bad batch characters was one such plot. Collectively these unaired (and later aired) story arcs are referred to as The Clone Wars Legacy. Over the years, various amount of information has been released about these stories, but, as yet, not all are released in full. One such plot took the bad batch to Kashyyyk, like Season 2, episode 6 of The Bad Batch.
The Unaired Kashyyyk Plot
While the episode was never made, Dave Filoni released details of the story at the "Untold Clone Wars" panel in Celebration Anaheim. The story would have been later episodes in the season, taking place after Echo (Dee Bradley Baker) joined the bad batch. The plot follows the bad batch as they go to Kashyyyk to assist the Wookiees along with Yoda. Like in The Bad Batch episode, they fight the Trandoshans, who sided with the Separatist Alliance. The enemy invades the Wookiees' cities, and the heroes aim to get them out, but their plan involves burning some trees. Tarfful asks the tree spirits for permission in this battle. In this scene, the story would have explained Wookiee's customs. While the clones have no problem sacrificing the trees for their goal, it goes against Wookiee's beliefs. The clones and Wookiees must find common ground against their enemy and learn to understand each other. In that process, the bad batch learns more about the Wookiees and their way of life, especially their reverence for nature. The episode would have referenced the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic game and The Star Wars Holiday Special. And a young Chewbacca would have appeared.
How Does 'The Bad Batch' Reference the Unaired Episode?
While little is directly said about the events of the unaired story, there are hints throughout The Bad Batch episode. Wrecker briefly mentions that it's "been a while since [they've] been to Kashyyyk." Assumedly the last time they visited was the story from The Clone Wars Legacy. Also, the bad batch can communicate with Wookiees, who cannot speak basic. They claim that their "wookiee" is rusty, but they hold conversations pretty thoroughly. The Bad Batch episode even features the same villain, though the Trandoshans work for the Empire rather than the Separatists. But more telling is the bad batch's familiarity and quick response to putting out fires after their fights. It's the first thing they do. The clones agree to trust the trees' plan without resistance. During the episode, Hunter and Tech explain to Omega (Michelle Ang) the relationship between Wookiees and the trees. They communicate and share the plane, working as allies. All of this shows the characters respecting the Wookiees' customs that they would have learned in the unaired episodes.
Are the Unaired Episodes Canon?
With several of the stories not released in full, classifying them is difficult. Clearly, the stories that made it to completion, either in print or in later episodes of The Clone Wars, are canon. The connections seen in The Bad Batch lend credence to the Kashyyyk plot, even if only parts of it are known. This one slides in seamlessly, especially as the concept was meant to explain Yoda's line in Revenge of the Sith, "good relations with the Wookiees I have." But what of the others? Several stories besides the Kashyyyk plot remain unaired and unreleased, including a story of a Boba Fett and Cad Bane team up, a Rex and R2D2 Top Gun-like story, a plot arc that would bring Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka together again as they investigate a Sith shrine under the Jedi temple, and episodes that expand on Padmè's attempts to remove Palpatine from his position. With limited information, it's difficult to say how they fit, though the Sith shrine and Padmè stories are contradicted by cannon. Yet there are likely elements that still fit. These concepts could be something to watch as the universe continues to expand. This unmade content could be referenced or even expanded into other mediums in the future, officially adding it to Star Wars canon. But, until then, the unaired stories are in a sort of limbo between canon and not.