Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 (2024) Review

After 15 episodes, we have now made it to the series finale of Star Wars: The Bad Batch. It was announced that this season would be the final one of the show which added much hype to it. I watched the finale this morning and here is my review for the 3rd and final season of The Bad Batch. The premise of the season sees Hunter & Wrecker attempting to find Omega, while Omega and Crosshair try to escape their fate on Mount Tantiss. 

Main Character

Even though she has been a crucial part of this show over the entire thing, Omega really steps forward this season and has easily become the main character of this show. She is captured by the Empire and seeing how she handles it does an effective job of showing her character progression from the first episode to the last. Michelle Ang plays her really well and she has grown with the character on the screen and it has been a delight to be seen. 

Supporting Characters

Crosshair has been my favourite character over the entire show and I was disappointed that he wasn't used enough last season but he has tonnes of screen time and an amazing story throughout. We see the pain from him over the actions he made in previous seasons. He starts his redemption arc and he has great chemistry with Omega as they try to survive under the reign of the Empire. 

Hunter & Wrecker are great too, they have always had great chemistry together and they continue here. They don't have the most in depth character development but they are entertaining and combine with the other members of the group so well. 

Echo isn't on screen as much this season but he does play a major role when he is with the rest of the crew, he especially plays a vital role in the last few episodes of the series and he is really well handled and it is great to see him flourishing. 

I have to see how amazing Dee Bradley Baker is, he has voiced all of the clones since the Clone Wars Movie and he has done an amazing job in the role and he makes all the clones have a distinct personality and makes us really care about him. 

Credit has to also go to Jimmi Simpson who voices Dr Hemlock, he was a fantastic villain for this show and the voice acting made him super creepy and unnerving and I loved hearing this guy talk and everything that he does. 

Story

The story is really well handled and for me this is the best season of the show in terms of its focus on the main plot. It is quite simple but it really works, all of the clones get stories and progression throughout. Crosshair & Omega particularly shine and seeing them share so much screen time together is a joy. The finale really nails it and I am so glad that this show did a great job and wrapped everything up perfectly with a worthwhile ending. 

Script

The show is really well written, it has the emotion and is actually is pretty dark. It isn't a kids show and the slightly childish nature of the previous seasons is completely gone and replaced by higher stakes darker stories. The charm is still there though and there is some nice moments between the group. 

Style

The show looks fantastic. The animation has progressed so much and looks beautiful with all the characters and planets looking fantastic. The action scenes are well done too and really put the character in some more peril then before. My only complaint is that there are a few too many episodes and too many guest characters that sometimes takes away from The Bad Batch. 

Overall 

Overall. Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 is the best season of the show and is easily the most focused and handles its characters very well. As a Star Wars fan, it has become a must watch and I give them credit to ending the show now at its peak. 

Rating - 9/10

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 2 (2023) Review

After a long 16 episodes, I have watched all of the episodes of Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 2 and here is my review for it. The premise of the season sees after the destruction of Kamino, The Bad Batch have been staying low to avoid the Empire. While Crosshair attempts to find his place as part of the Empire and away from his old brothers. 

Main Character

Hunter & Omega are once again the most important part of the show. Their dynamic has certainly progressed into a father/daughter relationship and it is nice to see. They are given plenty of screen time together and the show somewhat progresses them. There is definitely more of an ensemble story going on here but Hunter voiced by Dee Bradley Baker & Omega voiced by Michelle Ang give their best and do a good job. 

Supporting Characters

Tech & Echo were two of the characters that I thought weren't given much in the first season but they get way more here. They are two of the shining aspects of the show and seeing these beloved characters getting more development and screen time is a great thing. Crosshair was my favourite character in the first season and that is the same here, I just love this character. His character goes through a lot this season and you see how he is torn between his allegiance to The Empire and to The Bad Batch, I just wish we got more of him this season. There are plenty of guest characters this season and they are handled well with some returning characters from other shows and I like how this show does an effective job of paying respect to other areas of Star Wars. 

Story 

The 2nd half of the season does an excellent job of progressing the story, I really cared about this group of characters but also the way that the Empire was working at this time period. Certain characters get time to shine which helped with making these characters even more interesting. The final 2 episodes are fantastic and do an excellent job of showing this show at its best and how it is becoming more mature. But the first half of the season, mostly misfired. It was way more episodic and episodes felt filler which made me not have the best start for the show. It got going eventually, but I can't deny that the first half of the show was a disappointment. 

Script

The script is much improved from the previous season. The characters are written better and there is more reason given to really care about them. As I mentioned above, this show is getting a bit more mature and that is represented in the writing which is more emotional and well done. 

Style 

The shows design is great. The action scenes are really well done with animation being smooth as ever. I really noticed that the sound and music really added a lot to the final episodes of the shows run. But there is no doubt that the pacing is off. There are too many filler episodes and I still stand by the fact that this could have been a 10 episode season and it would have worked. There also wasn't enough Crosshair for me which was a sacrifice due to the structure of the show. 

Overall

Overall, Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 2 is an improvement of the first season and was a great season. Once you get through the filler this is some fantastic Star Wars storytelling and it really nailed it. 

Rating - 8/10

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 1 (2021) Review 

Yes I watched the finale of The Bad Batch on Friday but I have had a busy few days so haven't had a chance to review it but now is the time and here is my review for the first season of The Bad Batch. The premise of the show experiences the journey of Clone Force 99 as they try to find their place in the new Galactic Empire. 

Main Character

The Bad Batch has a large cast but clearly the main two characters are that of Hunter and Omega. Hunter is really established as the leader of the group and it is really interesting to see his progression from when we met him in The Clone Wars to this show. Omega is a character introduced and she is the new presence amongst the group and she is a really fun addition to the crew and there is so much intrigue towards her and why exactly she is involved with the team. 

Supporting Characters

Credit has to go to Dee Bradley Baker who has to voice all of The Bad Batch and other clones that appear and that must be a mammoth job for him. Onto Crosshair, he is easily the best part of the show and I loved how his character contrasted with the rest of the the team and how it really gave an insight into the mindset from The Republic into The Empire. Tech, Wrecker and Echo are all back from The Clone Wars and they are all fun, they aren't as complete characters as the others but they fit in well amongst the team and it is fun to watch them together. There are also some really fun cameos on the show which I won't spoil, with the timeline of the show it allows the chance to bridge the gap between the events of Clone Wars and Rebels. 

Story 

The story starts off really strong and does a good job in showing how the galaxy and the main characters have to deal with the transition from The Galactic Republic to The Galactic Empire. Like the characters of Hunter, Omega and Crosshair are given fantastic development throughout the show but others are bit neglected especially when there is so much time. That is the main issue, there are way too many filler episodes which do very little for the plot, this has always been an issue with the animated Star Wars shows but this is a big issue here, with a pretty lacklustre finale topping it all off. 

Script

The script is okay, it does well with some of the drama and the humour building a decent family bond between the members of the Bad Batch. But sometimes it does get stuck in between both of these ideas and doesn't quite hit the quality that something like the final season of The Clone Wars did. 

Style 

The show looks great, the animation is at its strongest here and the action flows incredibly well with some really great set pieces. Though there is one clear problem which is the pacing of the show, this could have been a fantastic 10 episode season but there is 16 episodes and that is a huge issue with way too many filler episodes that when you watch weekly becomes a real slog. 

Overall

Overall, The Bad Batch is a good first season of the show. The animation has never been better and there are interesting bits of lore added but there are just way too many episodes and hopefully they do a shortened second season. 

Rating - 7/10