TheStar Warsfranchise has had an incredibly busy few months at the beginning of 2023, withThe Mandalorianseason 3 currently airing andThe Bad Batchseason 2 concluding at the end of last month.The Bad Batchfollows the journey of a group of unique rebel clones that all have their own special abilities. This group lives in the midst of an ever-changing galaxy with the rise of the Empire and the fall of the Republic, and are having to deal with the aftermath of Order 66 and the collapse of the Jedi Order.
This is arguably the most turbulent time in the history of theStar Warsgalaxy, which makes the stakes of the series even higher, particularly as it connects back toRevenge of the Sithand the prequels while also moving further towards the original trilogy. Interestingly, though, the season 2 finale ofThe Bad Batchalso had a direct connection toRogue One: A Star Wars Story.Director Orson Krennic appears in a pivotal scene that sets up where the Empire is going with the galaxy and their newfound power.
RELATED:The Mandalorian: Who Is Dr. Pershing?
In the finale, the Bad Batch crew attempt to break into an Imperial facility to rescue Crosshair, a clone who was once a member of their group before defecting to the Empire. Crosshair had a change of heart over the course of the second season, one that was made even clearer when the Empire began to experiment on him. The good-hearted nature of the Bad Batch team came through when they opted to risk their lives to help their brother. Crosshair was placed in the same facility as some of the top-ranking Imperials, including Grand Moff Tarkin and Doctor Royce Hemlock,so the main characters of the serieswere in the same general area as key members of the new regime.
All the Imperials were gathered at a meeting when the Bad Batch began to break in, causing a shutdown of the facility and forcing the security team to go on high alert. The meeting betweenthe Empire’s most important generalscontinued as the group were protected by stormtroopers and steel walls that insulated them from the outside. This meant that they were able to continue their business and their discussion, which touched on topics such as Hemlock’s cloning project as well as a few other important subjects.
Another topic brought up was Project Stardust, when Moff Tarkin asked Orson Krennic for a status update on his work. Krennic stated that it was coming along nicely andall according to the Emperor’s plan, so his surprise cameo here was relatively brief. Still, his appearance shows the way in whichThe Bad Batchis slowly but surely moving beyondRevenge of the Sithand towards the future of the galaxy and the storylines yet to come, particularly with the rise of the Death Star.
Project Stardust was named after Jyn Erso,the daughter of Galen and Lyra Erso. Galen was the scientist who reluctantly agreed to help the Empire find a source to power a weapon the size and scale of the Death Star, so when Tarkin is asking about progress on Project Stardust, he’s directly referring to the work that Galen Erso is doing. This shows that the events leading up toRogue Oneare clearly in motion, and that the Empire is moving closer towards the all-powerful state that they were in during the original trilogy.
Not only does Krennic’s appearance help set upRogue One,but it also neatly ties in to some other important stories in canon. James Luceno’s novelCatalyst,released in 2016 in the build up to Gareth Edwards’ spin-off film, also featured Project Stardust and the work that Galen Erso did to get the making of the Death Star off the ground. Krennic was also featured in that novel,so thisStar Warsanimated seriesis tying back into some of the most important and interesting stories of this time period by including Ben Mendolsohn’s villain and the work he was up to.
Krennic’s cameo inThe Bad Batchis a subtle one, particularly as his character is largely silent during the meeting and is out of focus for most of it. He has a few lines when spoken to by Tarkin, but despite that, the interconnectivity is on full display with his appearance. TheStar Warsfranchise seems to be linking everything together, particularly the newer stories, withThe Bad Batchtying intoThe Mandalorianvia the cloning plot line with Grogu. In turn, Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni’s show is linking to some of their other work, such as series centered on Boba Fett and Ahsoka, while also connecting back toThe Clone WarsandRebels.Looking ahead,The Mandalorianis also exploring the rise of the First Orderas they move closer into the future and towards the sequel trilogy.
The Bad Batchhas yet to be officially renewed for a season 3, but an announcement could take place at Star Wars Celebration in London this month. Given the fact that the season ended on such a cliffhanger, with Tech’s death and Omegaonce again being in the hands of the Empire, it seems like only a matter of time before a third season is released.
