"The Bad Batch" were introduced in the final season of The Clone Wars, and they're getting their own spinoff series - appropriately titled The Bad Batch - on Disney+ early next year.
Now, Cinelinx is reporting that at least one familiar face from the Star Wars franchise will be making an appearance. As you likely already know, The Bad Batch will be set shortly after the events of Revenge of the Sith, with the focus put on Clone Force 99 as they attempt to come to terms with their place in the new Imperial order.
It's obviously going to be a lot of fun finding out where their story goes, and the site claims that Bo-Katan Kryze is returning to her animated roots shortly after making her live-action debut in The Mandalorian.
With this point in the Star Wars timeline largely unexplored for Katee Sackhoff's character, the fact that it takes place between the Siege of Mandalore and when she wielded the Darksaber for the first time in Star Wars Rebels means it should fill in some big gaps. Between this and rumours of Bo-Katan returning in a live-action spinoff, there are clearly big plans in place for the fan-favourite character.
That's an exciting prospect, and one which should make The Bad Batch essential viewing next Spring.
Which animated Star Wars TV shows should Lucasfilm make
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10. Obi Wan Kenobi & Qui Gon-Jinn
The time Obi-Wan Kenobi spent training under Qui Gon-Jinn was addressed in some Expanded Universe stories, but it's otherwise an era in their lives which has gone unexplored.
A show picking up with the two Jedi heroes when Obi-Wan was a Padawan would be a lot of fun, especially as this would lead to us seeing a completely different version of Anakin Skywaker's future Master and enemy. It also wouldn't exactly be a bad thing for us to spend more time with Qui Gon.
After all, he was clearly a pretty complicated man and not necessarily on the same wavelength as the rest of the Jedi Council. so there's a lot of storytelling potential there.
9. Jango Fett
Boba Fett is expected to make an impact in The Mandalorian season two, and there are already rumours that the iconic bounty hunter could end up getting a series of his own somewhere down the line.
As you may recall, a popular video game featuring his father, Jango Fett, which was set before the events of Attack of the Clones, showed that there's a story to tell with this character. Plus, with Jango serving as the basis for Palpatine’s eventual clone army, we could spend some time exploring that only alluded to piece of Star Wars history in a series like this.
Is this one too many Mandos for Disney+? Perhaps, but there's some very real potential here.
8. Young Anakin Skywalker
The Clone Wars proved that fans are plenty interested in Anakin Skywalker's story, and while we followed his descent into the Dark Side in that and Revenge of the Sith, what about those early years he spent training under Obi-Wan Kenobi? Thus far, those years are a mystery to us.
However, an animated series with a teenage lead could definitely put a fresh spin on this Galaxy Far, Far Away, with the likes of Padme and members of the Jedi Order receiving more screentime as their respective stories are further fleshed out, and we get to know them that little bit better.
This could make for a really gripping watch, and while we know how Anakin's story ends, what harm is there in delving into his beginnings and some of Palpatine's earliest manipulations?
7. C-3PO And R2-D2
These two have been a big part of the Star Wars movies, and their standalone episodes in The Clone Wars proved that following them for twenty minutes a week would be far from a chore.
Rather than focusing on one specific period of time, this potential series could focus on a different adventure each episode. One week could be set during The Clone Wars and another in the gap between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. There are countless stories they could tell!
In some ways, this would perhaps be an animated series better suited to a younger audience, but the chemistry that these two have always had on film would translate nicely to this format.
6. Starkiller
The Force Unleashed video games followed the adventures of Darth Vader’s secret apprentice as he plotted to overthrow the Emperor. However, Starkiller quickly realised that his path isn’t tied to the Dark Side of the Force, and rebels against his master (which ties into the formation of the Rebellion).
That wouldn't necessarily work after what we saw in Star Wars Rebels, but there are definitely ways this character could be rebooted for an animated series for some original stories.
Taking the basic plot of the games and spreading them across an animated series would be a pretty awesome option, while original voice actor Sam Witwer – who has repeatedly shown a huge amount of passion for the character – would surely be up for returning to once again provide the vocals.
5. Podracing
Whatever problems The Phantom Menace may have had, you can’t deny that those podracing sequences made for edge of your seat viewing, and they definitely deserved more screentime.
Even over 20 years after the movie was released, it still looks just as impressive (and easily as exciting) on Disney+, and the race on Tatooine introduced us to a handful of strange and unusual aliens it would be awesome to spend a lot more time with. Meanwhile, the recently remastered video game proved to be a thrilling and brilliant tie-in fans are once again loving.
An animated series would allow for that world to be explored even further, taking us to all sorts of planets and could arguably take place at any time; just because we never saw the races again after The Phantom Menace doesn’t mean they didn’t continue! With an Anakin-like central protagonist, this could be the sort of fun and fast-paced series which would appeal to all.
4. Darth Vader
Darth Vader was a character we mentioned as being a possible contender for a live-action series, but if that's too much of a logistical nightmare for Lucasfilm, why not head down the animated route?
The prequels, for better or worse, thoroughly explored the early years of Anakin Skywalker, as did The Clone Wars. However, those gaps the comic books have filled in haven't been overly satisfying.
They've told some fantastic stories, of course, but further delving into Anakin’s early years in the suit and his conflicting feelings about turning to the dark side and aligning himself with the Emperor would be a great basis for this show. We could also follow the Sith Lord as he purges the remaining Jedi.
3. Han Solo And Lando Calrissian
There are rumours that a Solo: A Star Wars Story sequel series is in the works at Disney+, while we also recently learned that a spinoff for Lando Calrissian is reportedly being developed.
However, what if the truth of the matter is that these characters will return in an animated spinoff? That would be an affordable way to continue the story started in the 2018 movie, and budget constraints wouldn't stop Lucasfilm from diving deep into the adventures these two went on before both the events of A New Hope and their eventual reunion in The Empire Strikes Back.
Maul could also be incorporated here, and some big plot holes and unresolved story arcs could be addressed in a way that makes fans happy. Just bring back the movie's cast!
2. Underworld
It's believed that George Lucas developed over 100 scripts for Underworld, but his live-action Star Wars TV series never ended up seeing the light of day. Technology and the limits of a television production were against him at the time, but it seems doubtful that developing those scripts is now a priority for Disney (for starters, it probably doesn't tie into their new continuity).
In terms of plot details, we don't know what this one would deliver, but it's believed that it was going to dive into the grittier side of the Star Wars Universe, and that alone has a tonne of potential.
So, why not just make Underworld in the format of an animated series? Lucas could be brought back as a creative consultant, and this could be a purely standalone project which allows fans to finally see what he had planned for the show (which would generate a lot of buzz, let's face it).
1. Rogue Squadron
This could be a little too close to Star Wars: Resistance, but an animated series following similar storylines to those in the classic Rogue Squadron video games would be pretty damn cool.
Set during the course of the original trilogy, it would be epic seeing the original X-Wings zooming into battle against TIE Fighters, AT-ATs, and whatever else the Empire throws at them. Lucasfilm could make use of familiar faces or completely new creations, but there are ways a show like this could add a lot to the events of - and between - A New Hope and Return of the Jedi.
Fans are likely to respond to this better than they did Resistance, and it could be a good chance for Dave Filoni and company to show us what those Rebels characters were up to at this time.