Last December, Disney revealed that Star Wars: The Bad Batch, the latest animated series set in the SW universe, was coming to streaming in 2021. Now, the release date for the much-anticipated show has been unveiled and it’s a very special one.
It’s been announced that The Bad Batch will premiere on Disney Plus on May 4th, which is a fitting date for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it’ll mark one year to the day since The Clone Wars concluded and also, it’s Star Wars Day, duh.
The Bad Batch follows on from The Clone Wars season 7 in that it focuses on Clone Force 99, a squad of elite clone troopers whose members possess genetic variations that give them unique skills which help them in the field, including enhanced strength, exceptional vision and increased mental aptitude. Set after the conclusion of the Clone Wars and the rise of the Empire, the series will see the squad navigating a drastically changing galaxy as they work as mercenaries.
Not only is The Bad Batch a Clone Wars sequel, but it’ll also connect up with The Mandalorian. Ming-Na Wen is set to reprise her live-action role as Fennec Shand in the animated show and seeing as EP Dave Filoni is at the helm of both productions, fans should maybe expect some further connections between the series to come about.
Disney’s release date announcement arrived during the Television Critics Association’s Winter Press Tour this Wednesday, along with the news that Marvel’s Loki was debuting in June. Of course, The Bad Batch – the fourth Star Wars animated series following The Clone Wars, Rebels and Resistance – is just one of around a dozen upcoming shows set in the galaxy far, far away, including Obi-Wan Kenobi, Cassian Andor, The Acolyte, Rangers of the New Republic and The Book of Boba Fett, which hits Disney Plus this December.
Our first look at Star Wars: The Bad Batch, meanwhile, arrived last year, and you can check out the trailer up above.