When Star Wars: The Bad Batch Premiering in 2021, fans were excited to return to a galaxy far, far away and spend some more time with Clone Force 99 (all voiced by Dee Bradley Baker), which were first introduced in the “Bad Batch” arc. Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 7: The failed clones - Hunter, Wrecker, Crosshair, Tech and Echo - had great potential as an inside look at the early days of the Empire through the eyes of five people created with the sole purpose of fighting for the Republic.
However, one clear sore spot in the new series was the arrival of the titled Bad Batch themselves. Their genetically coded unique skill sets make them slightly different from other identical clones: Tech goggles, longer Hunter hair, Crosshair, and different Wrecker builds. Echo’s years at the computer also make him a little more drawn than the others. However, it is not the case.
As stated in Star Wars. Episode II: Attack of the Clonesall clones created for the Grand Army of the Republic are clones of the bounty hunter Jango Fett played by Temuera Morrison, Maori man. Although by and large clones in both clone wars and bad batch looking like a 2002-era Morrison, Bad Batch themselves have much lighter skin, leading fans to create the #UnwhitewashTheBadBatch hashtag movement.
In a one-on-one interview with Collider Maggie Lovitt, bad batch director Brad Rau addressed the fan movement, stating that the team had returned to fix previously released episodes. As Rau said:
We listened to all the fears of the fans. It’s interesting that in the first season, before the first season came out, we always did that, we went back to skin tones and made some adjustments to make sure we were true to the clone wars legacy. Absolutely, 100%.
Did they bleach the bad batch?
As previously shown in the trailer for the first season, the series’ characters - those who managed to break imperial conventions - were presented with much fairer skin and more Euro-centric features than their tougher, more obedient counterparts, playing on ugly stereotypes. . Comparing the trailer for the first season with footage from the first season now available on Disney+ and the trailer for the second season, there is some merit in Rau’s words. The group - with the exception of Echo - looks darker than in the first trailer. But considering only the second season trailer, the concerns that some fans have pointed out are still clear.
Take, for example, the moment in the trailer where Cody - one of the Regs and a character who has appeared in both animation and Morrison’s live-action performance - and Crosshair. The two males must be clones, born from the same original specimen, but do not bear much resemblance to each other, and not only in terms of aesthetics (lean build, more or less hair, etc.).
However, it is worth noting that the 2nd season bad batch was nearly completed when the first season premiered, due to the animated series’ long production time. If fans’ concerns are heard, then hopefully a potential season 3 will bring with it more significant changes to not only what’s on screen, but also to the behind-the-scenes team that works so hard to tell these stories in the first place.
bad batch Season 2 premieres on Disney+ on January 4th. You can watch the trailer below:
Source: Collider
