Bad Batch Producers Dish on Final Season

Television

StarWars.com released an interview with The Bad Batch producers Jennifer Corbett and Brad Rau today. Corbett is an executive producer on the show and also its head writer, while Rau executive produces. It spans topics like the upcoming final season and various characters. 

“[Killing Tech] affected a lot of the logistics,” Brad Rau, executive producer, says. “The very mathematical logistics of how we normally would have the team operate was massively different without Tech there. But emotionally, the most important part, the way that the loss of Tech affected Omega, Hunter, Wrecker, Echo, and Crosshair, even throughout the whole season was, I wouldn’t say heavier than we expected, but was definitely very heavy.”

“It’s sort of like a reset for the squad,” says Corbett, “because when you first meet them in the very first episode [of the series], they’re a unit, they have a zero fail rate, and they’re very successful. But then Crosshair sides with the Empire, and then Echo leaves to go with Rex, and now Tech’s gone, and now Omega is taken. Clone Force 99 is not what it was, and the question is will it ever be the same? Hunter and Wrecker are forced to change the way that they do things in order to piece together what they can of the squad.”

I love and agree with everything they’re saying here, and this is exactly why Tech needs to be dead for real. There have been rumors for a while concerning Tech’s fate one way or another, but it would be cheap to “surprise” us with his survival. Some characters need to die to keep the stakes up. The fact that many viewers (myself included) grew to love Tech over the course of season 2 makes his death all the more impactful. It only makes sense for his absence to change the team fundamentally: this is his family. When a family member dies, things change instantly and against everyone’s wishes. The issue is compounded for the Batch because they’re also soldiers and mercenaries. Losing the strategist and numbers guy is bound to throw a wrench in things. 

“I love when the two of them (Omega and Crosshair) are together,” says Corbett. “Crosshair is at the lowest point that he’s ever been and Omega is as well. But she has a much more hopeful attitude, and it’s, ‘We’re going to get out of this. There’s got to be a way.’ And he’s sort of given up on any of it because he’s coming to terms with all the stuff that he’s done, and maybe he believes that he deserves to be where he is. The journey that we take them on is one of my favorites just because it’s about Omega seeing the good in people and trying to get Crosshair to see the good in himself. And it’s not an easy thing for Crosshair to do, as I think it’s very human to be weighed down by the choices that you make. But I’ll say one of my favorite dynamics in Season 3 is the two of them together.”

This is one of the aspects of season 3 that I’m really looking forward to. Crosshair is the most interesting character in the whole show to me. He might be one of the better original characters to come out of Disney Star Wars. Omega has her moments for me, and I think pairing her with such a dour character is a good move. She really has something to play off of. She has her work cut out if she wants to cheer him up. 

“We’re going to see a lot more from Dr. Emerie Karr,” says Rau. “And Keisha Castle-Hughes is such an incredible actor. Her performance, and the way she interpreted Emerie, affected how she was written. It was really cool to see. I don’t want to give anything away, but her arc was one of the more unusual ones. The trajectory — I’ll just say this and be cryptic — was different than we might’ve expected.”

“I think even though she is Omega’s sister, they’re very different because of how they were both raised, which again is another commentary on clones and how the clones were treated during the Republic versus how clones are treated now that they’re in the Empire,” says Corbett. “She and Omega have a very interesting dynamic that evolves over the season.”

Emerie is another character I’m excited about. I was legitimately shocked by her bombshell at the end of season 2, and it could mean a lot for Omega going forward. This will be especially relevant if fan theories are correct and Crosshair is rescued first, leaving Omega with Hemlock and Emerie. Omega isn’t going to be swayed by anything Hemlock says; for that matter, he doesn’t care what she thinks, anyway. But Emerie could get into Omega’s head and change her mind about some things. I don’t necessarily think that will happen, but I’m interested in seeing where this goes. 

“It’s so bittersweet,” Rau says. “It’s been such a great show. But one thing that’s really positive is going into this season, we knew very early on this would be the final season. That’s a blessing that can be a rare thing in our field — knowing that, we were able to wrap things up the way we want it, the way that we felt the story deserved, the way that the characters should have it.”

“I think bittersweet is the word, because it’s been an honor to be able to tell this story and tell it in a fitting way, and to have worked with this team and be so proud of what they’ve all done and accomplished,” says Corbett. “We’re just so excited for the fans to see what we have in store for them.”

I recommend the full interview, as they also talk about the show’s early days and writing Dr. Royce Hemlock as a major villain. I found that stuff informative and cool, but I didn’t have anything to add. What do you think about any of Rau and Corbett’s comments? Are you looking forward to the new season? Let us know in the comments! The Bad Batch season 3 begins this Wednesday, the 21st, and I will have reviews right here!