TV review: Star Wars: The Bad Batch
It is easy for a lot of old-school fans to not realise that a whole generation associates Star Wars with the animated Clone Wars series more than the original film trilogy that followed the adventures of Luke, Leia, Han and Chewie.
And it has been going on for years.
This currently streaming Disney+ show is the latest addition to the animated Star Wars adventures created and developed by Dave Filoni (The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars Resistance).
Chronologically, The Bad Batch starts with the dying moments of Attack Of The Clones, when Emperor Palpatine gives the dreaded "Order 66" for all clone troopers to turn on and kill the Jedi.
But one team realises it is not like the others and is not conditioned to obey no matter what.
From there, the members are on the run, facing the Empire, internal betrayal and the new task of becoming custodians to a young girl (who may be more than she seems).
The animation style fits with the previous series, allowing it to have a sense of its own realism without giving us the uncanny valley.
The voice acting is not exactly thrilling, but then the majority of characters here are archetypes: The brute, the tech guy, the sneering sniper, the brave leader... there is even a quiet one.
The first episode is feature-length, which unfortunately stretches the limits of a show that works better in shorter chunks.
It starts to drag because the pace is not designed to engage for the long haul, and like much animation, we are not here for the chatter.
However, The Bad Batch makes good in the action scenes and shows off the animators' craft by making these CGI models manoeuvre as a well-oiled, battle-hardened elite.
The Bad Batch is good to dip into, but it can make for a bad binge.
STAR WARS: THE BAD BATCH (PG)
Score: 2.5/5
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now