On May 4th, also known as Star Wars day, fans will reunite with Clone Force 99 with the premiere of Star Wars: The Bad Batch. The upcoming animated series is based on the advanced group of clone troopers that we first met in the opening episodes of Season 7 of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
For those unfamiliar with Clone Force 99, it's an elite commando force that was genetically modified to have special abilities. The original clones that fought for the Grand Army of the Republic were simply genetic copies of the bounty hunter Jango Fett. But this group, which is also referred to as the Bad Batch, has special abilities.
Ahead of the series premiere of The Bad Batch, Disney has released a brief featurette that looks back on when we last saw these characters in The Clone Wars. The video cuts to various scenes from the series and highlights each member of the squad and details their special enhancements.
Hunter, for example, has heightened senses and combat prowess. Tech has enhanced mental capacity and intelligence. Wrecker has unstoppable superstrength, while Crosshair has enhanced vision that makes him a highly skilled sniper. Lastly, we have the cybernetic soldier, Echo. Together, this band of elite soldiers form Clone Force 99, aka the Bad Batch. Deemed a liability by the Empire, they are hunted by Admiral Tarken. The Bad Batch will follow this defective group of troopers after the fall of the Republic.
“Star Wars: The Bad Batch” follows the elite and experimental clones of the Bad Batch (first introduced in “The Clone Wars”) as they find their way in a rapidly changing galaxy in the immediate aftermath of the Clone War. Members of Bad Batch—a unique squad of clones who vary genetically from their brothers in the Clone Army—each possess a singular exceptional skill that makes them extraordinarily effective soldiers and a formidable crew.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch will debut on Tuesday, May 4 with a special 70-minute premiere. New episodes will release on Disney+ every Friday beginning on May 7.