Characters Who Should (And Shouldn't) Appear In 'The Bad Batch' Season 2

It has been a little more than a week since Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 1 wrapped up. The finale left fans with mixed reception, but in any case, there is a lot of speculation regarding season 2, such as which familiar characters may pop up. I have thought this over, listing characters who would probably fit well in season 2, as well as characters whom I believe have no place in season 2. So here are some characters who should and shouldn't appear in The Bad Batch season 2.

SHOULD: Boba Fett

I am actually surprised that Boba Fett did not appear in the first season. There was a namedrop in one episode, and it's seemingly implied that the plate on Cad Bane's head is from a duel with him during the Clone Wars, but that's about it. With The Book of Boba Fett coming out at the end of this year, I was surprised that the animated show did not capitalize on the Boba Fett hype. I would be really interested in seeing how he interacts with Omega at least. They are both clones who do not have growth acceleration, but they are both so starkly different. Perhaps a bit of the goodness of Omega's heart will influence Boba a bit.

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SHOULDN'T: Darth Vader

Let's face it. Whenever Darth Vader appears, he steals the show. He had such a presence in Rebels season 2, and then it was kinda weird that he was just a one-season villain. Jedi: Fallen Order utilized him, but only at the very end. Sure, people love the Rogue One hallway sequence, but we've been bombarded with so much Vader in comics and whatnot that it would feel like overkill to have him in this show as early as season 2.

SHOULD: Quinlan Vos

Speaking of Darth Vader, the comics by Charles Soule set in the dark times era mention surviving Jedi like Quinlan Vos, Oppo Rancisis, and Coleman Kcaj. While the latter two are not as well known, Quinlan Vos out of these three is the one who most deserves to be on the screen again. He was featured in the novel Dark Disciple, which was based on scripts for unfinished episodes of The Clone Wars. During Revenge of the Sith, he's mentioned as having taken Boz Pity, and it's possible he may have been on Kashyyyk during Order 66 just like in Legends. He is a fan favorite, and there is more to do with this character. If not in this show, I'd at least like to see him in a Fallen Order sequel.

SHOULDN'T: Ahsoka Tano

Ahsoka is another show stealer. When she appeared in Rebels, she sometimes took the focus away from the Ghost crew. Also, during the time of The Bad Batch, she is in hiding, and her adventures 1-2 years after Order 66 are told in the Ahsoka novel. I'd rather have the show not risk overwriting more of this story, as The Clone Wars season 7 overwrote the Siege of Mandalore stuff. We have already gotten a lot of Ahsoka, and she is getting her own TV show. She does not have much of a relationship with most of the featured clones in this show, so there is not really a need for her. It would feel very predictable and old hat for her to be featured in this show.

SHOULD: Dryden Vos

We got a glimpse of Dryden Vos via hologram in the Siege of Mandalore arc, so it stands to reason that perhaps the animation team would want to reuse that model. We could get more underworld stuff in season 2, and seeing Dryden Vos being the face of Crimson Dawn would be a nice way to keep feeding into the stuff of this era that pertains to Solo: A Star Wars Story.

SHOULN'T: Maul

Maul is, again, another show-stealer. I'm not as interested in seeing Maul this early in the dark times as I am seeing him about halfway through, when he's training Qi'ra. The series could feature Crimson Dawn without showing Maul. The creative team can trust the audience to know that Maul is in charge behind the scenes, just like how when we watch A New Hope now, we know Emperor Palpatine is at the top of it all despite not seeing him in that film.

SHOULD: Barriss Offee and Luminara Unduli

With Filoni having said years ago that he had plans for Barriss Offee, fans have been surprised that she has not been featured in Rebels or Fallen Order. I suspect that perhaps the end of her story is earlier in the timeline than either of those projects. We know from Rebels that her master Luminara Unduli gets captured and eventually executed. But an odd thing about the animated projects is that we never see Luminara's reaction to her apprentice going against the Jedi Order, or Barriss' reaction to her master's death. It could potentially be an emotional story to tell, and Barriss could discuss her view on the failure of the Republic to the clone characters whom we are following.

SHOULDN'T: Inquisitors

The Inquisitors are cool and all, but they are off hunting Jedi, not these elite clone troopers. I think they are better suited for stories like Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith, Jedi: Fallen Order, and Rebels. It could be mentioned that they assisted in the capture of Luminara, but we don't necessarily need to see the Bad Batch go up against them. I honestly doubt that they would survive against these Force users.

SHOULD: D-Squad

People's opinions on the D-Squad arc from The Clone Wars vary. I personally found it tedious to watch week-to-week as it aired, and then found it highly entertaining upon subsequent rewatches. I am curious to see how Meebur Gascon and the droids react and fit into this era where the Republic has transitioned into the evil Galactic Empire. Plus, we have seen Gregor, and he has ties to this squad.

SHOULDN'T: The Mantis Crew

As much as I love Fallen Order characters Cal Kestis, Cere Junda, and Greez Ditrus, I think having the crew encounter the Bad Batch could potentially make the universe smaller. I don't mind this crew's story being separate and told mainly in the video game format. I'm actually glad that the series showed restraint by not having Cal on Bracca. There are lots of groups on the run, and it would feel too coincidental for them to cross paths this early before the Rebel Alliance has formed fully.

SHOULD: All of Delta Squad

Scorch had a cameo in an episode, so this could be foreshadowing that we will see the Republic Commando squad fans know and love. We could get a spiritual sequel of sorts. The inclusion of commandos in the final scene of season 1 only reinforces my belief that we could see the entire squad go up against the Bad Batch. It would be interesting to see whether or not they switch sides. Or perhaps the squad is already splintered and we do not know yet.

SHOULDN'T: Rebel Alliance Figures

The Rebel Alliance does not form fully until much later. We know that characters like Bail Organa and Mon Mothma are trying to make a difference, but that story feels more connected to Rebels than it should be to The Bad Batch. Sure, there are hints that Rex is up to something that could potentially be related to such figures. Then again, he could be with other people altogether, helping others in a different way. It would be nice to see Echo go off with Rex and try to make a difference, but I just don't think it needs to be the people whom we know will form the Rebel Alliance.

SHOULD: Other Clones

We could get a lot of perspectives. Early in the Clone Wars, Slick betrayed his brothers. In the Pong Krell arc, Dogma went through a rollercoaster ride, so to speak. The Bad Batch has found Gregor, but what about Wulf? Commander Cody is also still out there, though I wouldn't mind if Lucasfilm decides to have him show up in Obi-Wan Kenobi instead, as has been rumored. This is a clone-centric show, and I think focusing more on how other clones are dealing with everything would really give the show more direction. We could even see where the clones who were taken off of Kamino went off to.

SHOULDN'T: Any Main Character From Star Wars: Rebels

Season 1 opened with the use of Caleb Dume, which was controversial because it did not quite match up with the Order 66 scene of the Kanan comic series. It even omitted the nuance of Caleb's relationship with the clones whom he fought alongside on Kaller. Plus, Caleb did not really sound his age. While the Hera (and Chopper) appearances were done better, there was this idea going around that the episode mainly focusing on Hera and her family was better than the rest of the season, and that is not a good look for the show. Plus, the creative team does not need to try so hard to remind us that this is the same world as Rebels. This is Star Wars, so we already know. We do not need to see Zeb, kid Sabine, or baby Ezra show up. And we do not need to see Thrawn show up either. While his encounter with the Empire is not dated specifically in canon, throwing him in as a villain would eclipse the rest of the characters.

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Written By Steven Shinder

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