Star Wars has a unique niche in the TV world where its animated series are celebrated, and Star Wars: The Bad Batch was the first new animated Star Wars series in a few years. It's a spinoff of the hit series The Clone Wars, and it deepened the little-known Star Wars lore after Episode III. There was much to be learned about Star Wars in these episodes, and fans enjoyed engaging with it for its 16-week run on social media.
- Mia Johnson
Entertainment Editor
Why we needed this fandom this year
After Star Wars: The Clone Wars ended in 2020, Star Wars fans thought they would be left with a huge, animated-series-sized hole in their hearts. Thankfully, it wasn't long before it was announced that The Clone Wars would be getting a spinoff called Star Wars: The Bad Batch. And after a long wait, it finally premiered on Star Wars Day in 2021. Fans were delighted to know that Disney wasn't giving up on Star Wars animation just yet. And The Bad Batch hopefully means Star Wars animation still has a long future.
Why you should join this fandom
It's not too late to get in on the Star Wars animated series fun, and The Bad Batch proved that these 100-percent-canon series have so much to offer. This series, in particular, is unique because it explores the rarely talked about era after Order 66 from the perspective of the clones, and creatively it deepens Star Wars' lore more than you could ever imagine.