10 Best Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episodes, Ranked (2024)

Introduced in the final season of The Clone Wars after being teased for years, the Bad Batch special operations force in the Grand Army of the Republic was an instant fan-favorite. Dubbed Clone Force 99 after another character in the animated series, the series quickly became beloved among fans for both its character stories and its examination of the early days of the Empire. While every episode of Star Wars: The Bad Batch is surely someone's favorite, looking at the ratings from IMDB users, the following ten episodes are the most loved of the series.

When it was announced that The Bad Batch Season 3 was its last, fans were shocked. With nearly two decades separating the series premiere from the start of Star Wars: A New Hope, the show seemed like it could run for dozens of seasons. Like their genetic original Jango Fett, Clone Force 99 were just simple men trying to make their way in the universe, while providing for their younger genetic sister Omega. This would allow the characters to have fresh, dynamic adventures while, from time to time, brushing up against the big events in the saga. However, it seems The Bad Batch had a very specific story to tell, one that could be completed in three seasons. Nonetheless, according to the IMDb user ratings, the best episodes run the gamut of Bad Batch adventures. From big, saga-defining moments to simpler, character-focused stories, the show stands on its own as yet another excellent example of Star Wars storytelling in animation.

From the Shadows of Tantiss, the Emperor and Star Wars Mysteries Emerge

Season 3, Episode 2, "Shadows of Tantiss"

One of the three premiere episodes of The Bad Batch Season 3, "Shadows of Tantiss" revealed how this story tied into the larger saga. Emperor Palpatine himself visited the Mount Tantiss lab, originally from Star Wars Legends, to check on the project led by the vile Doctor Hemlock. The scientist was working on a project familiar to viewers who saw The Rise of Skywalker. Palpatine was using the Empire's resources to ensure his immortality by cloning a new body for himself capable of wielding the power of the dark side of the Force. Viewers learned that Dr. Hemlock was using Force-sensitive subjects to further his experimentation in creating clones with high "M-counts."

Along with Palpatine's visit and the information, fans learned about the origins of Project Necromancer. This was also the episode where Omega and Crosshair escaped Imperial custody. Throughout the series, Omega had a secret — one she wasn't even aware of. When she was created as a genetic identical to Jango Fett, Kaminoan scientist Nala Se imbued her with traits found in the rest of Clone Force 99. This, or some other sci-fi experiment, allowed her blood to ensure clones could be created with Force abilities. Knowing this would lead to Omega's permanent incarceration and subjection to torturous experiments, Nala Se encouraged her to flee the base. However, Omega wasn't about to leave her brother Crosshair behind.

With 'The Clone Conspiracy,' The Bad Batch Answers a Big Star Wars Question

Season 2, Episode 7, "The Clone Conspiracy"

Despite featuring unique, creative characters, fans may have wondered why The Bad Batch was the Star Wars animated series that followed Rebels and The Clone Wars. While both shows introduced new characters, they clearly tied into the larger mythology of the universe in obvious ways. While the defection of Clone Force 99 provided insight into the early days of the Empire, that didn't feel like justification enough. Audiences quickly learned the larger narrative behind the Bad Batch's specific story was about how the Empire went from Clone Troopers to Stormtroopers.

"The Clone Conspiracy" was the first of a two-part episode that definitively answered that question. The series' main antagonist at the time, Vice Admiral Rampart, addressed the Imperial Senate, asking them to replace the clones who made up the Grand Army of the Republic with Star Wars' iconic, armored villains. Fan-favorite character Captain Rex returns, and with the help of Senator Riyo Chuchi, advocates for the rights of clones as living beings. They also realize they need to uncover the mystery of what happened to the cloning facility in Tipoca City on Kamino.

Serving the Empire Is a Solitary Effort for Any Clone

Season 2, Episode 3, "The Solitary Clone"

What happened to Commander Cody after Order 66 was a little Star Wars mystery. Although he appeared in Revenge of the Sith, he became a much more significant character thanks to The Clone Wars. Most of Clone Force 99 as well as Captain Rex defected during the Order 66 massacre. Yet, like Crosshair, Commander Cody stayed in service and remained loyal to the new government. In "The Solitary Clone," Crosshair is still in service to Vice Admiral Rampart, and the special operations sniper is assigned a mission with Cody to bring a reluctant Separatist planet under Imperial Control.

This episode revealed that while the inhibitor chips ensured the clones murdered their Jedi commanders, they didn't remain active. Cody was very much the officer fans came to know, and he sought a peaceful solution to the planet's uprising in an attempt to save Imperial Governor Grotton, the leader of Dessix. He's almost successful, but on Rampart's orders, Crosshair murders Grotton. This allows the Empire to invade and use force to quell the uprising. In the aftermath of this mission, Cody recognizes the Empire is evil and defects to parts unknown.

The First Reunion of Crosshair and the Bad Batch Was an Unpleasant One

Season 1, Episode 9, "Reunion"

The previous episode reunited Clone Force 99 with Captain Rex, who helps them remove their inhibitor chips while on a mission for Cid. However, they are discovered and reported to the Empire. Crosshair is sent to kill his former squad-mates and retrieve Omega for the Empire. Kaminoan leader Lama Su doesn't trust the Imperials, and he hires Cad Bane to capture Omega, indifferent about what happens to her brothers. Again, proving that Star Wars fans are gluttons for heartbreak, this entry in the list of best episodes of The Bad Batch is one where everything goes poorly.

While the Bad Batch aren't quite willing to give up on their estranged brother, he is prepared to follow his fatal orders. Crosshair tries to kill them multiple times, but with their ingenuity, Clone Force 99 is able to escape unscathed and, to Wrecker's delight, with some explosives. Crosshair doesn't escape unscratched, however. He's injured in the blast as his brothers make their escape. Still, he provided enough of a distraction that Cad Bane was able to capture Omega. (Though, she is, of course, eventually rescued.)

Clone Force 99's Return to Kamino Was Short Lived and Bittersweet

Season 1, Episode 15, "Return to Kamino"

When Captain Rex asks Clone Force 99 to rescue his ally Gregor (who appeared in Rebels with Rex), Hunter is captured in the attempt. Naturally, Omega and the Bad Batch mount a rescue operation which takes them back to Kamino, where they find it is all but deserted. Crosshair was sent by Rampart to finish the job he started in the above-mentioned episode and capture Omega. Crosshair lures the Bad Batch into a trap, but he decides not to kill them. He also reveals he had his inhibitor chip removed sometime between the series premiere and this episode.

Setting up the first season finale, the Bad Batch stuns Crosshair and prepares to make their escape with Omega. However, the episode ends with Vice Admiral Rampart ordering the destruction of Tipoca City, with Crosshair still inside. This episode and the finale that followed revealed what happened to the Kamino city after the prequel trilogy. It also underscored how the Empire was hoping to take control of cloning science and, more importantly, how little they valued even loyal clone troopers like Crosshair.

Season 1, Episode 1, "Aftermath"

It's no surprise that the series premiere of The Bad Batch is considered one of the best by Star Wars fans. It is a flawless pilot episode of a television series, establishing the characters, the larger conflict and the open-ended premise that drives the rest of the series. It begins with one of the final clone wars battles, in which audiences see how Kanan, then called Caleb Dume, survived. Because their mutations prevented the inhibitor chip from working, Clone Force 99 refuses to kill the young padawan. It also introduces Omega as an unaltered Jango Fett who was upgraded with the Bad Batch's specific, unique mutations.

However, the pilot also works as a vital piece of Star Wars storytelling, because it shows the immediate aftermath of the Imperial Takeover. Through the scenes on Kamino and the final Clone Force 99 mission to Onderon (with Saw Gerrera rescuing refugees), viewers learn that the Imperial takeover was not as immediate or all-encompassing as Revenge of the Sith suggested. Governor Tarkin uses technology to enhance Crosshair through his inhibitor chip. As the rest of his squad flees with Omega, Crosshair tries to stop them and commits himself to the Empire.

Clone Force 99 Uncovers the Truth, but Were Unprepared for Its Consequences

Season 2, Episode 8, "Truth and Consequences"

Picking up from "The Clone Conspiracy," Clone Force 99 is brought in by Rex to help them find proof that Vice Admiral Rampart destroyed Kamino. He told the Senate it was a storm. With the help of early Rebel Senator Bail Organa, Riyo believed exposing this lie would save the clones from being relegated to obscurity. What follows is a classic heist adventure with a Star Wars twist, as Clone Force 99 infiltrates Rampart's Star Destroyer to find the proof. As per usual for the team, they are successful.

What makes this episode rank so highly among the best of The Bad Batch is what happens next. It also proves how adept Emperor Palpatine (and, thereby, most fascist dictators) are at manipulating the truth. When Senator Chuchi exposes Rampart, he's arrested after the Emperor himself orders it. Yet, because Rampart's crew was comprised of clones (dominated by their inhibitor chips), the Emperor uses this as evidence that their blind loyalty is dangerous and responsible for this tragedy. In trying to save the clones. Chuchi and the Bad Batch give Palpatine exactly what he needed to decommission the clone troopers in favor of stormtroopers.

The Cavalry Has Arrived Just in Time for The Bad Batch Series Finale

Season 3, Episode 15, "The Cavalry Has Arrived"

The series finale of The Bad Batch was the conclusion to a five-part story arc that began with Omega's capture and the destruction of her home on Pabu. Clone Force 99 actually recruits the incarcerated Rampart to take them to Mount Tantiss so they could rescue their sister. The episode itself is an action-packed story that begins with the release of the deadly Zillo Beast and ends, mostly, with the rescue of Omega and all the other clones being held for Doctor Hemlock's sad*stic experimentation. The episode ranks among The Bad Batch's best because it has everything a Star Wars fan wants, short of a good lightsaber duel.

However, unlike other Star Wars aminated series finales, "The Cavalry Has Arrived" goes beyond such immediate denouement. In fact, what happens in the far future gives the title a dual meaning. After years of living peacefully on Pabu, an adult Omega leaves to join the Rebel Alliance because they "need pilots more than ever." (This perhaps suggests that this happens around the time of the end of Rogue One.) The episode provides a definitive, clear ending for the story the series told, while still leaving the door open for all of these characters to return.

One of the Best Episodes of The Bad Batch Is When the Plan Goes Awry for Clone Force 99

Season 2, Episode 16, "Plan 99"

The Season 2 finale of The Bad Batch was one of the show's most heartbreaking, yet IMDb users rated it as nearly the best in the series. The title of the episode, "Plan 99" is (quite deliberately) a kind of polar opposite to Star Wars' infamous "Order 66." The latter caused the clones to turn on and murder the Jedi who led them through the clone wars. "Plan 99" was a predetermined codeword amongst the Bad Batch in which one member of the team would willingly sacrifice their life to save the rest. Despite how fans believed (read: hoped) Tech wasn't actually dead, the successive season made it clear his sacrifice was final.

Of course, the heartbreak didn't stop there. Clone Force 99's ally, the Trandoshan Cid, betrayed them to Doctor Hemlock. While grieving the loss of their brother, the Bad Batch had to fight to escape the Empire's clutches. When Hunter and Wrecker are captured by Hemlock's forces, Omega executes her own version of Plan 99. While Echo and Omega's droid AZI-3 rescue them, Omega offers herself up for bait and is ultimately captured and taken to Tantiss.

In the Most Popular Episode, 'The Outpost,' the Bad Batch Doesn't Appear

Season 2, Episode 12, "The Outpost"

Ironically, the best episode of The Bad Batch is one that features almost none of the Clone Force 99 characters. Rather, this episode focuses on Crosshair, the one member of the team who chose the Empire over defecting with his brothers. Yet, after serving the corrupt Vice Admiral Rampart, he was assigned to Imperial Lieutenant Nolan's command. This officer didn't value Crosshair's loyalty nor his very personhood, seeing clones as nothing more than Imperial property. It ultimately led to Crosshair's defection from the Empire, but not because of how he was treated. Rather, when a fellow good soldier, a regular clone named Mayday, was left to die, Crosshair used what he believed was his last act to shoot Nolan to death.

Loyalty was deeply important to Crosshair, and he viewed Clone Force 99's defection from Kamino as disloyalty. He even hunted his former brothers for the Empire. The destruction of Kamino and Rampart's own arrest didn't cause his commitment to waver. It wasn't until he undertook a perilous mission with Mayday that he truly woke up to how the Empire treats clones. Unlike most of the "regs," Mayday earned Crosshair's respect. He risked his own life to bring the wounded clone back to base for treatment. Upon realizing Nolan would rather let the clone die, Crosshair had enough.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch

TV-PG

Action

Adventure

Sci-Fi

Animation

Where to Watch

*Availability in US

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The 'Bad Batch' of elite and experimental clones make their way through an ever-changing galaxy in the immediate aftermath of the Clone Wars.

Release Date

May 4, 2021

Cast

Dee Bradley Baker , Michelle Ang , Noshir Dalal , Liam O'Brien , Rhea Perlman , Sam Riegel , Bob Bergen , Gwendoline Yeo

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

3

Franchise

Star Wars

Characters By

George Lucas

Creator

Jennifer Corbett, Dave Filoni

Distributor

Disney+

Production Company

Disney+, Lucasfilm Animation, Lucasfilm

Sfx Supervisor

Chia-Hung Chu

Writers

Jennifer Corbett , Dave Filoni , Matt Michnovetz , Tamara Becher , Amanda Rose Munoz , Gursimran Sandhu , Christian Taylor , Damani Johnson

Number of Episodes

32