Star Wars:The Bad Batch is one of the best-animated series that Disney has produced for the universe. If you are one of those people who are considering watching the show without thinking too hard about watching every little spinoff for “the sake of plotline,” look no further.
Let’s admit it, Star Wars’ timeline can get really confusing with all the ABYs and BBYs to keep up with — not to forget the franchise’s vast film bank. So, when exactly does The Bad Batch S1 take place?
Star Wars: The Bad Batch S1 takes place immediately in 19 BBY, after Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and before Solo: A Star Wars Story. It is part of the Clone Wars arc, following the “defection” team Clone Force 99 who defy the Empire’s Order 66.
Now let’s get into everything you need to know to understand Star Wars: The Bad Batch S1’s timeline!
1. The Bad Batch S1’s Chronological Timeline Explained
To start off with, let’s paint you the picture of where precisely The Bad Batch S1 sits in the grand Star Wars timeline. Here’s the table with the years and chronological order of the events corresponding to their respective TV show or film.
| Year | TV Show/Film |
| 50-18 BBY | Tales of the Jedi |
| 32 BBY | Episode I: The Phantom Menace |
| 22 BBY | Episode II: Attack of the Clones |
| 22 BBY | The Clone Wars (Film) |
| 22-19 BBY | The Clone Wars (Animated TV series) |
| 19 BBY | Episode III: Revenge of the Sith |
| 19 BBY | Star Wars: The Bad Batch S1 |
| 13-10 BBY | Solo: A Star Wars Story |
| 9 BBY | Obi-Wan Kenobi |
| 5-1 BBY | Star Wars Rebels |
| 5-0 BBY | Andor |
| 0 BBY | Rogue One: A Star Wars Story |
| 0 BBY/ABY | Episode IV: A New Hope |
| 3 ABY | Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back |
| 4 ABY | Episode VI: Return of the Jedi |
| 4 ABY | Star Wars Rebels EPILOGUE |
| 9 ABY | The Mandalorian |
| 9 ABY | The Book of Boba Fett |
| 34 ABY | Star Wars Resistance |
| 34 ABY | Episode VII: The Force Awakens |
| 34 ABY | Episode VIII: The Last Jedi |
| 35 ABY | Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker |
2. The Bad Batch’s Background Explained
Okay, now that you have a general idea of when exactly The Bad Batch takes place and where it is placed in the Star Wars timeline, let’s get into the show’s historic background.
As you may know, the Star Wars timeline is divided into different sections, like the Prequel Trilogy, Skywalker Trilogy, etc. In that vein, The Bad Batch is part of the Clone Wars timeline in the Star Wars universe.
The Clone Wars was a three-year war fought between the Galactic Republic and independent planetary systems, who are often referred to as the “Separatists.” The Republic did not want these planetary systems to leave their empire and become independent, hence they raged a war.
For this war, the Republic used an army of clone troopers who were led by the Jedi Order. The clone troopers fought in battle against the Separatist’s droid army.
In reality, this whole conflict was part of Palpatine’s scheme, an evil Sith Lord masquerading as the Republic’s Supreme Chancellor. His end goal was to give the command for Order 66 at the end of the Clone war.
Order 66 infamously was the declaration that all members of the Jedi Order were traitors to the Republic. It ordered the clone troops to immediately execute all Jedis without question.
Killing off all the Jedis would give Palpatine ultimate power and control over the democratic Galactic Republic, allowing him to convert it into the autocratic Galactic Empire.
Here’s where we get into The Bad Batch — as the name may give away, there were a set of clone troopers who were different from the usual clone troopers. This batch, formally known as Clone Force 99, were intelligent clones who had been modified genetically, letting them have above-average strength and intelligence.
So when Order 66 was given out, Clone Force 99 did not obviously follow it through given the fact that they had free will of their own.
3. Who does The Bad Batch follow?
The Bad Batch S1 is all set to introduce us to the members of Clone Force 99: Tech, Hunter, Crosshair, Echo, and Wrecker. In general, the clone troopers were designed to mindlessly follow orders, no matter how harsh or cruel they are. But since Clone Force 99 was defective/modified (depending on whose side you’re on), they did not follow Order 66 which commanded the execution of all Jedis.
Clone Force 99 started to become aware of the Empire’s nefarious schemes and made decisions for themselves, causing the Empire a lot of trouble by defying their orders. This is exactly what will be depicted in season 1.
4. What is the plot of The Bad Batch S1?
The Bad Batch takes place immediately after the Empire sets Order 66 into motion. S1 in particular will follow Clone Force 99 during the time they were given fighting orders against Planet Kaller.
Season 1 will focus on the emotions the team goes through, the decisions they make and the trials they face on the day all the clone troopers are ordered to “Execute Order 66.
The era that Bad Batch takes place in was the darkest time of Star Wars history, where the rise of the Empire was the talk of the town. Clone Force 99 will also set Caleb free, which led to even more significant problems for the empire. I will not spoil the rest of it. Watch it if you haven’t already!
5. Is The Bad Batch a standalone show? Do I need to watch Clone Wars?
Star Wars: The Bad Batch can be watched as a standalone show. You don’t have to watch every other show that is related to it. If you are looking for great animations and action, you’re going to enjoy The Bad Batch.
In case you want to know more about Clone Force 99’s history, you can go ahead and watch the last season of Clone Wars, where the Bad Batch first appeared. But other than that, you don’t really need to know a lot about the show.
6. Does The Bad Batch have a season 2?
Yes, The Bad Batch has been renewed for season 2 which premiers on Disney+ on January 4, 2023. It continues the many adventures and dangers that Clone Force 99 faces, slowly transitioning into Star War’s Rebel Alliance arc.
Just like S1, S2 too has 16 episodes as well. Make sure to tune in!
7. About Star Wars: The Bad Batch
Star Wars: The Bad Batch is an American animated show created by Dave Filoni for Disney+. It is both a sequel and a spin-off of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The series’ renewal was announced right before season 1’s two-part finale.
Dee Bradley Baker reprises his role as voice actor for all the clone troopers from the previous Star Wars animated projects. Additionally joining him are Ming-Na Wen, Stephen Stanton, Andrew Kishino and Michelle Ang.
The Bad Batch follows the elite and experimental troopers of Clone Force 99 as they find their way in a rapidly changing galaxy in the immediate aftermath of the Clone Wars. Choosing to become an independent group of mercenaries the show will see them undertake dangerous missions.
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