Fans of Star Wars' animated productions, rejoice. Why? Well, thanks to a new leak, we have a clearer idea of when The Bad Batch will return to our screens.
We already knew that The Bad Batch season 2 was on the way, with Disney confirming as much in 2021. But according to a leaked page of the upcoming issue of Star Wars Insider magazine (as posted to Reddit), new episodes of The Clone Wars spin-off will arrive on Disney Plus in Spring 2022.
That’s sometime between March and June, for our readers in the Southern Hemisphere, and means it won't be long before we're reunited with Hunter and company.
Disney hasn’t yet officially confirmed the release window. However, given that season 1 kicked off on May 4 (aka Star Wars Day) last year, we’d wager that new episodes are likely to appear on, or at least around, the same date in 2022.
Incidentally, May 4 also falls on a Wednesday this year. With Marvel TV shows including Loki, What If…? and Hawkeye premiering midweek in recent times on Disney's streaming platform, we wouldn't be surprised if The Bad Batch season 2 follows suit.
The first season of The Bad Batch was welcomed by Star Wars devotees. It maintained The Clone Wars' popular animation style and explored, in more detail, the rise of the Empire following the events of Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
As for what ground season 2 will cover, we expect to see the world around the show’s main characters Hunter, Tech, Wrecker, Echo and Crosshair changing in light of season 1’s dramatic finale (check out our hub for a more detailed, spoiler-filled rundown).
Further plot details are scarce at this stage, but we do know Dee Bradley Baker and Michelle Ang will be reprising their roles as the Clones and Omega, respectively.
Our main – and, really, only – criticism of The Bad Batch’s debut outing was its struggle to justify its existence, a consequence of the show’s reliance on characters who were otherwise supporting cast members in original episodes of The Clone Wars.
But, with 16 episodes now under the belt of the titular task force, we’re heading into season 2 with a greater understanding of who these characters are – and their role in the wider Star Wars universe – which should make for some even more engrossing television.
It’s Star Wars season, baby
2022 is bringing plenty more Star Wars content to Disney Plus, too.
While new episodes of The Book of Boba Fett continue to drop weekly, fans of a galaxy far, far away will also be treated to Obi-Wan Kenobi and Rogue One prequel Andor at some point later in the year.
With no concrete release dates set for either as yet, it's entirely possible that Disney and Lucasfilm may decide to release Obi-Wan or Andor around Star Wars Day. After all, fans are becoming increasingly frustrated over a lack of news on both shows, so it would be in Disney's best interests to reveal more soon.
Even so, it’s more likely that they’ll arrive after the Spring 2022 window set for The Bad Batch season 2. Regardless of which project does launch first, though, Disney Plus-subscribing Star Wars fans have plenty to look forward to in the not-so-distant future.
