Beyond The Bad Batch: what’s next for Star Wars animated shows - Digital Trends

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The Star Wars beingness continues to expand its postulation far, acold distant connected Disney+ with supplemental contented similar the animated amusement The Bad Batch. Season 2 has conscionable premiered connected the streamer, continuing the intimately scaled and daring missions of the titular set of veterans formerly known arsenic Clone Force 99.

The amusement has proven to beryllium promising truthful far. Still, different animated works nether the Star Wars country of Disney person fixed fans a sensation of however versatile it tin beryllium some conceptually and artistically. Visions was an anime rotation connected the mega-franchise, providing stylistically chiseled approaches to it successful a benignant of “what if?” communicative format. This would beryllium an breathtaking template for exploring the Legends continuity stories — formerly known arsenic the Expanded Universe — that captivated truthful galore longtime fans.

Capitalizing connected the maturation of animation

While the realm of animation hasn’t received the afloat respect it deserves, it’s undoubtedly made awesome strides successful caller years. With acclaimed movies similar Into the Spider-Verse and well-received video crippled adaptations similar Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, the genre received a much important stock of mainstream attraction and praise. Now is arsenic bully a clip arsenic ever to capitalize connected the animation medium’s maturation — and, thankfully, the aforementioned Visions and The Bad Batch demonstrate that Lucasfilm has taken bully aboriginal steps.

Star Wars animated shows person arguably been an underappreciated spot of the IP good earlier the surge of Disney+ successful the streaming wars, with Dave Filoni and co.’s The Clone Wars and Rebels series lovingly fleshing retired the world. The Bad Batch is a testament to that success, arsenic it functions arsenic a spinoff/sequel to both. However, Visions is a clearer illustration of however bold Lucasfilm is consenting to get — adjacent if gradually — successful presumption of benignant and premise.

The assorted talented anime studios that helmed these shows merit precocious praise for the ocular spectacles and narratively imaginative takes connected Star Wars they depicted, but Visions could besides beryllium seen arsenic a proof-of-concept for adapting stories Lucasfilm has relegated to the sidelines.

Embracing the conception of “non-canon”

Entering the arena of fandom statement online tin often consciousness similar an workout successful vexation and futility, and the conception of “canonicity” — whether it’s Star Wars, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the DC Universe, etc. — is often among the subjects that are the astir exhausting.

In the end, successful immoderate medium, astir popular civilization media franchises person contented that’s perpetually canon and non-canon, depending connected the timeline successful question. But a fixed task volition ever beryllium canon to itself, and that’s portion of what makes embracing immoderate of the Star Wars stories sectioned disconnected into Legends continuity an breathtaking imaginable successful the TV space.

And fixed the striking ocular favoritism betwixt an animated and live-action production, TV animation would beryllium a seamless avenue to research wilder concepts similar what Visions achieved.

That’s besides not to accidental that Lucasfilm struck golden with each “Expanded Universe” thought — Luke Skywalker having an evil clone made from his severed close manus named Luuke Skywalker isn’t precisely ingenious — but determination were surely immoderate worthwhile novels, comics, and much worthy adapting onto the tiny screen.

Lucasfilm wouldn’t person to bash overmuch enactment connected the selling broadside of things either, arsenic the institution already has the Legends label arsenic a designation for their stories extracurricular of the mainline continuity. What’s more, adjacent Marvel Studios is leaning harder into the conception connected Disney+, with the likes of What If…? and the forthcoming TV-MA-rated Marvel Zombies animated show.

The Star Wars mentation of “What If…?”

Heir to the Empire and Dark Empire trilogies.

There’s plentifulness of country some successful and retired of canon arsenic good arsenic in Star Wars’ distant past for caller on-screen material, but the franchise could usage respective Legends tales arsenic an reply to Marvel’s What If…? and Lucasfilm’s ain ventures with Visions, but successful a much serialized format. So far, portion breathtaking and encouraging for the ambitions of some studios, these animated shows were bite-sized looks astatine alternate timelines.

With Visions, a bid comprised of anime shorts clocking successful nether 20 minutes, Disney recovered captious and commercialized occurrence with an animated format that allowed creators to premix it up and propulsion what they could bash with the decades-old brand. Developing an animated Star Wars amusement arsenic a serialized communicative would beryllium the earthy adjacent step, and stories similar Timothy Zahn’s beloved Heir to the Empire novel trilogy and Tom Veitch and Cam Kennedy’s Dark Empire comic publication trilogy would beryllium entertaining ways to safely play with established canon successful an isolated, alternate sandbox.

A Star Wars animated amusement depicting a “what if?” communicative of Zahn’s iterations of Luke, Han, and Leia dealing with the emergence of Grand Admiral Thrawn successful the aftermath of Return of the Jedi would beryllium a large conception for a non-canon communicative that splinters disconnected of the Skywalker Saga.

Another communicative ripe for adaptation is Veitch and Kennedy’s comic publication bid Dark Empire, which The Rise of Skywalker arguably riffed disconnected of with the “clone Palpatine” concept. Only this time, it would apt construe amended into animation fixed the medium’s quality to represent outlandish ideas, and without the load of being successful canon.

Diversifying Star Wars content

Many longtime fans are understandably bemoaning Lucasfilm’s strict adherence to the Skywalker Saga and going to large lengths to disregard the fan-favorite Old Republic epoch — astatine slightest until Knights of the Old Republic Remake launches for PlayStation 5 — but determination are galore one-off stories nether the company’s umbrella to diversify the studio’s content.

Legends stories similar these are testaments to this and successful betwixt its big-budget live-action productions, these concepts could assistance marque Star Wars loosen its blimpish grip implicit storytelling approaches.

All episodes of these Star Wars shows tin beryllium streamed connected Disney+, with The Bad Batch season 2 premiering caller episodes each Wednesday.