Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 - Release Date, Cast, Plot And More Info

Welcome class! In today's lesson on "Why Star Wars Animation is the best Star Wars," we'll be talking about the third and final season of "Star Wars: The Bad Batch." 

A continuation of the beloved "Clone Wars" animated series centered on the members of Clone Force 99 (each of whom bears unique genetic traits or mechanical implants that distinguish them from other clones), "The Bad Batch" does a better job of balancing standalone storytelling with connections to the rest of the "Star Wars" universe than most of its live-action peers on Disney+. More than that, it's a show that takes the anti-fascist messaging at the core of George Lucas' creation to heart by revealing how the rise of the Galactic Empire led to a clamp-down on both personal freedoms and the quality of life for your average civilian in a galaxy far, far away. 

That goes double for the clones, all of whom were abandoned by the former Republic they fought for and replaced with a cheaper workforce — namely, stormtroopers — who were worse at their jobs but more prolific and willing to do their bosses' dirty work. Doesn't hit close to home at all, right?

As we wait to learn what fate has in store for Clone Force 99, let's break down everything we know about "The Bad Batch" season 3 so far, shall we?

What with the dual Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes having taken up most of the oxygen in the room in 2023 (strikes that were completely avoidable, had the major studios agreed to a fair deal up-front), it's easy to forget it's already been 12 months since "The Bad Batch" season 2 debuted. Animation being the tedious, painstaking process that it is, season 3 was already written and well into production by the time most of Hollywood shuttered down last year.

That being the case, "The Bad Batch" season 3 will make its way onto Disney+ pretty much exactly as expected, kicking off with a three-episode premiere on Wednesday, February 21, 2024. The "Bad Batch" series finale, titled "The Cavalry Has Arrived," will then wrap things up a few months later on May 1. Will it be an extra-long installment like the show's nearly feature-long pilot? It seems unlikely, but as a wise man from Corellia once put it, "Never tell me the odds!"

In keeping with "Star Wars" tradition, the middle chapter of "The Bad Batch" was a darker entry that saw Emperor Palpatine further cement his iron grip on the galaxy by manipulating the Imperial Senate into passing the Imperial Defense Recruitment Bill (which legalized the hiring of conscripted soldiers, e.g. stormtroopers, and served as the final nail in the coffin of the clone army). Meanwhile, Clone Force 99 fell out with their old boss Cid — who didn't care for the way they kept interrupting their missions to go help others in need — and set out in search of a new home, only to uncover a larger conspiracy involving cloning experiments being carried out by the Empire's secret Advanced Science Division.

Adding heartbreak and tragedy to the equation, season 2 ended with Hunter, Tech, Wrecker, Echo, and Omega trying to discover what the division is up to by spying on its chief scientist, the sinister Royce Hemlock, only for things to go sideways, forcing Tech to sacrifice his life to save his family. As if that wasn't enough, the gang was subsequently betrayed by Cid, allowing the Empire to capture Omega and take her back to Hemlock's facility on Mt. Tantiss (the same place where Clone Force 99's rogue sibling, Crosshair, is being held prisoner).

Split up and fractured like never before, season 3 will see the Clone Fam forced to "seek out unexpected allies, embark on dangerous missions, and muster everything they have learned to free themselves from the Empire" (per the season synopsis). And speaking of unexpected allies...

One of the benefits of having most of your main cast voiced by the same actor is it makes it much easier when it comes to keeping tabs on who else will be coming back for any particular season. Naturally, Dee Bradley Baker will once again return to voice the remaining male members of Clone Force 99 (Hunter, Echo, Wrecker) and Crosshair, with Michelle Ang likewise lending her vocals to Omega. Elsewhere, Jimmi Simpson will continue to slime it up as the voice of Royce Hemlock, with Wanda Sykes reprising her role as the enchanting Indiana Jones-esque pirate Phee Genoa and Noshir Dalal returning as the treacherous Imperial Vice Admiral Rampart.

Perhaps most excitingly of all, season 3 will bring "Clone Wars" alum Nika Futterman back as the voice of Count Dooku's former apprentice Asajj Ventress (presumably after it addresses that not-so-insignificant matter involving her death before the show's events in the canon book "Star Wars: Dark Disciple," natch). Last, but certainly not least, Keisha Castle-Hughes will voice Emerie Karr, a scientist at the Advanced Science Division who, as Omega learned at the very end of season 2, is another female clone like her. Will Asajj and Emerie ultimately prove to be friends or foes to Clone Force 99 and their battle for freedom? 

If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? Jennifer Corbett and Brad Rau will continue to operate as, respectively, head writer and supervising director on "The Bad Batch" in its third season, just like they did in seasons 1 and 2. The pair will also serve as executive producers alongside "Clone Wars" and "Star Wars Rebels" creator Dave Filoni, Athena Portillo, and Carrie Beck (Lucasfilm's vice president of animation and live-action development), with Josh Rimes acting as a co-executive producer and Alex Spotswood onboard as senior producer. For those unaware, all these folks have a long and decorated history of working for Lucasfilm Animation. Suffice it to say, season 3 is in safe hands.

As for Filoni, he's presumably going to be even more hands-off in season 3 than he was in the first two seasons. Between being recently appointed Lucasfilm's chief creative officer and actively developing both "Ahsoka" season 2 and a movie that will bridge together all of his live-action "Star Wars" series, he's got quite the full docket at the moment.

The official trailer for "The Bad Batch" season 3 (see above) is thankfully short on answers and big on teases for the incoming final batch (dangit, I almost went an entire article without making that pun...) of episodes. By the look of things, we can anticipate some welcome payoffs to the various plot threads left dangling in seasons 1 and 2, including Crosshair's redemption arc, the beginnings of the Rebel Alliance, and the truth behind the cloning research that will one day lead to an exhausted Poe Dameron announcing to the world, "Somehow Palpatine returned."

This being a Filoni animated series, you'd best believe we'll be getting even more cameos from "Clones Wars" fan favorites too, including the best bounty hunter in the galaxy (apologies to Boba Fett), Cad Bane, who pops up briefly in the trailer. "The Mandalorian" and "Book of Boba Fett" veteran Fennec Shand also shows up following her multi-episode arc in season 1, right before Asajj (now with 100 percent more hair!) steals the show with her shocking and otherwise snazzy entrance at the end of the preview. Time to rise up, Clone Hive!