Star Wars: Battlefront 2 included a chapter in the Galactic Imperial era where Clones rebelled on Kamino, similarly to the Bad Batch's defection and rebellion in the show's first season. Star Wars' Clones are fascinating characters that benefitted from shows like Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, and various video games. While early Star Wars media portrayed their legions as backstabbing, efficient killers loyal to the Sith, Disney's canon and other projects in the post-prequel era further developed their lore. Unsurprisingly, many fans became fond of Clones as they formed unique personalities, leading to shows like The Bad Batch exploring their fate post-Order 66.
Star Wars: Battlefront 2 featured a story mode voiced with the 501st journal, which explored battles throughout the Clone Wars and into the Galactic Empire. Narrations and basic cutscenes explained how the war occurred through a Clone's eyes and offered insight into their personalities during the Wars. Despite being bred for combat and programmed to follow orders unquestioningly, Battlefront revealed a deeper side to the Clone Army. As Stormtroopers gradually replaced the Clones, the Kaminoans produced a Clone force to battle Imperial forces and liberate the planet from the Galactic Empire. Boba Fett accompanied the 501st and retrieved a sample of Jango Fett's DNA for his Imperial employers. Unfortunately, these events are now non-canon compliant after Disney overhauled the Star Wars universe.
The Bad Batch is Star Wars' most recent Clone-centric show, which focuses on a group of Clone Troopers shortly after the extermination of the Jedi Purge. While most Bad Batch proved immune to the effects of their inhibitor chips and failed to execute Order 66 on their Jedi Generals and Commanders, Crosshair (the unit's sniper) ultimately ed the Empire and remained loyal to Palpatine. During the first season, Hunter, Echo, Tech, and Wrecker, accompanied by a young female Clone (Omega), evade Kamino and Imperial forces in the ultimate bid for freedom. However, as the Empire seeks to eliminate defective Clones and the Kaminoans desire enhanced soldiers for genetic material, the Bad Batch is pursued on nearly every planet.
Star Wars: Battlefront 2 Depicts Clones Vs. Stormtroopers
Star Wars: Battlefront 2 features several game modes, allowing players to explore different eras, characters, and loadouts. The game's story campaign restricted players to a set order of planets, battles, and events accompanied by a Clone from the 501st Legion's journal. Battlefront 2's Kamino Uprising depicted the Galactic Imperial's Stormtroopers against the Kaminoans' unique Clones bred to rebel. The combat between Stormtroopers and Clones is an interesting concept, especially considering their varying efficiencies in official lore. As portrayed in Star Wars' Original Trilogy, Stormtroopers often miss their targets and are a much less adept fighting force than the Galactic Republic's army. Unfortunately, the Battlefront 2 campaign fails to justify why this shift occurred, whereas The Bad Batch depicts the transition between manufactured and conscripted soldiers.
With shows like The Mandalorian and games like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, more pieces of the Star Wars timeline are becoming apparent. The shift between different galactic governments and the adventures of new, unique characters offer an exciting slew of new content. However, it's important to acknowledge the inspiration from previous works, such as content from Star Wars Legends or non-canon games like Bounty Hunter and the original Battlefront 2. Since pre-existing movies influence many additions to canon, the continued existence of rebel Clones in The Bad Batch and Star Wars Rebels are promising signs for game continuity. Unfortunately, it's unlikely for the entirely of Star Wars: Battlefront 2 to remain canon with and existing series.
The Bad Batch Focuses On Star Wars' Rebel Clones
Star Wars: The Clone Wars had Arc Troopers and expanded on different events and characters throughout the Clone Wars, and offered an official explanation for why the soldiers turned against the Jedi. The Kaminoans designed the inhibitor chips to make the Clones more obedient than Jango Fett and included several orders programmed into their host. While these chips convinced most Clones to follow Order 66, Battlefront 2 and The Bad Batch make it clear that not all soldiers fell victim to its effects. Defective chips and dedicated allies to the Clones removed a series of chips to liberate several high-profile soldiers. However, this lore only came after Star Wars: Battlefront 2 released on PS2 and GameCube and made the Anti-Troopers during the Kamino rebellion non-canon.
A specific difference between Star Wars: Battlefront 2 and The Bad Batch is the context of Rebel Clones and their overall importance to the story. While Star Wars: Battlefront 2 centers the story around the footsoldiers behind each important Star Wars faction, heroes can appear during battle, and the focus of several missions shifts to noteworthy events (like the Death Star's destruction). Additionally, the game focuses exclusively on Clones that maintained loyalty to the Empire and fails to explore the exceptions. Meanwhile, The Bad Batch explores new planets and lesser-known events on a smaller scale, expanding on the adventures of five deviant Clones as they evade capture. The squad's adventures take them far from the universe's movie stories, though it's possible The Bad Batch Season 2 could shift focus back towards the Empire and Rebellion's conflict.
Star Wars: Battlefront 2 & Bad Batch Explore A New Era
New games like LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga cover significant portions of lore in the franchise, but Star Wars: Battlefront 2 and The Bad Batch cover a unique transitional period. Following Order 66, the Galactic Empire needed to gain control over the galaxy quickly. Confederacy remnants still struggled against impending annexation, with Clone forces imprisoning or executing Separatist Senators. While the Empire's hostile takeover of the galaxy was expected from previous information gathered on the faction, seeing it in real-time provided Star Wars: Battlefront 2 and The Bad Batch with unique storytelling opportunities. The 501st Legion and Clone Force 99 (temporarily) transitioned from heroes to an oppressive, galactic force, one which The Bad Batch Season 2 could develop further.
While Star Wars' Bad Batch show characters provide a more concentrated look at rebelling Clones, Star Wars: Battlefront 2 focused more on combat. Players occupied unique roles in battles and experienced several Clone loadouts in memorable battles. From the jungles of Felucia to the cloning facilities on Kamino, players' 501st Clones experienced many influential events. While the Bad Batch has yet to feature in a standalone video game title, players searching for rebellious Clone content should return to Star Wars: Battlefront 2.
