Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 Is Last Star Wars With George Lucas' "Fingerprints," Says Star

Star Wars: The Bad Batch returns this week for its third and final season on Disney+, but it's the end of a much bigger era for Star Wars. ComicBook.com had the chance to speak with Dee Bradley Baker, who voices each member of the Bad Batch except for Omega. Before the Bad Batch debuted, Baker voiced all the clones in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. ComicBook.com asked Baker if he feels like Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 serves as a fitting conclusion to the clones' story as it began back in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. He feels it does, and also notes that, in a way, Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 is the last bit of Star Wars to have George Lucas' DNA, since he had the idea to introduce Clone Force 99 in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

"Well, I think you're right that, in a sense, this really is an end of an era," Baker says. "Because the clones in the Bad Batch was the final element of The Clone Wars that George Lucas had his fingerprints on. This was his idea, to initially start and give them a little arc and give it a try. And everybody said, "Yeah, we like it," including George, and then they went back in to do that. So they finished The Clone Wars and, and this is kind of the final escape pod that made it out of that series, is The Bad Batch, and they're bringing it in for a landing in spectacular Star Wars fashion that I really know that the fans are going to love. It's such great Star Wars, I think, and I can't wait for people to see it.

When did George Lucas come up with the Bad Batch for Star Wars?

George Lucas conceived of the Bad Batch while working with Dave Filoni on the original run of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. However, Star Wars: The Clone Wars had its run cut short after Lucas sold Lucasfilm to Disney and the franchise's focus shifted to the sequel trilogy. As part of The Clone Wars Legacy project, Lucasfilm released the unfinished story reels for the episodes that would have introduced the Bad Batch online.

The episode only existed in that form for years until Disney announced that it would release a final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars on Disney+ in 2020. The premiere episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 7 is titled "The Bad Batch" and kicked off the four-episode arc that introduced Clone Force 99 and saw Echo joining the squad, priming them for their eventual spinoff.

What is Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 about?

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 picks up where Season 2 left off. The Bad Batch is still reeling from losing one of their members, Tech, and determined to rescue Omega from capture at Mount Tantiss.

According to a press release from Disney+, in Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3, "the Batch will have their limits tested in the fight to reunite with Omega as she faces challenges of her own inside a remote Imperial science lab. With the group fractured and facing threats from all directions, they will have to seek out unexpected allies, embark on dangerous missions, and muster everything they have learned to free themselves from the Empire."

Who is in the Star Wars: The Bad Batch cast?

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 stars Dee Bradley Baker (American Dad!) as the voice of every Bad Batch member and Michelle Ang (Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462) as Omega. The cast also includes Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider), Jimmi Simpson (Westworld), Noshir Dalal (It's Pony), and Wanda Sykes (The Upshaws). 

Star Wars: The Bad Batch is executive produced by Dave Filoni (Ahsoka, The Mandalorian), Athena Portillo (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels), Brad Rau (Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars Resistance), Jennifer Corbett (Star Wars Resistance, NCIS) and Carrie Beck (Ahsoka, The Mandalorian), with Josh Rimes (Star Wars Resistance, Star Wars: Visions) as co-executive producer and Alex Spotswood (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels) as senior producer. Rau is also the supervising director, with Corbett as the head writer.    

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 debuts its first three episodes on Wednesday, February 21st, on Disney+. Here's the entire episode release schedule:

Season 3 Episode Schedule: 

• ·  2/21:  Episode 301 "Confined," Episode 302 "Paths Unknown," Episode 303 "Shadows of Tantiss" (debut)
• ·  2/28:  Episode 304 "A Different Approach"
• ·  3/6:    Episode 305 "The Return"
• ·  3/13:  Episode 306 "Infiltration" & Episode 307 "Extraction"
• ·  3/20:  Episode 308 "Bad Territory"
• ·  3/27:  Episode 309 "The Harbinger"
• ·  4/3:    Episode 310 "Identity Crisis" & Episode 311 "Point of No Return"
• ·  4/10:  Episode 312 "Juggernaut"
• ·  4/17:  Episode 313 "Into the Breach"
• ·  4/24:  Episode 314 "Flash Strike"
• ·  5/1:    Episode 315 "The Cavalry Has Arrived" (finale)