I thought I would open this month with something a Long Time Ago coming to a Galaxy Far, Far Away since we have a new entry into that universe with the Disney + cg animated series, The Bad Batch.
Having watched the pilot episode earlier today (after my nephew called to remind me it was on - he is a huge Star Wars fan), I'd like to give some thoughts I had and address some ideas it brought to mind about gaming in the early days of the new Galactic Empire.
I've always been curious about what the Star Wars universe was like in the fledgling days of Imperial Empire and even more so after the Clone Wars Animated Series that this new show spins out of.
What was the transition like? How did the Clonetrooper give way to the Stormtrooper and why? Did some Jedi escape Order 66 only to be eliminated later? How did the Star Wars Galaxy at large handle the change from Republic to Empire?
Overall, I get the feeling this series will address a lot of these questions and I am very much looking forward to that. It is my hope (and my belief based solely on this first episode) that the show will give us Star Wars RPG fans all the world-building elements we'll need to set a campaign during this era.
As with practically all the pop culture entertainment I consume, I look upon it with one eye toward analyzing its particulars as they pertain to being used in RPGs. This is especially true for IPs like Star Wars, which I not only love but which I find well portrayed in one of my all time favorite games, West End Games' D6 System.
It's not just the characters, aliens, droids, and other trappings of The Bad Batch that I am looking to stat but I'm also trying to get the feel of the era and the type of stories being told. I want to get the atmosphere and the tone correct and I am looking forward to studying them as much as the plots and events of the series.
Now as for the pilot episode itself, I liked it a lot. One of the main reasons was that the key characters, Clone Force 99 - The Bad Batch, were far more intriguing here than in The Clone Wars final season arc that introduced them. There I found them very one-note, mere caricatures of action movie archetypes. Here there was a bit more to them but more importantly, the subtle yet distinct feeling there is more still to be learned.
I'll definitely be tuning in this coming Friday for the second episode and beyond to see where these characters go and how this setting develops.
I will likely revisit The Bad Batch again in the near future as the show progresses. I hope you'll join me.
Until then...May The Force Be With You.
Always.
AD
Barking Alien
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