For two seasons, Star Wars: The Bad Batch has followed the journey of the elite squad known as Clone Force 99. But during the story conference for the second season in the series, executive producer Dave Filoni suggested another clone step into the spotlight with three simple words: “What about Cody?” In StarWars.com’s exclusive excerpt from the Star Wars Insider #219 story “The Anatomy of Animation, Part One,” contributing writer Amy Richau follows the creative journey of the “The Solitary Clone.”
THE ORIGIN STORY
The production of The Bad Batch Season 2, as with all stories coming out of Lucasfilm Animation, began with a preliminary discussion between Corbett, Rau, story editor Matt Michnovetz, executive producer Athena Portillo, co-executive producer Carrie Beck, producer Josh Rimes, and executive producer Dave Filoni. “In that early meeting, we discussed the next batch of episodes on a very macro scale,” notes Corbett, “what the storylines were going to involve and the themes that we wanted to hit. For Episode 3 in particular, the original concept was a day in the life of Crosshair now that he’d doubled down and stayed loyal to the Empire. He’s estranged from the Bad Batch, has no elite squad, and he’s not in charge.”
During discussions about Crosshair’s journey, and who Crosshair might go on a mission with in the absence of his old team (someone he would respect), Filoni brought up the idea of using Commander Cody from Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008-2020). The idea was an immediate hit around the table. “He’s the reason why the Bad Batch really are a squad,” says Corbett. “It calls back to the original arc in The Clone Wars when audiences were introduced to the Bad Batch. Cody was one of the only regular clones that Crosshair liked.”
“When Dave said, ‘What about Cody?’ I thought, ‘Are you serious?’” laughs Rau. “And then everybody just leaned in. And I think the fans have reacted in the same way. When we showed the Season 2 trailer at Celebration 2022 it was like a tidal wave of excitement.”
Adding Cody to the episode gave The Bad Batch creators an opportunity to use clones on a mission to a separatist stronghold leftover from the war, complete with battle droids and Separatist tanks. As Corbett notes, this was to make it feel, “like the clones aren’t the bad guys, but they are.”
Read more in Star Wars Insider #219 and subscribe to Star Wars Insider now for more of the latest news, in-depth articles, and exclusive interviews in every issue!
