By Luca Filigenzi, Staff Writer

Good soldiers follow orders, and good news outlets bring you the latest in Star Wars media. 

This past Wednesday saw the premiere of the third and final season of The Clone Wars spin off, The Bad Batch starring Dee Bradley Baker, Ming Na-Wen and Michelle Ang. The show’s premiere is streaming on Disney+. 

The last episode of season two came out March 29, so with 11 months between airings, fans of the show were excited for the new season. The Bad Batch originally started with the characters from the final season of The Clone Wars. One reason of particular anticipation was the trailer, which had the reveal of fan-favorite sith apprentice, Asajj Ventress. She was believed to be dead, given her death in the now non-canon 2015 comic series Dark Disciple.

But what about the episodes themselves? Well, the fourth episode of the season premieres today, each running at 90 minutes. This includes explorations into Omega’s foreshadowed potential, Crosshair’s redemption and further sight into Palpatine’s ultimate plans for cloning. Without spoiling, these three set up an interesting final conflict — that being, the ultimate culmination for all clones, what’s to become of them and what the fate of show’s original characters will be in the grand scale of Star Wars.

First-year Digital Innovation, Film and Television (DIFT) major Parker Smith, a longtime Star Wars fan, shows praise for the show. “It’s a refreshing take on the Star Wars franchise, and delves into themes such as war, brotherhood, and loyalty,” he said. “It made enough of an impression on me to where I was sad that it ended.” 

This sentiment is echoed by many fans. With an 86% on Rotten Tomatoes and 7.8 on IMDB, the show has received generally positive remarks from both critics and  the audience. In particular, season three has an above average 8.0 rating so far, and the climax of the show has yet to come. 

However, with the future of Star Wars uncertain, some loyal Star Wars fans express worry. Regarding the future of the franchise, first-year Philosophy, Politics and the Public major Drew Sikes expressed concern. “I loved the Book of Boba Fett and Kenobi… yeah we have Bad Batch season three, but no important movies or new things… nothing that’s changing the franchise or is moving us in a new direction,” he said. 

“Disney needs to do something new, and do it well, or even the easiest fans to please will give up,” Sikes said. 

So while the premiere of the third season of The Bad Batch is well received, it has not changed the franchise in the eyes of many fans. 

The three premiere episodes of The Bad Batch have been generally liked, but have also set high precedents for the rest of the season and for the franchise itself. But concern for the future of both is persistent among many Star Wars fans.