Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for The Bad Batch Season 2.It may have taken a while, but The Bad Batch is finally getting the justice it deserves in the Star Wars franchise. Originally, a four-part storyline featuring the genetically modified soldiers of “Clone Force 99” was planned and roughly animated for a future season of The Clone Wars, but due to the show’s initial cancellation on Cartoon Network, it was shelved. While an unfinished test reel of the arc was originally released online and on Blu-Ray copies of the show’s sixth season, the completed version finally aired as part of the seventh season on Disney+. The popularity of the characters inspired the spinoff The Bad Batch series; it now enters its second season with much more action, excitement, intrigue, and Easter Eggs.
The Bad Batch follows the titular squad of clones after the events of Revenge of the Sith, where they’re assigned to work under the Empire. After realizing that the Empire is far different than the Republic they once fought for (and they’re not inhibited by the chips placed in regular clones), the warrior Hunter, the strongman Wrecker, the computer genius Tech, and the cybernetic Echo escape from their homeworld of Kamino with their young ally Omega (Michelle Ang), a female clone of mysterious origins. Unfortunately, the sniper Hunter has reverted to his Imperial mindset, and ruthlessly hunts down suspected rebels in service of Governor Tarkin (Stephen Stanton).
Following the destruction of the cloning facility in the first season’s gripping finale, The Bad Batch season 2 picks up with the squad as they go on mercenary missions for the Trandoshan criminal Cid (Rhea Perlman). Season 2 includes many familiar faces from the franchise, and once again shows why Dee Bradley Baker’s vocal work is without equal. Here are all the Easter Eggs in The Bad Batch season 2 that you may have missed.
The Lambda Class Shuttle
When Omega is studying holograms of various Republic and Imperial ships, she pulls up an image of a “Lambda Class” Shuttle. This ship was first introduced in Return of the Jedi, and serves as the private transport of both Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine when they board the second Death Star.
Recolored Armor
The Bad Batch has apparently taken the time to recolor their armor with red stripes, which may be an early sign of their loyalties (as red was the dominant color of the Rebel Alliance). In The Clone Wars, clones decorated and colored their own armor to reflect their personalities or the Jedi that they served. After the execution of Order 66, the colors are washed out to white as a signal that they are only loyal to the Empire.
Cid’s Bar
Cid’s hideout features many Star Wars items in the background, including a Phase II clone helmet and the design of a Mandalorian mask.
Count Dooku’s Castle
In “Ruins of War,” the Bad Batch heads to Serenno, the homeworld of Count Dooku that was featured throughout The Clone Wars. The clones break into Count Dooku’s personal chambers before they’re cornered; Asajj Ventress did the same thing during The Clone Wars episode “Nightsisters” when she attempted to assassinate her master.
The Low Altitude Assault Transport
Another familiar The Clone Wars ship pops up in “Ruins of War” when the Bad Batch is pursued by a Low Altitude Assault Transport, also known as a Republic Gunship. These were first introduced in Attack of the Clones during the Battle of Kamino and were featured throughout The Clone Wars; by the time of Rebels, they’ve been completely converted to fortified Imperial gunships.
Commander Cody’s Return
Obi-Wan Kenobi’s loyal clone Commander Cody returns for his first canonical appearance after he tries to assassinate his former friend in Revenge of the Sith. In the “Legends” timeline, it’s revealed in the background of The Force Unleashed II that Cody was given a command post on Kamino where he remained throughout the Imperial era.
Who Voices Tawni Ames?
The Separatist leader who defies the Empire in the city of Desix is voiced by Tasia Valenza, who appeared in The Clone Wars as Shaaki Ti and Resistance as Venisa Doza.
Who Voices Governor Grotton?
The Imperial governor sent to take control of Desix is voiced by Max Mittelman, a veteran voice actor for the Star Wars franchise who has appeared in the video games Battlefront, Battlefront II, and The Old Republic MMORPG.
Who Voices Romar Adell?
The Serenno native Romar Adell is voiced by guest star Héctor Elizondo, best known for his role as Mr. Grey in 1974’s The Taking of Pelham One Two Three and his Golden Globe nominated performance as Barnard Thompson in Pretty Women.
The Rangefinder
If the sound of the Rangefinder blaster sounds familiar, Lucasfilm sound designer David W. Collins confirmed on Twitter that it is the same sound used from the 2002 Star Wars video game Bounty Hunter. The Rangefinder was originally used by Jango Fett, which signifies Crosshair has advanced sniper skills.
Who Is Mina Bonteri?
Tawni Ames mentions to Grotton and Cody that she and her friend Mina Bonteri brought forth a treaty in the Separatist Senate to put an end to the war, but it was rejected by Supreme Leader Palpatine before he took over as Emperor. This is a reference to The Clone Wars episode “Heroes on Both Sides,” where Bonteri’s attempt to bridge peace with Padme Amidala is disrupted after General Grievous leads a droid terrorist attack on Coruscant before the vote can be held. Bonteri is later assassinated by a presumed Republic attack (that was orchestrated by Count Dooku), but her son Lux becomes a love interest of Ahsoka Tano.
The First Battle Memorial
Cody and Crosshairs’ final conversation is held in front of The First Battle Memorial, a statue built at the plaza of the Republic Center for Military Operations on Coruscant as a tribute to the clones that were killed on Geonosis in Attack of the Clones.
The Clone Mess Hall
Crosshair eats alone after a few other soldiers move away from him in a clone mess hall that serves rationed food items. These mess halls were the sight of social gatherings in The Clone Wars, but now they are eerily silent.
Holochess
Wrecker and Omega are playing a game of Holochess, also known as “Dejarik,” using the ship’s gaming system. This pastime frequently appears in the Star Wars universe, most notably during a game aboard the Millennium Falcon between Chewbacca and C-3PO in A New Hope.
Nerf Nuggets
Hunter and Echo’s absence is explained by their activities transporting “nerf nuggets.” This is the food of the nerfs, a furry animal species that grazes on planets such as Lothal and Alderaan. However, it is best known from an exchange in The Empire Strikes Back when Princess Leia refers to Han Solo as a “scruffy looking nerf herder.”
Riot Racing
The Riot Racing competition and arena are largely similar to the pod races that were first seen in The Phantom Menace. However, the ships themselves and the violent style of the game are closer in line with the swoop racing from the Knights of the Old Republic games. The podracing sequence was inspired by George Lucas’ love of racing as a teenager on the streets of Modesto, California when he was a teenager; Lucas was critically injured before his high school graduation and forced to give up his dreams of racing.
Gaming Tracks
While the construction of the course is consistent with podracing, the digital signs within the narrow tracks are closer in design to the advertising within the underworld of Coruscant in Attack of the Clones.
Snack Time!
Attending the Riot Racing games does give Wrecker and Omega the chance to take a quick snack break. They appear to be eating the same Mantell Mix that they shared together in season 1. Wrecker seems to be enjoying an unidentified fried food on a stick in the arena, similar to the ones sold during the podrace in The Phantom Menace. There’s also a shot of some crowd members eating Meiloorun fruit, the same item that is sold in the markets on Lothal in Rebels.
Who Voices Tay-0?
In a guest appearance, Ben Schwartz voices the spunky droid Tay-0. It’s actually not his first Star Wars appearance; the Sonic the Hedgehog star is also credited as a “voice consultant” for BB-8 in The Force Awakens, where he also has a brief cameo as a stormtrooper.
Who Voices Grini Millegi?
The Dowutin gangster Grini Millegi is voiced in a cameo appearance by Ernie Hudson.
Nosaurian
Among the racers identified by the announcer is Jet Venim, the Nousurian favored by Millegi. This is the first time that the Nosaurian species has appeared in the franchise since the podracer Clegg Holdfast popped up in The Phantom Menace. Venom and the announcer were voiced by Jonathan Lipow, who also portrayed one of the refugees in season 1. He’s also done voice work for Resistance, Visions, and The Old Republic.
The Protocol Droid Hybrid
One of the other identified racers by the announcer is the droid Quasar, also known as “Quick-Draw.” Quasar has the head of a B1-series battle droid and the body of a 3PO protocol droid; a similar hybrid is seen fighting in the Geonosian arena in Attack of the Clones after C-3PO’s body parts are switched with a battle droid’s amidst Anakin and Padmes’ factory chase.
Commando Droids Return
One racer that Tech may have been particularly keen to take down is Haxxon Trajanix, a BX-series commando droid known as “The War Gnome.” These droids were used by the Confederacy of Independent Systems in The Clone Wars and had the unique ability to replicate the voices of other creatures in order to deceive the clones. They first appeared in the Season 1 episode “Rookies,” in which they slaughtered almost all of Echo’s squadmates. “Rookies” was also notably the first The Clone Wars episode to focus specifically on the clones as main characters.
Never Trust A Trandoshan…
After being impressed by the clones’ integrity, Millegi warns the squad that Cid and her kind are not to be trusted. This is more than just an off-handed threat; in the Expanded Universe, the Trandoshan species is renowned for their skills as bounty hunters and assassins. Their enslavement of other species is seen in The Clone Wars season 3 finale “Wookiee Hunt” when Ahsoka Tano and Chewbacca team up to escape an enslavement camp. In the “Legends” universe, the Trandoshan Cradossk (the father of Bossk from The Empire Strikes Back) is the leader of the Bounty Hunter’s Guild.
Christopher Yost
“Entombed” is the first episode of The Bad Batch written by Christopher Yost, who previously wrote The Mandalorian episode “The Prisoner.” Yost is a frequent contributor within the Marvel Cinematic Universe and helped pen the scripts for Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok.
Pirates!
As Phee Genoa tells her stories to Omega in Cy’s hideout, she alludes to her history of piracy within the Star Wars galaxy. One of the aliens listening into her story is a Weequay; The Clone Wars fans may remember the Weequay pirates led by Hondo Ohnaka, who became a frequent ally and friend to both Ahsoka Tano and Rebels’ Ezra Bridger.
MEL-221
“Entombed” marks the first appearance of Genoa’s droid companion MEL-221, who ends up getting destroyed during the mission into the Heart of the Mountain. Although the model of Power Droid is not confirmed, MEL-221 bears a resemblance to the Gonk Droids that first appeared in the original trilogy.
Notes of Indiana Jones
When the characters enter the tomb, Kevin Kiner’s score includes a few notes recreating the main themes of the iconic Indiana Jones soundtrack. It wouldn’t be the first reference to Star Wars’ sister Lucasfilm franchise, as the two sagas have frequently referenced each other over the years.
Wrong Step
One of the traps that Phee Genoa, Omega, and the clones encounter when searching through the tunnels is a collapsing floor that corresponds to a hidden message that is only revealed with light. This is another reference to the Indiana Jones franchise; Indy must choose the right floor letters to step on in order to not be dropped to his doom in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Skara Nal
Phee mentions a pirate legend of Skara Nal, a sacred palace built by the Ancients during a prehistoric era that predates the creation of the Jedi Order and the formation of the Galactic Republic. This could be a potential reference to the Rakata of the Knights of the Old Republic series, which were recently referenced in an episode of Andor.
More Crystals
Trouble begins to arise for the Bad Batch upon the removal of a crystal from the heart of the mountain. It’s not confirmed if this is in fact another kyber crystal, but it’s entirely possible that other types of crystals in the Star Wars universe have similarly ceremonial and destructive powers.
Mechs and Monsters
While “Entombed” certainly captured the treasure-hunting vibe of the Indiana Jones series, the appearance of a giant mech at the very end of the episode suggested an affinity for the Toho Godzilla universe, and Mechagodzilla in particular. This doesn’t come as a huge shock, as Dave Filoni has admitted on multiple occasions that he’s a massive kaiju fan; kaiju-like creatures even appeared in The Clone Wars’ second season in the episodes “The Zillo Beast” and “The Zillo Beast Strikes Back.”
Fallen Order
The mech that the characters find themselves trapped inside is similar in structure to the Tomb Guardians from the popular canon video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. In Fallen Order, ancient robotic creatures are created by the Zeffro to defend their sacred crypts and tombs from thieves and marauders.
Wookiee Smuggling
The capture and smuggling of enslaved Wookiees has been a part of the Star Wars Legends canon for decades; the idea first made an appearance in the 1990s Han Solo Trilogy. In the original Legends story, a young Han (then training as an Imperial pilot) refuses to execute the Wookiee slave Chewbacca, who subsequently swears a life debt to him. This concept was reworked in Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Gungi
The young Wookiee Jedi Gungi first made his appearance in a fifth season story arc of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, in which Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein) mentored a group of younglings on a mission to Ilum to build their lightsabers. The four-part storyline initially debuted at Star Wars Celebration VI as a potential backdoor pilot for a Young Jedi spin-off series, but these plans were scrapped after the cancelation of The Clone Wars on Cartoon Network.
Kashyyyk
Although the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk was most prominently displayed in Revenge of the Sith, the name and design of the planet was first utilized in the infamous 1978 The Star Wars Holiday Special. Originally, George Lucas planned to set the end of Return of the Jedi on Kashyyyk, but changed the concept to Endor due to the less expensive Ewok costumes.
Trandoshans
Trandoshans and Wookiees have a longstanding cultural conflict due to the proximity of their homeworlds. Trandoshan slavers often search for Wookiee targets due to their strength in manual labor; we previously saw this in The Clone Wars’ season 3 finale “Wookiee Hunt.”
Wookiee Jedi
Gungi isn’t the first force-sensitive Wookiee we’ve seen in the Star Wars universe. In the 1990s young adult novel series Young Jedi Knights, Chewbacca’s nephew Lowbacca joins Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Academy on Yavin IV.
“My Wookiee Is A Bit Rusty….”
The “Wookiee language” that Hunter is referring to is officially known as Shyriiwook.
Kinrath
The massive beasts on Kashyyyk are known as Kinrath, and first made their appearance in the Knights of the Old Republic gaming series.
Wroshyr trees
The massive Wroshyr tree that Gungi and Omega kneel before are sacred to the Wookiee culture. They are central to the Kashyyyk biological system, and provide Wookiees with timber, sap, and protection. Some of the older trees are over 50,000 years old.
Babwa Venomor
The Trandoshan mercenary was first created for an unfinished story arc in Star Wars: The Clone Wars that was left unfinished after the show’s cancellation in 2013.
Jedi Shelters
Wookiees have a longstanding relationship with the Jedi Order, and many escaped Jedi went into hiding on Kashyyyk in the aftermath of Order 66. In The Force Unleashed video game, Galen Marek is raised on Kashyyyk by his father, a former Jedi, until Darth Vader and his Imperial forces invade the planet.
The Clone Cantina
Located in the underworld of Coruscant, this private casino allows the clone troopers to socialize during their breaks from duty. We last saw the cantina in the sixth season of The Clone Wars when the ARC Trooper “Fives” was falsely accused of attempting to assassinate Chancellor Palptaine.
8D-Series Droids
The cantina’s bartender is an 8D-Series droid, a frequent sight in some of the seedier sides of the Star Wars galaxy. 8D8 famously appears destroying a fellow droids in order to intimidate C-3PO in Return of the Jedi.
The Imperial Senate
This is among the first glimpses we get of the newly formed Imperial Senate in the wake of Revenge of the Sith, as chronologically, The Bad Batch takes place prior to Andor. Some of the familiar Senators speaking include the commerce guild representative Senator Shu Mai (who first appeared in Attack of the Clones) and Senator Pamlo (who briefly appeared in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story).
Senator Riyo Chuchi
Senator Chuchi first appeared in the first season of The Clone Wars during the episode “Trespass,” in which she became an ally of Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Captain Rex by finding a peaceful solution to a crisis on her home planet. She later became an ally of Padme Amidala in the Senate during negotiations with the Trade Federation.
Bail Organa
Based on the canonical deleted scenes from Revenge of the Sith, Bail Organa has already begun organizing some resistance forces against the Empire. In The Bad Batch, he is voiced by Phil LaMarr.
R2-C4
The astromech droid that Bail Organa uses to pass a message to Chuchi would later appear in Star Wars: Resistance, albeit with a new paint job.
“A Friend’s Garage”
Rex mentions to Chuchi that the garage they’re hiding at belongs to some old friends; this is the garage owned by the Martez sisters, who have become allies to Ahsoka Tano, Rex, and the Bad Batch throughout their appearances in The Clone Wars and The Bad Batch.
Cyanide Tooth
The cyanide tooth that the clone assassin uses to take his own life was also used by an Imperial officer in season 2 of The Mandalorian.
Halle Burtoni
The Kaminoan Senator first appeared in the second season of The Clone Wars during the episode “Duchess of Mandalore.”
Who’s the Emperor?
Star Wars animation has used multiple actors as the voice of the Emperor. Although the late great Seinfeld actor Ian Abercrombie voiced the character in The Clone Wars, he sadly passed away during the end of the series’ run. Tim Curry stepped in as his replacement during the final two seasons of The Clone Wars before Sam Witwir took over the role in Rebels. In The Bad Batch, he is voiced by original actor Ian McDiarmid, who has played the character since Return of the Jedi.
