This article contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 2, episodes 7 & 8.Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 2 has finally revealed the true birth of the Empire's stormtrooper program. A spiritual successor to Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Lucasfilm's latest animated series has followed in its predecessor's footsteps, telling mostly self-contained tales before delivering significant, story-driven episodes with a huge impact on the wider Star Wars universe. This latter format was evident with Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 2, episodes 7 and 8 - "The Clone Conspiracy" and "Truth and Consequences."
The story kicks off with a clone trooper Slip, who goes on the run after being targeted by Admiral Rampart for knowing about the destruction of Kamino and Rampart's attempted coverup. Rampart is attempting to begin a conscripted military in place of the clones, and Slip allies with a senator opposed to this - Senator Chuchi, a familiar face from Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Matters soon escalate, drawing Captain Rex and Clone Force 99. Events soon spiral out of control, though, resulting in the birth of the Imperial Stormtrooper program.
The Bad Batch Season 1 Set Up The Empire's Stormtrooper Program
Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 1 introduced Project War-Mantle, revealed to be the establishment of the Imperial Stormtrooper program. The seeds were sown back in the season 1 premiere, with Wilhuff Tarkin assessing the viability of the clone program to the Empire. Throughout this episode, Tarkin becomes increasingly insistent on the disadvantages of Clones, from their accelerated aging, the deficiency of some inhibitor chips, and the identical nature of clone bodies (and, in his view, minds too)
The first season of Star Wars: The Bad Batch saw Clone Force 99 stumble upon Project War-Mantle, discovering an installation where conscripted clones were being trained by clone commandos. The Empire clearly viewed Project War-Mantle as a success, canceling clone production at Kamino before destroying Tipoca City and the other clone facilities. As seen in season 2, Admiral Rampart covered this up as a natural disaster, and used the destruction to push for stormtrooper replacements.
The Stormtrooper Program Officially Began About A Year After RotS
Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 1 laid the groundwork for the stormtroopers to emerge as the Empire's primary military force, and "The Clone Conspiracy" and "Truth and Consequences" revealed this fully came into play in 18BBY, a year after Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. After Clone Force 99, Rex, and Chuchi exposed Rampart's destruction of Tipoca City - with the help of Senator Bail Organa - Emperor Palpatine himself appeared in Star Wars: The Bad Batch. In his usual scheming ways, Palpatine managed to twist the situation in his favor.
Palpatine feigned ignorance of Rampart's plans and arrested him, winning the approval of the other Senate members. After doing so, Palpatine twisted the blame for the destruction of Tipoca City to fall on the clones, questioning why such horrific acts were carried out without hesitation. There's a dark irony in Palpatine using this argument, given Order 66 overrode the clones' free will and essentially reduced them to slaves; in reality, the Emperor was moving away from clones because the effects of Order 66 were wearing off, and he no doubt considered indoctrination a better trool. Palpatine thus made the final political push for the Imperial Stormtrooper program, allowing Star Wars: The Bad Batch to tell a story that has a massive impact on the Star Wars franchise.
New episodes of Star Wars: The Bad Batch release every Wednesday on Disney+.