Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Bad Batch, which was released in 2021 returned with a second season today (January 04). The show revolves around the misfit clones, Tech, Hunter, Crosshair, Wrecker, and Echo. All the members of the Bad Batch, also known as Clone Force 99, are voiced by Dee Bradley Baker.
However, before fans can dive into the new season based on the group that was introduced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars season seven, it’s worthwhile to mention the controversy that surrounded the show. Before the release of season one, fans were disappointed to see that the Bad Batch clones were lighter-skinned than the other clones. This led to fans on Twitter calling out the team for whitewashing the lead clones, playing into a common stereotype of the industry.
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The Bad Batch Gets Called Out
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As fans of the franchise already know, all the clones were modeled after bounty hunter Jango Fett. The character is played by Temuera Morrison who has a Māori heritage. While the clones in the background of the animated series do look like Morrison, the clones which are front and center of the show were depicted to be much lighter-skinned. This led fans to create the hashtag, #UnwhitewashTheBadBatch, demanding that the creators take responsibility for the issue and fix it.
Well, the showrunners certainly heard the fans and fixed their mistake even before the release of season one. The Bad Batch’s Brad Rau addressed this issue with Collider where he stated that the team heard the concerns revolving around the show’s trailer and made corrections. He also added that they made sure to stay true to the legacy of the clones in Clone Wars.
“We listened to all the concerns of the fans. Interestingly, in Season 1, before season one came out, we’re always doing this, we went back to look at the skin tones, and we made some corrections to make sure that we’re being true to the legacy of the clones in Clone Wars. Absolutely, 100%.”
Taking a look at the trailer of the second season and the episodes from the first season, it does seem like the creators made the changes to the characters. The clones appeared darker than what was seen in the trailer.
Temuera Morrison’s Māori Heritage
Morrison took on the role of Boba Fett in The Mandalorian, giving his own take on the character. Morrison’s Boba was tougher, had a vengeance in him, and his warrior side really came through thanks to the actor. It turns out, these traits were highlighted by Morrison thanks to his Māori culture.The actor stated that he was trained in Haka (a warrior dance) from a young age and that he used his warrior background as a source of confidence.
“I come from a warrior background in New Zealand. I am a Māori abd I’ve been trained. It gives me something to draw on. I was trained as a young boy back in New Zealand in the art of our Haka….I’m using my warrior background as a source of energy and as a source of confidence.”
He stated that he felt a sense of responsibility to bring the culture into the limelight and even put the names of his ancestors on his things at the set.
“It’s a great opportunity for me as a Māori from New Zealand to put us on the world stage again. I feel a sense of responsibility. I put the name of one of my ancestors on my chair, my changing room and on my parking space. So when I pulled in, there was my ancestor’s name: Tama-te-kapua, one of the captains that traversed the Pacific and arrived in [New Zealand]. It gave me a sense of pride … and a sense of responsibility for the people back home who will get to watch some of this stuff.”
Morrison sure is proud of his culture and doesn’t plan on leaving it behind, no matter where he goes!
Star Wars: The Bad Batch is available to stream on Disney+.
Source: Collider
