WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 1, Episode 1, "Aftermath," which is streaming on Disney+.
Disney+'s Star Wars: The Bad Batch has finally arrived, continuing where the animated Clone Wars TV series left off. This new show centers on Clone Force 99, a clone commando special forces squad that originally consisted of four clones -- Crosshair, Hunter, Tech and Wrecker -- with genetic mutations upon their introduction in Clone Wars Season 7. The group later added the Advanced Recon Commando Clone Corporal CT-1409 AKA Echo, a "reg" clone who was captured by Separatist forces and equipped with cybernetic implants.
The Bad Batch Season 1, Episode 1, "Aftermath," picks up with Clone Force 99 on the planet Kaller during the events of Revenge of the Sith. There, the squad serves as reinforcement for Jedi Master Depa Billaba and her padawan, a young Caleb Dume -- AKA Kanan Jarrus from Star Wars Rebels, in the heat of battle, easily taking out a whole legion of Separatist battle droids.
However, before they can begin to celebrate their victory, the newly-proclaimed Emperor Palpatine declares the Jedi have betrayed the Republic and commands the clones to kill them under Order 66. As Billaba is brutally gunned down by her troops, a confused Hunter tries to help the fleeing Caleb, only for Crosshair to step in and attempt to shoot him. Hunter then allows Caleb to get away, reporting he fell to his death down a waterfall after Hunter stunned him with a blaster shot -- a lie Crosshair immediately sees through.
Upon returning to Kamino, Clone Force 99 learns General Grievous was defeated by Obi-Wan Kenobi on Utapau, bringing the Clone Wars to an end. Even so, Echo says he doesn't consider their mission on Kaller a success, which leads to Crosshair calling out Hunter for lying about letting Caleb make his escape. "I don't like to think of executing our commanders as a mission objective," Hunter responds, further enraging Crosshair. When Echo wonders how the other clones could've turned on Billaba so mercilessly, Tech notes that, unlike them, "reg" clones are programmed to follow orders without question. Later, Hunter is visibly troubled when he and the other clones receive a message from Palpatine, announcing he is reorganizing the Republic into the Galactic Empire.
Shortly after, Grand Moff Tarkin arrives on Kamino and tells the Prime Minister Lama Su that Palpatine is questioning the need for additional clone troopers following the end of the war. When Su argues the Empire will want them to maintain order across the galaxy, Tarkin replies that "conscription soldiers" would provide the same service at half the cost of clones. He then insists on assessing the clones' skill level and efficiency for himself, putting Clone Force 99 through a combat test that nearly gets Wrecker killed after Tarkin has battle droids equipped with live ammunition, rather than training blasters, deployed against them.
Fortunately, Clone Force 99 is able to meet Tarkin's challenge thanks to their improvisatory battle strategies. Yet, while Tarkin is impressed by these "enhanced" clones (as the Kaminoans call them), he's wary of the "concerning level of disobedience and disregard" they show for following orders. As such, he sends them on a mission to take down a group of supposed Separatists intent on keeping the war going in the Onderon sector, as a way of assessing their usefulness to the Imperial Army. Before they depart, though, Hunter is warned by Omega -- a mysterious adolescent girl who serves as a medical assistant to the chief Kaminoan scientist Nala Se -- she believes Tarkin doesn't trust him.
On Onderon, Clone Force 99 discovers the so-called "insurgents" are not battle droids but ordinary civilians led by Saw Gerrera, who fought for the Republic during the Clone Wars. Saw informs them he and others have refused to fight for the Empire, which is why Tarkin sent Hunter and his squad after them. ("Makes you wonder what else they're lying about," he adds.) All the same, because the clones helped Onderon during the war, Saw lets Clone Force 99 go, but not before warning them "You can either adapt and survive, or die with the past."
Heading back, Crosshair is angry they didn't complete their mission, even as the other clones insist it was the right thing to do. As they argue, Hunter spots and shoots down an Imperial probe droid, leading him and the others to realize the Empire has been spying on them. Hunter then mentions Omega warned him against returning to Kamino, saying it wasn't safe anymore. Tech subsequently reveals Omega is actually an "enhanced" clone like them (save for Echo), which he discovered after studying her DNA earlier. As such, Hunter insists they return to rescue her, once again putting him at odds with Crosshair.
Sure enough, Tarkin has Clone Force 99 arrested -- having learned of their disobedience thanks to the probe droid on Onderon -- the moment they set foot on Kamino, along with Omega. Luckily, with a little help from her and Wrecker, they're able to break out, recover their equipment and make it back to their ship. Sadly, before they can get away, they encounter Crosshair, who was taken away prior to their escape and has had the programming of the still-functioning inhibitor chip in his brain "intensified," making him unfailingly loyal to the Empire. A firefight ensues between Clone Force 99 and Crosshair's new clone team, with Hunter and the others barely escaping by the skin of their teeth.
Temporarily safe, Clone Force 99 and a nervous Omega, who's never been anywhere but Kamino before, set off to J-19, with Hunter saying he has a friend there who can help them. Meanwhile, back on Kamino, Nala Se informs Prime Minister Lama Su that although the "augmentation" of Crosshair's inhibitor chip was a success, the other "enhanced" clones got away, along with Omega. He cautions her to keep this secret for now, until they have a better idea of how to deal with the Empire.
Created by Dave Filoni, Star Wars: The Bad Batch stars Dee Bradley Baker, Andrew Kishino and Ming-Na Wen. The series premieres May 4 on Disney+.