Star Wars: The Bad Batch (TV Series) Faster (2023) User Reviews

Yes, it's a filler. BUT an entertaining one!

[moritzherz · 6/10 · 29 January 2023]

After the insane perfection of The Solitary Clone it was crystal clear that the following episode won't keep up with it. The result is a filler episode that is still worth watching and adds character to Tech and Sid.

As this episode came out I read through the reviews here on IMDb and man I was dissapointed. People literally ripping the pieces out of this show only because they don't get exactly what they want. You have to understand that you cannot go from one climax to another! You have to build up the story steady and with thought because otherwise it feels rushed. So this episode gives character development to Tech, a character that was treated poorly during the first season and therefore needs this treatment. And by all the filler this was still an entertaining episode better than most of the mainstream garbage you can watch today!!!

A fun little detour

[atkinsonlouise-73873 · 7/10 · 4 February 2023]

Seen a lot of people unhappy with this one being a 'filller' episode, but I gotta say I had fun here. The racing element reminded me of the pod racing in episode I and made for a lot of fun, high-stake scenes. Sure the plot was kinda predictable, but not every episode is going to be like the last one. Sid's rivalry with the other person made for an interesting dynamic, that maybe hinted at stuff happening later in the series and the droid character was quirky and enjoyable. The dynamic between the three batch members was good, and yeah I dunno I had fun here. There's not much in terms of detail or plot development. But sometimes a little detour ain't so bad. Score: 6.5/10.

Filler Episode: not in a bad way

[movieturtle2013 · 8/10 · 18 January 2023]

I don't mind a little side-track, not if the episodes themselves are enjoyable and still carry some relevance to the story, if only a little.

I feel like Tech, alongside Echo, will push Hunter to make a decision about the squad's future soon. They know that their skillset is vastly underutilized with Cid. They began to work for her to gain their footing in the new galaxy, but now they are used to it and potentially want to do more.

We got to see more of Tech's side of this problem in this episode, which I enjoyed. It added to the different dynamic each character has with the world they live in. First Crosshair, then Echo and now Tech.

It would be an interesting conflict to see the Bad Batch argue over what they should do next and it will be interesting to see how Omega fits into all of this.

Unsteady Quality

[tristan_19 · 6/10 · 18 January 2023]

What is going on with this season ? Four episodes in, we get one fantastic episode and three mediocre ones. The continuity is also nowhere to be found, and you jump from one arc to another, without it being particularly gripping or interesting, or even important.

The Bad Batch definitely has a lot of potential, and when done right, it hits hard. But what is the point of these meandering episodes ? Episode 3 was a glimmer of hope after a messy start. But it has gone back to being messy.

Now, Faster was mildly entertaining. Some of it was good character development and the visuals are impeccable. But the season doesn't seem to have a clear course and you feel the lack of purpose. A quarter season in and we still have no idea of what the story is supposed to be, or at least the foundation. Hoping for some improvement in the future, and I honestly think we'll get it...

WipEout in a galaxy far, far away...

[shroomanp · 6/10 · 22 January 2023]

If I were the owners of the now defunct game developer Psygnosis, I would've raised my eyebrows at the podracing sequence in Ep1, but with this episode, id've been ringing my lawyers!

If Ep1 paid homage to the PlayStation series WipEout, then this was a blatant rip-off.

Anti-grav racing through tunnels and over jumps- check.

Anti-grav racing while shooting the competition- check.

Anti-grav racing to a techno-beat soundtrack- check.

It couldn't have been more obvious if the villain's racer was named Feisar!

Still.., as filler episodes go, it wasn't too bad, and it's made me nostalgic enough to dig out my Ps3 and indulge in some high speed carnage myself.

A retro-gaming 6/10.

🍄

Is there a story arc in our future?

[Badger1210 · 6/10 · 26 January 2023]

After the first two episodes which seemed to begin the story we get one from the bad guys perspective and that was ok but then we get this obvious filler.

The episode wasn't bad but it wasn't great either and add to that it serves no purpose to the larger story you have to ask, what are they waiting for?

With all the success of The Clone Wars and the first season of Bad Batch you would think they knew a way to go but they seem to have lost their talent.

They have started so poorly in season 2 they are gonna have to surprise me with something good to get me to continue with this bore. Anyway, that's my opinion.

Not the worst filler episode, but entirely inessential.

[pagefrommelt · 6/10 · 20 January 2023]

It's fun in a vacuum, but it sadly continues the trend of Star Wars completely squandering the potential that the franchise has when it comes to motorsports of any kind. It's insane to me that a series as massive and over the top as Star Wars has presented racing almost only as a sport done with speeders in closed ground courses. Absolutely bizarre. This episode kind of tried to do a Redline, but its presentation and directing isn't strong enough for it to be the spectacle that it so badly wants to be. It had some nice character moments, and it sets up some potential plot threads that could eventually be interesting, but there's not a ton of value here. Not terrible, but not really worth ever revisiting.

Not Just Filler!!

[srkinder-57742 · 10/10 · 19 January 2023]

Once again, the Bad Batch proves that "filler episodes" are so much more than filler! They are elegantly setting up plot points for later on while still giving us the fast action fun of the Batch we love.

After a dark episode last week, it was refreshing to see some lovely action again that also contained the beginnings of some exciting new plot twists.

I was so nice to see a character like Tech, who didn't get as much character development last season get so much attention this season so far and really come into his own this season and in this show. The Batch is more than just Hunter and Crosshair and Omega and it's time that our other beloved characters get the attention they deserve :)

Now that's what I cal pod-

[Trey_Trebuchet · 6/10 · 24 February 2024]

Seriously come on. This wasn't too bad, but man, can we please get a proper Bad Batch episode? About the actual Bad Batch?

It makes sense to bring back the spirit of pod-racing, seeing as that was a better part of that particular trilogy. The racing here is legitimately well animated and directed, I'll give them that.

It also feels like a bit of a waste of time in the grand scheme of things. I don't really care about Cid all that much. She isn't intolerable, but she isn't at all one of the better parts of this show.

Tech finally get a bit of recognition for once and there are some cute gags in here so I can't rate it too low. I had some fun.

Also, liked Ben Schwartz.

I said this last week and I'll say it again here. The Bad Batch is the worst part of their own show.

[poseyfan · 5/10 · 19 January 2023]

We get another relatively unimportant episode this week. Podracing is back for all that's worth; it was cool to see. The announcer dude was definitely the best part of this episode.

I'm extremely sorry, but I just can't take the Batch seriously half the time. Maybe no dejection is required on my part, but I just feel like the lows of this show leave a lot to be desired when you compare them to the peaks of the show.

I want grit, I want mature themes, I want the Empire! Some character development would be nice as well. I admittedly just don't care about all these side missions. That's why last week's episode was fantastic.

4.5/10.

This episode is NOT a filler. It's character development, and lots of action.

[MrArcadia · 10/10 · 20 January 2023]

This episode contains the following (for some of the people who are downvoting this episode and clearly were not paying attention):

• We get a hint on Sid's backstory,
• Tech's character development and more screen time,
• Fantastic Riot Racing scenes (I dare to say I got some proper pod racing vibes from Episode I)
• Great music (that soundtrack on the riot racing was fantastic)
• Ben Schwartz absolutely crushing it as the arrogan droid TAY-0,
• Ernie Hudson also crushing it as the menacing Millegi.

Some people need to chill. This show keeps delivering carefully crafted storytelling.

As a Star Wars die hard fan, I'm really enjoying this show. Looking forward to the next episode!!

It's fun for what it is

[ponderthis-21666 · 6/10 · 25 March 2023]

First off: it is filler. It is pure, unadulterated filler. The characters do not progress in any meaningful way and nothing of consequence happens in relation to the long-term story development of the show.

That being said, it's a reasonably entertaining episode. It features some fun banter (especially between Tech and Wrecker), an interesting showcase of Tech's skills and value to the team, and some genuinely gorgeous animation on the racing side of things.

If you are in a rush to finish the show or simply don't have time to waste on non-essential episodes, you can skip this one without missing anything important, but it's not a bad watch if you have time to kill.

Useless, annoying filler episode

[Icarus_geo · 1/10 · 19 January 2023]

A filler episode that does not advance the main plot or character development of the show, and instead is used to fill time between more important episodes. These episodes do not have a significant impact on the overall story or series.

Main characters are stuck in a mundane or pointless situation for the majority of the episode. The episode may involve a lot of forced jokes and slapstick humor that falls flat, and the characters may engage in pointless and uninteresting conversations with each other. The episode may also feature a lot of cutaways that are unrelated to the main story and serve no purpose.

Another example in this episode, the side character is doing something that is not important to the plot, and it does not add anything to the series. The episode can be seen as a waste of time for the viewers as it does not contribute to the overall story, development or plot of the series.

Solid filler

[tristen_10 · 7/10 · 12 May 2023]

The filler in The Bad Batch in my opinion is way better to what we saw in The Clone Wars. This was an entertaining 20ish minutes of racing with Tech getting the spotlight for the first time. If you like anything racing related this episode should be enjoyable for you.

The reason the episode score is so low is because it doesn't contribute to the main plot line, so much. Even though I believe the warning at the end of the episode is going to come into play later in the season. I understand the to a certain extent rating this lower due to it not contributing to a serious storyline, but it provides entertainment value nonetheless.

So camp so cute

[gqwnmwcw · 10/10 · 19 January 2023]

Watching this, sparked joy it may not have been tense crazy Star Wars. But it was goofy, lovable, Star Wars. Just Omega and 2 of her 4 dads trying to save their Kooky aunt from a situation she got herself in. It's practically an episode of full house. It also really made me want a Star Wars Mario kart crossover. It could have this race, pod racing, Death Star run, opening flight sequence from revenge of the sith, and so much more! In summary, this episode, healed a bit of my inner child, and Mario kart is a super fun game!! Why don't we just print more money and all buy sandwiches and cars. The end!

Another Sid Mission...

[BenRaeside · 5/10 · 18 January 2023]

It's hard to do a review on this episode, especially after last week. Again we are reminded who the target audience is for this show and how Star Wars animation has always existed. Some weeks you get a perfect episode and then you have week like this.

"Faster" does nothing particularly wrong but that's as much praise as I can give it and it reminds you of many episodes of Star Wars television that just doesn't do anything for the overall story.

I like the podracer or in this episode riot racer vibe to this event. Nice callbacks to Phantom Menace but after last week, it really is hard to look upon this with anything but disdain. But again we have to remember that not every episode can be as good as "The Solitary Clone." Here's hoping that next week will be a bit better.

5/10 is generous comparing this to last week's episode

[Universal_Reviews · 5/10 · 18 January 2023]

Last weeks episode was one that will not be forgotten for a long time. It was a masterpiece and brought many mixed feelings to the audience. This episode was clearly a downgrade.

The new character, Tay-0, was an interesting addition to the episode. What I liked about the episode is how Tech is getting some more character development, but I feel the way they're going about showing this is wrong. They continue to show his intellect in the worst ways. A race? Is that the best they could come up with?

The episode partially focuses on Omega again, and as I've stated in previous reviews, she continues to put the Bad Batch in danger. She is irrelevant to the episode entirely but yet they continue to show her personality of "but we have to save them". It is the most annoying thing to watch and simply aggravating that the directors continue to do the same thing every episode.

Let's move on to the race. The races were repetitive as it kept showing the same race over and over and added no intrigue, nor interest. The ending did leave things on a cliffhanger however and could mean we're looking at the batch leaving Cid which means we will finally be getting some real action.

In the end, this was one of the worst episodes of the entire series and I feel there is no grace for applause. Crossing my fingers they'll end these filler episodes and just get rid of Cid already. Additionally, it'd be a great touch if they added MORE to Omega's character than just wanting to save everyone all the time as it has become saturated to the point of no end. 5/10.

Filler

[lukafi · 3/10 · 18 January 2023]

Warning: Only the most boring characters of both seasons appear in this episode.

Whole episode was just a filler with (nearly) nothing important to the non existing season plot. Everything totally predictable and no character development.

And once again the "bad" badge does nothing bad and is portrait as the heros they just aren't, because they help a gangster boss.

In episodes before they said that they need to avoid any kind of attention and now ones name is chanted by a whole stadium. Didn't even make sense that the winner is someone who never was in something like this before just because he is sooooo intelligent.

One new character appears and atleast has an interesting side to him. Hopefully we see something more of him in the next episodes.

Atleast the last sentence foreshadows something interesting.

Deja Vu (but not in a good way)

[drbirn-24490 · 4/10 · 18 January 2023]

I felt like I was watching an episode of Star Wars: Resistance. Although, if Resistance "looked" this good, maybe I would've like it more (but probably not). Droids (TAY-0) are not supposed to have that much emotion. He was pretty annoying.

Maybe I expect too much out of this series since Clone Wars (season 7, specifically) was SO strong but this definitely grounded me and reminded me that Star Wars (for the most part) is made for kids.

Nice that Dee Bradley Baker got some relief and only had to voice two of the Bad Batch characters. Although, he probably voiced a half a dozen background characters. ;)

He's amazing!

This show has no clue what it's doing.

[xScorpionSaberx · 5/10 · 18 January 2023]

I get that every episode can't be a great one, but every episode focused on the Bad Batch this season has been such a snooze fest. Several episodes of this show and last week's episode especially prove the writers are capable of writing interesting and mature stories, so why do they insist on writing these low-key bores? The worst part is that these episodes don't even really develop the relationships of the characters or the characters all that much. This was a boring slog of an episode, and the writers are making it very hard to make the case for this show being essential Star Wars. Hope this season picks up and these writers start using their strengths.

Boring predictable filler

[filmcc23 · 4/10 · 30 January 2023]

Very poor episode. The whole race plot proceeds exactly as you'd predict from the start. A tiny bit of character development is sprinkled into this otherwise pointless episode. The story has no reason to exist there is none of the interesting background information surrounding the empire or the clones that is the most interesting part of the show and it doesn't advance the story of the main characters in any significant way.

The story is also noticeably on the more childish side of things. I really think this show needs to keep to either being a serious animated Star Wars programme that deals with the aftermath of order 66 and the formation of the empire or a "fun" easy watch targeted at a younger audience of little consequence. Hoping Bad Batch is able to return to more interesting content soon.

Dull storytelling misses all that that makes trope work

[sevskirita · 3/10 · 11 February 2023]

This story about a race with big stakes with an underdog misses everything about what makes the trope work.

We don't know Cid enough to care about her life being at stake, and nor was their any tension or conflict that was built up that could make us feel like Tech was in danger or that his triumph was a big deal or an underdog moment.

We learn nothing about anyone, feel nothing about anyone. This episode is almost a complete waste of space and bad storytelling, and only has a few positives (newish spin on Podracing, cool reference to AotC, slightly funny commentary on clone names). Weirdly enough for Dave Filoni and the people that worked on The Clone Wars, this episode seems to come from a very inexperienced and uncaring storytelling team.

This series is capable of doing MUCH better

[kerrbrewster · 2/10 · 23 June 2023]

First of all I should let it be known that I almost never take the time to write reviews, but this episode was just so awful, in light of what this series is capable of, that I felt utterly compelled to say something about it, if for no other reason than to simply vent.

Yes, it's obviously filler. No need to kick a dead horse. That's not what bugs me. Nearly all series - even the great ones inherently have at least one or two filler episodes. Sometimes even more than that. It's par for the course. No, what gets to me is that it's the worst kind of low-brow filler. It's just cheap entertainment, devoid of any charm, humor, or wit. I can't imagine anyone over the age of ten, with an IQ higher than double digits would find this episode to have any redeeming qualities. I wouldn't even care were it not for the fact that I know that this series is capable of something so much better, even where "filler" is concerned.

Fortunately, I know that the season picks back up once we get to episode 6, but if you're watching this series or this season for the first time, I highly recommend skipping this one and the next. Trust me, you won't be missing anything even remotely important, informative, or interesting.

Boring

[denislebret · 5/10 · 10 July 2023]

So predictable episode! What the point, Thanos like character meets pod racers and stupid droids. Oh yes, it's Disney, I forgot. Get some good products, let's mix all, shake well and you get an ugly mixture tasteless.

One good episode out of four is not enough to keep audience. The main difference between mangas fillers and this one is that in mangas you get some interest in characters. Here, most characters are so cliché and antipathic that makes really impossible to like them. And please, remove that old granny Sid from the serie, she's awful. She succeeded in turning Omega into a unbearable kid and spoiling her potential.