Star Wars The Bad Batch: when does the new series come out on Disney+ - and who stars in the cast?

Star Wars fans can rejoice as The Clone Wars spin-off series The Bad Batch drops on Disney+ very soon.

People have been highly anticipating the drop of the latest animated series from Lucasfilm and the wait is nearly over.

The new show, which takes place in the dark days after the fall of the Republic, centres around a squad of genetically-enhanced troopers named Clone Force 99.

Each member of the group has a unique skill that turns them into ruthless combatants.

So, when does The Bad Batch come out - and who is in the cast?

Here is everything you need to know.

When does The Bad Batch come out?

Fittingly, the first episode of The Bad Batch will be released on Disney+ on Star Wars Day.

That means fans can expect to watch the initial instalment of the new series on Tuesday 4 May 2021.

It will be a 70-minute special episode.

Following that, the show will be released weekly, just as the hit Star Wars series The Mandalorian was.

Episode two is set to arrive on the streaming platform from Friday 7 May, then, according to reports, there will be another 12 episodes dropping each week after that.

Who stars in The Bad Batch cast?

Disney sent fans wild back in April, by releasing a second The Bad Batch poster showing the full team assembled under the shadow of Emperor Palpatine.

Social media users were quick to notice that the graphic included the young new recruit, Omega.

In terms of cast, Dee Bradley Baker will return to voice the members of Clone Force 99 - Hunter, Wrecker, Tech, Crosshair and Echo - after becoming the voice of the entire clone army in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Furthermore, The Mandalorian star Ming-Na Wen will take up her role as Fennec Shand in the new show, with viewers given an insight into her earlier years.

Andrew Kishino is lined up to voice Saw Gerrera, the revolutionary first introduced in The Clone Wars.

And another familiar voice is Stephen Stanton as Grand Moff Tarkin, having previously played the character of Peter Cushing in both The Clone Wars and Rebels.

What is The Bad Batch about?

The Bad Batch spins out the last season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, when viewers were introduced to Clone Force 99.

Set in the time after Order 66, viewers will be transported to see how the devastating event impacted The Bad Batch.

Each elite squad member is gifted with one unique ability - due to genetic mutations - which made them such successful combatants in the Republic.

Hence, they are unofficially known as “The Bad Batch”.

Yet, in the period after the Clone War, they are at a loss until they take on dangerous missions as mercenaries through the galaxy.

The American animated series is created by Dave Filoni for Disney+.