The Bad Batch is giving us a glimpse of an even longer time ago in a galaxy far, far, away. Set just after the execution of Order 66, finally light is being shed on the shady early years of the Empire between the events of the prequels and the original trilogy.
With this series comes a unique opportunity: as Bad Batch goes on, it could establish events to pay off later in live-action series like The Book of Boba Fett and The Mandalorian. For example, there’s one evil scheme from Star Wars lore poised to present the perfect storyline for both The Bad Batch and The Mandalorian.
Lost Legends is an Inverse series about the forgotten lore of our favorite stories.
The scheme in question: Maw Installation, which first appeared in the non-canon Jedi Academy trilogy from Kevin J. Anderson. It was a state-of-the-art research facility founded by Grand Moff Tarkin as a way to design and manufacture huge superweapons to use in the fight against the Rebellion. Located in the Maw Cluster of black holes, it remained hidden from view and provided the perfect place for research into new weapons of mass destruction.
Before the Installation was built, Tarkin had to find a way to staff it. You would think the most logical answer would be for Tarkin to hire some clones, except as we learned in The Bad Batch premiere, a clone workforce is a lot more expensive than a conscripted workforce. So Tarkin sought talent in the Outer Rim planet of Omwat, where he kidnapped ten Omwati children and forced them into education programs, obliterating whole villages if they failed.
Maw Installation was where the Death Star was designed, as well as countless other superweapons that were never included in Star Wars canon. Despite the grand scale of the base, it was never discovered by the Rebel Alliance and simply fell into disuse after the Battle of Endor, only to be stumbled upon six years later by Han Solo and Chewbacca.
Maw Installation is the perfect addition to the Star Wars canon currently, as we could see Tarkin form the base in The Bad Batch, recruiting children not unlike young Omega in order to gather the galaxy’s strongest minds. Then, in The Mandalorian, Din Djarin or Luke and Grogu could stumble upon what remains of the Installation, perhaps encountering information about Moff Gideon’s future plans.
This connection would tie the two series together without making both necessary to watch. Just like Operation: Cinder was mentioned in The Mandalorian Season 2 without expecting the audience to know about its origins from Battlefront II, Maw Installation could be the ultimate Easter egg — and the ultimate weapon — for die-hard Star Wars fans.
The Bad Batch and The Mandalorian are now streaming on Disney+.
