The Bad Batch returns for another adventure with some old friends thanks to the latest Star Wars novel which manages to feel like a lost episode of the show.
Star Wars: Sanctuary – A Bad Batch Novel
Written By: Lamar Giles
Published By: Random House Worlds
Release Date: August 5, 2025
Purchase [Affiliate]: https://amzn.to/457NKnx
Author Lamar Giles (who previously did a short story in the From a Certain Point of View: Return of the Jedi anthology) returns fans to the galaxy far, far away and the misfits of Clone Force 99. As someone who—quite unexpectedly—loved The Bad Batch animated series, I’ve been eager to return to their adventures since the series came to a close. Sanctuary definitely scratches that itch, especially as it gives us the return of my favorite character: Tech.
Sanctuary is set near the end of the show’s second season, just after the tsunami on Pabu and (obviously) before the heart-breaking finale. Having found a potential home in the welcoming community of Pabu, the Bad Batch, along with the help of Phee, embark on a mission to secure funds to help rebuild after a tsunami decimates the island community.
Of course, things go almost immediately wrong and they find themselves on the run after procuring a rare artifact. It turns out the buyer, Celia Moten, is a cult-like leader with megalomaniac aspirations to become a system governor for the Empire, and she isn’t willing to simply pay what was offered and let them leave. After, yet another, daring escape from her compound the group struggles to find a way to still help the citizens of Pabu.
Things manage to go from bad to worse when the passengers they’d picked up along the way (another job from Phee), turn out to be on the run from a rogue ISB agent, Crane. He’s personally invested in catching up to the mysterious passengers, with the potential for snagging the notorious Clone Force 99 being an added bonus. Between Crane and Celia, the Bad Batch must not only find a way to survive while protecting their new charges, but still get Pabu the help they desperately need.
I won’t go into much more details on the story in order to avoid spoilers. That said, it plays out very much like you would expect from the show. Honestly, while reading, I couldn’t help but envision how this would play out in two, or three, episode arc within the series. It fits into that world so well, and Giles does a phenomenal job of capturing the tone, pace, and overall feel of the show within this story.
It’s a pretty solid story overall, though nothing exactly galaxy-shattering. Again, it fits well within the context of the show, but being sandwiched between some major events means it can’t go too far off the rails and plays things a bit safe. That’s okay! It does what it needs to do to move our characters forward, offer some new insights, and still deliver some great action beats. The new villains are different from what we’ve typically seen in Bad Batch stories, with histories/goals that make them engaging to follow, even if we get a sense of how things will wrap up early on.
The real highlight of the novel, however, are the characters.
From the first page—first paragraph—Giles deftly captures these characters. Truly, it was like catching up with old friends, incorporating everything from the cadence of their dialogue to distinct mannerisms. It’s impressive and makes all that unfolds feel like natural extensions of the characters we already know, while even going so far as to enhance them a bit.
Being a novel, we actually get the opportunity to get into the minds/thoughts of these characters, rather than simply watching them do stuff. This allows for a deeper level of insight into them than ever before. We get to see/experience Hunter’s anxiety as the only family he knows evolves. He struggles with the idea of “retiring” and accepting that the roles they’d had since birth are now irreparably changed.
Even Wrecker, the big explosion guy, gets a good helping of depth added to his character. We learn more about his own thoughts on what the Bad Batch should do next along with his own thoughts on what his personal future should/could be. For me, however, the best part was getting more from Tech. He’s long been a favorite character of mine in the series and his fate in the second season only hits harder after this novel.
Not only do we get more insight into how he processes information internally (providing key emotional beats), we also get a whole bunch of interactions between him and Phee. Seeing their romance blossom and expand in ways the show only hinted at brought a big smile to my face every single time they had scenes together. Which turns out to be quite a bit! While the novel is definitely an ensemble story, I’d happily argue Tech (and by extension Phee) get a bit more of the spotlight.
About the only issue I have with Sanctuary, is also what makes it great: it feels exactly like getting bonus episodes of the show. It makes for a great return for fans since the series ended, but also makes the novel itself feel…too late? There were several points while reading where I found myself thinking, “this would have been amazing to have while the show was still airing.”
The timing of release doesn’t impact the overall quality of the book. It’s still a fun, quick read regardless. But I can’t help but feel like it would have had more of an overall impact had it launched alongside the series, or in the gap between seasons. But hey, that’s probably just a me issue.
All in all, as a fan of The Bad Batch I couldn’t be happier with how Sanctuary turned out. While the story is a little straightforward and basic, the novel shines in its character dynamics. Everyone gets a chance to shine, with great new insights and touching moments that only enhance the things we see take place in the series later on. Hell, the Tech/Phee moments alone are enough for me to give this a recommendation!
