I Now Officially Love the Rancor!

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 5 Review

Rancors. Fans of Star Wars will remember them as the giant, hulking beast that tried to eat Luke in Return of the Jedi. However, that was merely one example of these magnificent and deadly creatures. In the expanded lore of the franchise, the Rancor has been used from everything from loyal pet to beast of war. But did you know that when they’re young, they look absolutely adorable? I didn’t, but after the newest episode of The Bad Batch, I am now a fan of the Rancor!

Welcome to the Mercenary Life, Bad Batch

Now that the Bad Batch knows that Fennec’s after Omega, and likely just the first, the squad realizes that they’re going to need help. They need information, money, supplies, and more to keep her safe. Thus, Echo leads them to Cid, who was a Jedi informant until Order 66.

Perhaps most interestingly, it’s actually Omega who figures out who Cid is when the rest of the squad is left throwing their hands up. It’s a small moment, but one that helps to define Omega. Despite her youth and inexperience, she’s good at getting people to like her. In a Galaxy now ruled by the Sith, that’s a skill that’s more valuable than gold. Hopefully, given time, she’ll be kicking ass as well as Ashoka and Ezra Bridger before her.

Regarding more immediate concerns, Cid agrees to tell them about Fennec. However, they have to do a job for her first. Rescue someone from Zygerrian slavers.

Muchi the Rancor is So Cute

In case you forgot, the Zygerrian’s are a race of slave traders that were first introduced back in Season 3 of The Clone Wars. Technically, they were in a comic before that, but that’s no longer canon. The point is, with the Empire now running things, it looks like the Zygerrian’s got a very willing customer to sell slaves to. Which is bad for everyone.

The Bad Batch’s mission is to rescue someone called Muchi from the Zygerrian’s camp. However, she never states just who Muchi is. Which makes it even more surprising when it’s revealed that Muchi is an  adolescent female rancor!

I know that a Rancor is among the most terrifying things in the Star Wars franchise. However, plenty of people in the franchise have used Rancor’s as war mounts without any problems. And I couldn’t help but gush over how cute Muchi was! She won me over with her cuteness, as well as how friendly she was with Omega. Which also drives my point about Omega being great with people and creatures.

My Favorite Episode So far

It may be because I think the baby Rancor is the cutest thing since Baby Yoda, but I really liked this episode. The show’s finally starting to pick up steam as the Bad Batch carves out a new life for themselves in this new Galaxy. And, to top it off, we’re seeing just how much potential Omega really has. She rescued the Bad Batch, freed Muchi, and got herself a new weapon: a Zygerrian arm-mounted crossbow. It looks so cool!

There’s just one thing that’s bugging me: Wrecker. For the last few episodes, Wrecker’s been suffering from headaches, and I believe we know the reason why. Based on the headaches that Crosshair went through, it’s possible that Wrecker’s inhibitor chip is trying to activate. If that happens, he’ll end up as brainwashed as the rest of the Clones.

Personally, I find the notion of Wrecker fighting his inhibitor chip an interesting plot point that we can touch upon as the show progresses. For now, though, I’m happy to see The Bad Batch is starting to come into its own.

I Give “Rampage” 4.8/5

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