Kamino Falls to the Empire on Brand-New Bad Batch

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 15 Review

We knew that with the rise of the Empire, the Clone Troopers would be replaced. It was a tragic inevitability of canon that this would happen. However, the last episode saw the Imperials move faster than few could guess. They’re already introducing the Stormtroopers, Kamino got cleaned out, and worst of all, Hunter got captured! Now, the Bad Batch has to return to the one place they swore never to go back to: Kamino. And what happens there will drop the curtain on the age of Clone Troopers, for good.

Return To Kamino

Following Hunter’s capture on Daro, Crosshair uses him as bait to lure the rest of the Bad Batch. Despite knowing it’s an obvious trap, the team goes anyway. However, Hunter’s not on Daro. He’s on Kamino.

Despite promising Omega that they’d never go back, none of the squad hesitates to return to Kamino. Instead of army of Clones and Kaminoans they expect, though, there’s no one there. No one at all. The Empire has moved everyone and everything of value off-planet. The only thing left is an empty, lifeless city.

To see the city on Kamino now empty and quiet is very unsettling. Throughout The Clone Wars, Kamino was a place filled with life, duty, and purpose. Now, it has nothing left to do but wait for the inevitable end. Therefore, it’s only fitting that the Bad Batch plays a starring role in the cloning facility’s final act.

Big Revelation

Throughout The Clone Wars, audiences were repeatedly reminded of the fact that the Clone Troopers were people, not tools. While they mostly looked and sounded the same, they formed their own personalities and world views. And sometimes, they would end up disagreeing on these. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Bad Batch themselves.

At the episode’s climax, the Bad Batch and their former comrade, Crosshair, engage in a tense standoff with each other in the training grounds. Both sides make ovetures to get the other to join them. Crosshair even points out that his brothers left him behind before giving him a chance, and that working as mercenaries is beneath them. Crosshair even kills his new team just to show them he can be trusted. Then a surprise shootout with training droids sees the group team up one last time.

As bad as things have gotten between them, it was nice to see Crosshair fight alongside his brothers once more. However, it also serves as a reminder that things can’t go back to how they once were.

The Awful Truth About Crosshair

Hunter tries one last time to appeal to Crosshair, saying it’s not his fault. It’s the Inhibitor Chip in him that’s making him act like this. However, Crosshair drops a bombshell, revealing he got his chip removed some time ago. Thus, many of his actions have been of his own accord.

I know that this revelation may be controversial. However, I personally find it to be a very good plot twist. All this time, we’ve assumed that the new attitudes of the Clone Troopers were wholly because of the Chips. The fact that Crosshair got his removed and still serves the Empire willingly throws a lot into question. How many other Clones are serving the Imps by choice rather than brainwashing?

Regardless, it’s clear that the Empire doesn’t value Crosshair’s loyalty. Once things go south, they don’t hesitate to fire from orbit on the facility, sending it to the depths of Kamino with the Bad Batch still on it. Though not before giving us one last, haunting shot of how devoid the city has become. A sad, ignominious end to the once great Clone Army.

A Great Cliffhanger

Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would see the end of Kamino as we know it. Yet here we are, with the legacy of Kamino sinking into the abyss, with our heroes along with it. With the announcement of the show getting a second season, we know that the Bad Batch will get out of this mess. However, it’s going to be fun seeing how they do so. In addition, there’s still the matter of Crosshair. Can he still be redeemed? Considering how redemption is a big theme in Star Wars, probably. Yet it’s not going to be an easy process. Crosshair may not even want to change.

With the announcement of The Bad Batch getting a second season, the second part of the finale next week may start Crosshair’s redemption arc. It would certainly be interesting to see. Until then, though, I hope to see how the squad escapes from Kamino once more.

I Give “Escape From Kamino” a 4/5

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