Writing About All Things Pop Culture
fficially come to an end. Fittingly, the finale takes place entirely on Kamino, where the show, and the Clone Troopers, first began. Rather than go out with a massive bang, though, The Bad Batch chooses to end on a somber, bittersweet note as everyone, both in-universe and in the real world, realizes that things can’t go back to the way they once were. No matter how hard we may want them to.
With the end of the Clone Wars, the Empire has no further use for Kamino, and this week, they make that apparent. What happens this week will drop the curtain on the age of Clone Troopers, for good.
While everyone would want the Bad Batch to get things ready for the endgame between them and Crosshair, this episode returns to the same weekly formula that we’ve come to expect.
With her parents held captive and Ryloth occupied by the Empire, Hera turns to the Bad Batch to help break them out.
Ever since Disney took over the Star Wars franchise, they’ve been trying to run a tight ship. It’s not just axing most of the Expanded Universe. They’re trying to make sure that all Star Wars content is connected to each other in some way. As someone who was a fan of the EU, this strategy seems like a double-edged sword. Yes, it means less contradictions, but it also makes Star Wars not as big as it once was. Case in point, this week’s episode of The Bad Batch barely features them. Instead, it focuses on the origins of a future rebel leader, Hera Syndulla.
Whatever happened to the Separatist’s after the Clone Wars ended? We saw Anakin slaughter the high command on Mustafar, but what about everyone else? What happened to the other people who supported the Separatists? In the old Expanded Universe, many of them went into hiding, died, or moved on. However, a few holdouts went on to join the rebellion against the Empire. And in this week’s episode of The Bad Batch, we get to see one such holdout join the infant rebellion. However, first the Bad Batch has to come to terms with their past and find common ground with a former enemy.
When we first met Omega and learned that she was a special clone, fans began to come up with all sorts of theories. The leading theory being that she’s the last genetically pure clone made from Jango Fett’s DNA. With The Bad Batch now past the halfway point, the show’s begun to ramp up on the action and lore dumping, and its in this ninth episode that we get some big revelations. That, and we get to see just how tough Omega really is, even by herself.
It goes without saying that Dave Filoni’s just as big a fanboy about Star Wars as the rest of the fans. He wears his love for the franchise on his sleeve in everything he works on. However, as seen in The Mandalorian, Filoni’s also a big fan of old western movies. So, with The Bad Batch reaching the turning point in the series, it makes sense that Filoni pays homage to his other great love. And he does it in by bringing back another character from The Clone Wars. A character that may rightfully be considered the Clint Eastwood of the franchise.
Every war leaves its battle scars on those who fought it. But as bad as physical battle scars can seem, they may pale in comparison to the ones inside the mind. They psychological scars can haunt a person, even years after the war ended. In this week’s episode of The Bad Batch, “Battle Scars”, we see the squad and an old friend face the legacy of the Clone Wars head in a fight to save Wrecker.
Say what you will about the Battle Droids, and there’s a lot to say about them. They’re clumsy, idiotic, and for the better part of twenty years, they’ve served as comic relief/cannon fodder in Star Wars. However, it’s because they’re usually so inept that the Battle Droids remain some of my favorite characters in Star Wars. When the Clone Wars ended, though, the vast majority of them got shut down. Some got reactivated or repurposed in the decades that followed, but the rest just dropped off the face of the Galaxy. Which begs the question: what did the Empire do with all the Battle Droids? We finally get to see what happened onscreen in the new episode of The Bad Batch.
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!
As the Bad Batch continues to search for a safe place to live, bounty hunter Fennec Shand picks up their trail. Will they be able to keep Omega safe and get out of their alive. And just where did Fennec Shand learn how to fight in the first place.
As the Bad Batch finds themselves stranded on a barren moon, it’s up to Omega to help get them off the ground and to safety. Meanwhile, Crosshair continues to grapple with his new loyalty to the Empire over his loyalty to his brothers.
Introduced in the final season of The Clone Wars, I fell in love with the Bad Batch right away. They were like GI Joe crossed with the Ninja Turtles, and easily stood out from most of the other clones. Unfortunately, the fact that they stand out sets the tone for the series premiere of their spin-off of the same name. As the Galaxy reels from the aftermath of the Clone Wars and the rise of the Empire, the Bad Batch has a choice to make. Stay with the Empire, or do what they think is right?
