First Thoughts On 'The Bad Batch': "Battle Scars"
Welcome back, Star Wars fans! Another Friday has come around, meaning another new episode of The Bad Batch is available to watch. Before we break down the episode, as always, SPOILER WARNING is in effect. So if you haven't seen the episode, stop here and go watch it. Now that we have gotten that out of the way, let's get stuck in.
This week's episode, entitled "Battle Scars," begins with our team on another job for the Trandoshan Cid, stealing, or as Tech puts it, "intercepting" a lizard creature and trying to escape from those the lizard was taken from. The job is successful, with Cid pleased at the completion of the job again. However, back in her shop, a mysterious hooded figure begins causing a little bit of a stir. This is the same hooded figure the Martez sisters reported to in last week's episode. It turns out the figure is none other than Captain Rex, one of the main clone characters from The Clone Wars TV series. Whilst the reveal was a surprise for many, a lot of fans had already sussed out that he was likely to show up at some point.
The team are happy to see Rex. However, the tone changes very quickly when Rex realizes his brethren still have their inhibitor chips inside their heads, following Wrecker complaining about a headache, This causes him to go on the defensive and even begin reaching for his weapon. Tech explains the team are unaffected by the chip, but Rex is still hesitant. This makes sense, considering what he witnessed in the final episodes of The Cone Wars, after the issuing of Order 66, and the fact that Crosshair was affected in the end. He explains that leaving the chip there is basically like leaving a ticking time bomb and makes them a danger to all those around them. So Hunter asks how they go about removing them and asks Rex how he managed it. Rex replies by saying he "had help." Fans of The Clone Wars will remember the "help" he is referring to was Ahsoka Tano.
The team head for the planet Bracca to meet Rex (a junk planet created for the video game Jedi: Fallen Order) in order to use the medical bay contained within a Jedi cruiser, like what was used to help remove Rex's chip. Following an attempt to cross a large chasm within the downed ship, Wrecker falls and is attacked by a large dianoga living in the ship. The creature drags him underwater, but he is saved by his friends, following a little bout of tug-of-war.
Reaching the Kaminoan medical bay, Wrecker's brain is scanned, but it causes his inhibitor chip to take over, leading him to first attack Tech (citing that he is in "direct violation of Order 66"), then the rest of the team. Wrecker is a formidable foe, so he easily overpowers his friends and chases Omega. Once confronted, Omega is faced with the decision of potentially having to fire on her friend, but her reluctance allows Wrecker to take the blaster from her. Thankfully, just as he is about to fire, Rex is able to stun him and save Omega. The team are then able to remove Wrecker's chip, but are concerned when his vitals don't stabilize and he doesn't wake up. Omega chooses to stay with him and, thankfully, he wakes up, making a, seemingly, full recovery.
Hunter and Rex discuss their next moves, and Rex states that the Republic is not entirely gone, as they are still around and others are out there. Hunter Tells Rex that if he ever needs help again, he knows where to find them. The episode ends with a couple of salvage workers spotting Hunter, and one telling the other to "notify the Empire."
So what are everyone's thoughts on the episode? Personally, I found it to be one of the better episodes so far. It was filled with a lot of callbacks to various different events throughout the entire Star Wars saga, creating a bit of nostalgia. The dianoga is the same species as the creature that attacks Luke, Leia, Han and Chewie in the garbage smasher aboard the Death Star from A New Hope, and the inclusion of Rex further ties the new show to The Clone Wars. The fact that he has turned up, along with the Martez sisters in last week's episode, seems to hint at a possible appearance of Ahsoka at some point in the show, considering that she was the one character linked to both of them. Having the team travel to Bracca is also a nice nod to the successful Jedi: Fallen Order game.
The episode wasn't all action, though. The relationship between the team and Omega is further cemented, specifically with her and Wrecker. They share a few tender moments throughout the episode, and his apology to her after the removal of his chip highlights just how much he cares for her. Thanks to the discussion between Hunter and Rex at the end of the episode, I am hopeful that the remaining episodes will continue to expand on the early days of the Empire's rise to power, and we may even see the beginnings of the formation of the Rebel Alliance, with Clone Force 99 potentially sharing their skills.
What did you think of the episode?
The Bad Batch episode "Battle Scars" is available to stream now on Disney+.
Until next time!