Another week, another episode of Star Wars: The Bad Batch is released. This week’s episode, “Decommissioned”, puts the troopers of Clone Force 99 in familiar territory: dealing with droids left over from the Clone Wars. It also brings them into conflict with two familiar faces from the final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. And the seeds are potentially being sewn for the future Rebel Alliance by the end of the episode.
Spoilers ahead, so don’t read this if you haven’t watched the episode.
Cid, the underworld contact the Batch met at the end of the previous episode, “volunteers” the Batch to retrieve a Separatist Tactical Droid from Corellia, one of the Core Worlds that is most prominently known for the being the birthplace of Han Solo (as well as a few other prominent characters from the now non-canon Legacy continuity). Still unsure of what they will do as mercenaries, Hunter is reluctant to take the job but accedes as the group needs funds to survive. We also get to see a bit of training being done with Omega, who is still carrying around the Zygerian Bow weapon she picked up in last week’s episode. Being that she’s still a child and the weapon requires a fair amount of arm strength to use properly, it’s good to see her struggle with her aim. Her shooting Crosshair in the first episode was probably a case of reflex rather than skill, which comes with time and experience. I dig that Omega isn’t a natural warrior, which lends credence to the idea that her genetic anomaly is going to manifest as something else.
During the mission on Corellia, the Batch encounter the Martez sisters, Rafa and Trace. When these characters last appeared, it was during Ashoka’s wandering arc in the final season of The Clone Wars. Incidentally, it was the four-episode arc that followed the first four episodes of season 7, which introduced the Bad Batch to Star Wars canon. I like that Dave Filoni is bringing back characters he developed from the final season, since the last season of The Clone Wars really is Filoni’s vision more than it was Lucas’. Rafa and Trace are after the tactical droid for their own mission. Initially, it was easy to assume that the sisters were still up to their old tricks, working a hustle for some underworld figure. By the end of the episode, though, we find that the time Rafa and Trace spent with Ashoka pushed them into a more altruistic pursuit. While it’s not revealed who the sisters contacted at the end of the episode (my money is on Bail Organa), it is apparent that the Martez siblings are working for the good of the galaxy as early members of what will become the Rebel Alliance.
What remains to be seen is how the ending of this episode will play out in the next one. Hunter, moving closer to becoming a true hero rather than just a clone trooper, gave away the data extracted from the tactical drone (before it was shot to pieces) to Rafa and Trace. The job the Batch were forced into was to retrieve that data for Cid, who is going to be none too pleased that they gave it away. The Batch are already in a tenuous business arrangement to Cid, who is more than capable of selling them out to the Empire if it becomes a more profitable option. I don’t see the Batch sticking with Cid for much longer.
This first season is shaping up to be about how the Batch becomes a surrogate family to each other, which means they aren’t going to get much of a respite for a while. The other major factor that I’m expecting to play out in the next episode or two is Wrecker’s condition. The large and brutish member of the Batch has been complaining of headaches since “Replacements” and during the course of the episode, he knocks himself out briefly after attempting a daring leap between platforms in the smelting plant the Batch is sent to for the mission. For a brief few moments, we can hear Wrecker begin to say the mantra Crosshair was fond of when his inhibitor chip was activated back in the first episode: “Good soldiers…”. This does not bode well for the lovable brute of the Batch, as it means his inhibitor chip is activating. I enjoy Wrecker’s character quite a bit and it would be a blow to the group to lose him as well as Crosshair to Palpaltine’s scheme. I don’t believe Filoni is going to do that but it’s an excellent way to ratchet up the tension for the group at the halfway point of the first season. Where the story goes from here is up in the air but I’m certainly going to enjoy seeing how it plays out.
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