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Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 16 Review

Well, everyone, we’re finally here. Season one of Star Wars: The Bad Batch has officially 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.

A Surprise Disaster Survival Scenario

At the end of the last episode, the Empire made the decision to tie up loose ends on Kamino by destroying their major cities and cloning facilities, condemning them to life back under the sea. In more immediate concerns, though, the Bad Batch find themselves trapped on the sea floor in the ruins of Tipoca City with very little chance for survival. As a result, the team and their former squad mate Crosshair have to work together to escape to the surface.

This episode has all the hallmarks for a disaster film. A group of people trapped in a desperate situation. Rising tensions between group members. And most of all, things continually go from bad to worse as the team tries to beat the odds. The Bad Batch has been in tough scrapes before, but this pushed their survival skills to their limit. It’s a really good premise, and the show does a fairly good job of showing it.

However, it’s not the impending death that’s the big draw. It’s the characters themselves.

Crosshair’s Uncertain Future

Crosshair has been the black sheep of the Bad Batch since the series first began. Following Order 66, we saw him ultimately remain loyal to the Empire while his brothers and Omega deserted. At the time, many of us thought that his decision was not of his own free will; that it was the inhibitor chip forcing him to act like that. However, last episode dropped a bombshell by revealing that Crosshair got his chip removed some time ago. This called into question just how much of Crosshair’s choices were of his own accord and which were because of the Empire’s manipulation. Unfortunately, the season finale offers few in the way of answers.

In a particularly somber moment, Omega tries to talk to Crosshair about his decisions. She admits that she wanted to believe that it was the chips that turned him into what he is, but now thinks that it may have just been him the whole time. In other words, it’s the nature vs. nurture debate in full force, and Crosshair may be on the nature side.

Then, just when we think that Crosshair’s not going to change, he ends up saving Omega’s life. But when the time comes for the others to leave, he chooses to remain loyal to the Empire, despite seeing how they’ll just use him. It’s a very mixed message about Crosshair’s future, much like it was for Ben Solo, and while it leaves the door open for him, I’m not sure how many fans will appreciate it.

Tie-In to The Mandalorian and Sidious’ Ressurection

The final moments of the episode, though, are when things start to get interesting again. Having been taken off-world by the Empire, Nala Se’s relocated to a new world to continue her working in cloning technology. If the Empire’s phasing out Clone Troopers, though, why do they still need to work with the technology. Those who have seen The Mandalorian and The Rise of Skywalker may have figured it out.

In The Rise of Skywalker, we learn that Darth Sidious continued using cloning technology decades after the Clone Wars. Firstly, it’s stated that he created Snoke using that tech. More importantly, though, he used it to create a new body to possess after Anakin killed him. While it’s not said on-screen, it’s all but implied that he was using the Kaminoan’s technology to do all of this. Now, we may see the beginning to that project. If it is, then The Bad Batch may have just started to fix the flaws of The Rise of Skywalker.

No Idea On Season 2

While it was nice to get a continuation of The Clone Wars, I have to admit that, in hindsight, the first season of The Bad Batch has been a mixed bag. It’s had some pretty great moments and gave us some franchise-altering information. On the other hand, the plot of the season had little cohesion between episodes. Worse, the season finale does little to hint at what Season 2 might be about.

Despite these misgivings, though, I still think that The Bad Batch has potential when it comes to bridging the gap between the prequels and original trilogy. If we’re lucky, then maybe season two will give us the prototypes to the TIE Fighters, something I’ve always wanted to see in Star Wars. Here’s hoping!

I Give “Kamino Lost” a 3/5

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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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Star Wars, The Mandalorian, Episode 7 Review

I would have gotten this out sooner, but I’ve busy preparing for the holidays and getting ready to see The Rise of Skywalker. The reviews may not be good right now, but I don’t care. Even if the movie stinks, we have the future of Star Wars like The Mandalorian. Speaking of which, their penultimate episode got the show back on track. In addition, the show writers demonstrated their mastery of the delicate art of the cliffhanger.

To End the Hunt

Having been hunted at every turn by bounty hunters, Mando’s surprised when Greef Karga reaches out to him. The Client’s Stormtrooper friends have overrun Nevarro and brought business to a standstill. So, Karga makes a deal with the Mandalorian: help get rid of the Imperials, and they’ll leave him alone.

Mando knows it’s likely a trap, though. Thus, he recruits some of the allies he’s made throughout the season.

I thought this was a nice way for the show to demonstrate the Mandalorian’s character development. When the show started, he was a lone wolf not trusting anyone. However, since Baby Yoda came into his life, he’s started to warm up to others, and gotten a few trustworthy allies. Now those allies come back into play with the return of Cara, Kuiil the Ugnaught, and surprisingly, IG-11.

I thought we saw the last of IG-11, but I should have known better. The IG droids are as tough as they come. Heck, in the Expanded Universe, one of them tried to start a Galaxy -wide droid revolution. In other words, Mando’s smart to be distrustful of it, even if Kuiil says he reprogrammed it to do work. That said, I think it’s possible for a droid designed to kill to change for the better.

Baby Yoda’s Powers

With his team of four (five counting Baby Yoda) joining him, Mando returns to Nevarro to meet with Greef Karga and settle things. No surprise to anyone anyone when it does turn out to be a trap. Karga planned to hand the baby over and kill Mando to get the Imps to leave. The plan changes, though, when the group gets attacked by Mynocks. Karga gets wounded and poisoned, but Baby Yoda saves him by using the Force to heal his wounds.

This power may seem to come out of left field, but its not a new thing. Several Star Wars games where you play as Force-sensitive characters use it as a game mechanic. The technique involves using the Force to accelerate the body’s healing process; at its most powerful, it can sustain damaged organs. However, to the best of my knowledge, it drains the user significantly.

This was the first time we saw Baby Yoda use the Force since the second episode, and I thought it was a good way of reminding us of how powerful that cute baby can be. Worse, since he’s a child, he’s young and impressionable; we saw him Force-choke Cara when he thought she was hurting Mando! This is why we need to bring the Jedi back, Disney.

Moff Gustavo

Bringing the Jedi back will have to wait some thirty years, though. As Qui-Gon Jinn would say, we should focus on the here and now. Right now, the audience learns that the Client’s working for a former Imperial Moff! Not much is known about this Gideon, played by Giancarlo Esposito of Breaking Bad fame, but the fact that he’s a Moff means he’s dangerous.

In the old Expanded Universe, a lot of high-ranking Imperials became warlords after Sidious kicked the bucket. While Disney has yet to fully flesh out the post-Endor era, I see no reason why this won’t be the norm. Regardless, Gideon seems to have a large force serving him, and Mando’s group gets overwhelmed. Worse, they catch up to Kuiil, who went back to the ship with Baby Yoda, and gun him down. Thus, we end on our cliffhanger.

Great Cliffhanger

The episode seemed a little slow at times, I won’t lie. However, once we got into the third act, it starts to pick up, as we see who the Mandalorian made an enemy out of. An Imperial Moff’s not someone to be taken lightly, and given how this episode ends on a cliffhanger, we don’t know how Mando will get out of this situation. We don’t even know if Kuiil’s alive or why they want Baby Yoda so badly in the first place.

Knowing the Empire, though, I’m betting Gideon wants the kid for some grand, convoluted scheme to create an army of Force-clones to conquer the Galaxy. A lot of the Empire’s plans tend to be grandiose and a little crazy like that. However, we don’t know given how the episode ends on a giant cliffhanger. Which I think is brilliant.

The fact that I feel frustrated and eager to learn what happens next means that the writers knew what they were doing. Cliffhanger’s are designed to entice people to come back to find out what happens. That’s the feeling I got after watching this episode, and I can’t wait until next week to see how the season ends. It will be a great way to end 2019!

I Give “Chapter 7: The Reckoning” a 4.5/5. Second Best Episode of the Season

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