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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 Bad Batch Episode 14 Review

Last week, The Bad Batch dropped the ball with a filler episode. However, this week, the show returns firing on all cylinders! With only three episodes left, the show’s headed towards its endgame with a lot left up in the air. Besides telling the story of Omega and the Bad Batch, the show gives us insight into the early days of the Empire. And this week, we got a surprise that few could’ve seen coming. This week, we got to see the very first Stormtroopers!!

No, seriously. The early Stormtroopers appear in this episode.

An Unexpected Rescue

While on yet another job for Cid, the Bad Batch gets a surprise call from Captain Rex. Another Clone Trooper’s trying to desert the Empire, but got captured doing so. Thus, Rex wants them to bust him out, something that Echo persuades the others into. It’s not just any Clone that they’re rescuing, though. It’s none other than Clone Commando Gregor.

Fans of The Clone Wars and Rebels may remember seeing Gregor in the past. In The Clone Wars, he was an amnesiac Clone who went MIA after being found by Republic droids. Years later, he’s living with Rex and Wolfe on an old AT-TE in retirement, and his sanity has taken a hit or two. In this episode, though, we get to see what he’s like in that transitional period of his life. He’s already displaying some of his craziness in Rebels, and he’s not happy with how his life’s going.

The reason’s simple: Stormtroopers. While it’s not made clear how much time’s passed since the Clone Wars ended, it’s likely only been a few months. A few months, and already Darth Sidious’ begun replacing the Clones with their largely inferior successors. And it is glorious! In a great tribute to their designer, the late Ralph McQuarrie , the early stormtroopers wear armor based on his original concept art. The rugged and rough nature of this new armor serves as a great transition between the Clones and the Stormtroopers. The message is clear: the days of the Clones are done.

The End of the Clone Troopers

In another inevitable development that reinforces the end to the days of the Clone Troopers, this episode reveals that the Empire’s cancelled their contracts with Kamino. In other words, no more Clone Troopers will be created, and the future of the ones remaining is in doubt.

It’s common knowledge that within a few years, the Clones were largely phased out in favor of the Stormtroopers. While there were a few still serving the Empire by the time of the classic films, most of them seemed to have vanished. Now the answer may be far clearer than it once was. With the coming of the Stormtroopers, the Empire couldn’t have an army of elite Clones running around. Thus, they may have decided to wipe most of them out.

The events of this episode bring further credence to this idea. The Empire starts moving Clones off Kamino, and when their Prime Minister tries to cut and run, the Empire arrests and executes him. In other words, they’re tying up loose ends, and the Clones could be next.

Set for the Endgame

While the Bad Batch gets Gregor out of prison, it comes at a cost: Hunter gets captured. The last we see of him, he’s being met in his cell by Crosshair.

Just like that, the stage becomes set for a final confrontation between Crosshair and his former squad. And there’s no guarantee if any of them will make it out of this fight alive. With only two episodes left, the stakes are high, both in-universe and in a meta sense. If The Bad Batch pulls this off well, then fans can chalk this series up as a success. If not, then the Bad Batch will likely be forgotten as fans move on. I’m hoping that it will be a success though, as there’s plenty more stories to tell in this era of Star Wars.

I Give “War-Mantle” a 4.5/5. Bonus Points for Delta Squad Member Scorch Appearing!

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