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Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 13 Review

Well, it’s official: the Bad Batch finally had an episode that I don’t give two cents about. Last week, it looked like The Bad Batch was getting ready for its endgame. Crosshair was sanctioned to hunt down his former team, so it looked like things were about to get crazy. Instead, this week sees us deal with a filler episode that just reiterates a lesson that the cast has already learned: that they need to be more open to helping people. As of now, “Infested” is my least favorite episode of the show.

Taking Back Cid’s Bar

Despite Omega paying off the team’s debt to Cid, the Bad Batch continues to work for her with no explanation as to why. More than likely, it’s to pay for gear and keep the Empire off their back. However, there’s a snag to this. Out of nowhere, this upcoming crime boss takes the bar and drives Cid out. The Bad Batch doesn’t take this lying down, though, and they team up with Cid to get her bar back.

After that, the rest of the episode follows the standard formula we’ve come to expect. The Bad Batch has a mission to fulfill, Omega’s empathy powers help her connect with the guy who should be their enemy. Like I said, there’s not a lot of substance to this episode. Not even the infestation that gives the episode it’s name, “Infested”. Apparently, they have to go through a cave that’s infested with these giant moth monsters that I could barely see.

Infested Was Not Very Interesting

I will completely upfront and honest: this episode was one that I could barely pay attention to. There are only three episodes left in a show that has no confirmed second season. Now should be the time when the show ramps things up and gets ready for the big finale. We should see the Empire starting to put the squeeze on the Bad Batch and Kamino, not this filler episode.

The only possible explanation I can think of is that this is the calm before the storm. After this week, we should expect the rest of the show to be a rollercoaster until the end. If that’s the case, then I might look back on this episode better. Until then, this was a very forgettable episode.

I Give “Infested” a 2/5

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Ashoka Tano; few characters in Star Wars have had such a complex journey, both in-universe and in the real world. When she debuted in the pilot movie for Star Wars: The Clone Wars, people thought she was an annoying tag-along that would die before the show’s end; she did, but it didn’t stick. Twelve years later, though, and this former Jedi turned rebel stands as one of the franchise’s greatest heroes. Now, after months of speculation, and two weeks since the name drop in “The Heiress”, the fans wish came true.

THANK YOU, DAVE FILONI!

Ashoka Tano’s Journey Continues

Canonically, the last time we saw Ashoka was sometime after the fall of the Empire. She and Sabine Wren left in search of Jedi Padawan Ezra Bridger, who disappeared into the Unknown Regions at the end of Star Wars: Rebels. Flash-forward four or five years, and she’s fighting the forces of a corrupt magistrate on Corvus. Fighting, and winning. In fact, if it weren’t for the Magistrate’s willingness to kill the townspeople under her thumb, I think Ashoka could have taken her down with little effort.

Fans of Star Wars may know that the Jedi took a lot of inspiration from depictions of the Samurai of Japan. That influence is very much prevalent in “The Jedi”, down to Ashoka’s role in the episode. If the Jedi are Samurai, then Ashoka’s a Ronin, a wandering, master-less Samurai trying to help those in need. She’s fighting to free a town from its cruel lord, which leads to a final showdown between her and the Magistrate in the latter’s compound. The backdrop’s got some heavy Oriental influences to it, while the fight itself resembles what you might expect from Akira Kurosawa’s films. In other words, Ashoka spends the whole episode kicking ass, and I love it.

Mando Learns More About Baby Yoda

When Mando arrives on Corvus, the Magistrate’s desperate enough to get rid of the former Jedi that she hires him to kill her. Big mistake, though, as all he does is talk to her about Baby Yoda. Or rather, she communicates with Baby Yoda using the Force, while Mando’s left in the dark. She seems pleased by what she learns, and is happy to share it with Mando.

It’s here that we actually learn more about Baby Yoda’s past. He was once a Jedi Youngling living in the Temple. When Order 66 saw the Temple attacked, someone took him away and hid him. He’s been alone and in hiding ever since. We also learn Baby Yoda’s real name: Grogu.

Yeah, I’m still calling him Baby Yoda.

Despite Mando’s argument that the Child should be trained to control his Force powers, Ashoka refuses. She says that the bond that Grogu and Mando have could lead to him tapping into the Dark Side. She knows from first-hand experience how that can end badly for everyone.

Ashoka makes a good point: Jedi who let fear and negative emotions cloud their judgement are dangerous. However, I think that Ashoka’s suffering from slight PTSD over the fact that her master became Darth Vader. That’s why she won’t train him, even after Mando helps her free the town from the Magistrate.

She does, however, point him on another path.

Two Big Name Drops

The reason why Ashoka was fighting the Magistrate was because she was wanted information. It’s not until the end of the episode that we actually learn what it was she wanted to learn: the location of Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Fans of Rebels will remember him as the blue-skinned Admiral of the Empire that served as the big bad for the latter half of the show. He and Ezra disappeared into the Unknown Regions in the series finale, hence Ashoka’s quest to find Ezra. The fact that we got his name dropped by Ashoka means two things. Firstly, that Thrawn’s still alive and operating somewhere. Secondly, that Ezra Bridger is most likely alive as well.

The episode ends with Ashoka and Mando going their separate ways, so there’s no indication that she will return in the future. However, it’s likely the events of this episode could set up Ashoka for her own series focusing on her search for Ezra. Or maybe the two will intersect in the future.

Ashoka does point Mando and Grogu in the right direction, though. She tells them to travel to the planet of Tython. There they’ll find the ruins of an old Jedi Temple that’s strong in the Force. Grogu will be able to use it to choose his own path; if he wants to, he can call out to another Jedi through the Force.

While it hasn’t been made any big appearances in the new canon, Tython had a big impact in the old Expanded Universe. Located in the Deep Core, Tython’s thought by some to be the homeworld of the Jedi Order. The Jedi abandoned it after their founding before returning millenia later, only for it to be abandoned once more. If Tython is Mando’s next destination, then I can’t wait.

Dave Filoni Does it Again

Overall, this episode was amazing and worth the months of waiting. Rosario Dawson knocked it out of the park as Ashoka and I hope we see more of her in the future. Dave Filoni once again demonstrated why he’s one of the best people to take over the reins of Star Wars while showing off his love for the franchise. And we finally got some clues regarding Baby Yoda’s past. Stellar episode overall; one of the best of the series.

This is the Way.

I Give “The Jedi” A Solid 5/5

Stray Observations

• Listen closely and you’ll hear Ashoka and Yoda’s themes play at certain points in the episode
• Morai the owl-thing is back!

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Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 7, Episode 7 Review

Remember how I said that I was looking forward to seeing what happens in the next episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars? I take it back; so far, this arc has been a snooze fest for me! Which is a shame, as I wanted Ashoka’s return to be this big thing. It’s the lost chapter in the life of one of Star Wars‘ best characters, and something I was looking forward to. Yet the story with the Martez Sisters feels like it’s going in a circle with little growth.

Prison Time

Thanks to the series of bad decisions the trio made last episode, Ashoka, Trace, and Rafa are locked up by the Pykes until they get their spice. Which they won’t, since Trace dumped it. So the three begin debating over the ethics of smuggling spice to a crime syndicate. Ashoka tries arguing that giving them something that helps them ruin lives makes them just as bad.

The thing is, Rick and Morty did the exact same thing years ago when Rick sold a gun to an assassin to kill a sapient, organic hating cloud. Bottom line, Pykes would get the spice either way, so Ashoka’s argument falls flat.

I have to give this episode credit, though: it does show why Trace and Rafa don’t trust the Jedi. Apparently, when Ziro the Hutt was freed from prison in “Hostage Crisis” back in Season One, the Jedi chased after him. Cad Bane sent a speeder plummeting out of control, and a Jedi stopped it from hurting anyone. Except for Trace and Rafa’s parents, who were killed when said speeder crashed into their shop.

The worst part is that the Jedi didn’t do anything to help them beyond saying “the Force will be with you.” They didn’t even try to help them or take responsibility for collateral damage. No wonder they don’t like the Jedi.

The Mandalorians Return?

So, the trio manage to briefly escape the Pykes and come close to getting off-planet, but they end up back where they started. They get recaptured, and the episode ends with them in another prison cell. What a waste of time!

Or maybe not. While Ashoka flees the Pykes, we get a shot of someone in a nearby crowd of people. Someone wearing a Mandalorian Helmet. After that, we then see another group of Mandalorians who recognize her from what happened on Carlac. There’s only one group that would know of that: Death Watch, now lead by Bo-Kotan Kryze.

Right now, my hope is that we see the Mandalorians bust Ashoka and her friends out in the next episode, then invite her to help them take down Maul and free Mandalore. It would be an amazing segue to the final arc of this season, as well as the final act of the Clone Wars. Plus, given the rumors that Ashoka will appear in Season Two of The Mandalorian, this would make for an amazing tie-in to that!

This arc has been boring for me so far. However, if it helps to transition to the long-awaited Siege of Mandalore, then I hope the next episode sticks the landing.

I Give “Dangerous Debt” a 2/5

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Redeeming Qualities of the Star Wars Prequels

It’s no secret to Star Wars fans that the Prequel films are considered “controversial”. For the first generation of fans that grew up on the classic films, the Star Wars Prequels seemed like a letdown. Too much dialogue, not enough action, the characters could be bland at times, and of course, Jar Jar. I get that George Lucas created him to attract the younger audience, but did he have to act that dumb?

However, despite all the flak the prequels have gotten, the thing is that they’re actually good. Don’t get me wrong, if I wanted to watch self-centered grown-ups play politics, I’d watch Game of Thrones over the Galactic Senate. Once you eliminate all the flaws of the Star Wars Prequels, though, they’re good movies. Now before you execute Order 66 on me, I want to defend my position. So, here are my reasons why the Star Wars Prequels weren’t as bad as some people think.

They Had the Best Lightsaber Duels in the Films

While the lightsaber duels in the original film were undoubtedly great, I don’t think they hold a candle to what the Prequels gave us. Whereas the the lightsaber duels in the classic films were slower, the Prequels did the opposite. They were all about fast-paced acrobatics and incredible music. The level of choreography the actors put into the duels was so good, the fights looked like deadly dances.

Much of the Prequels lightsaber duels success stems from the improvements made to filming by the time The Phantom Menace came out. As a result, I think George Lucas and his team wanted to go all with the fights. Combined with the masterful score of John Williams, and you got some of the best sword fighting seen in a movie.

The one downside to all this was that it made the lightsaber duels in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi look lame in comparison.

It Opened Up a New Era of Star Wars

In the sixteen years between Jedi and the release of The Phantom Menace, Star Wars had not remained quiet. The franchise had been kept going through different media, from books to comics to even video games. However, almost all of this material took place during or after the events of the films. Everything before that was largely unknown.

The Prequels films changed all that. Suddenly, Star Wars was able to travel back to a time when the Old Republic and the Jedi still existed. When Obi-Wan was in his prime, and when Anakin was still a Jedi Knight. As a result of the Prequels, many unanswered questions about the franchise were finally solved such as:

• How did Anakin become a Jedi
• Why did the Jedi Order Fall?
• What were the Clone Wars?
• Who was Luke and Leia’s mother?

The Star Wars Prequels were like a breath of fresh air for the franchise. Now writers and studios had a new era from which to work with. As a result, we got some of the best characters in the entire franchise, as well as some of the best cartoons.

It Gave Us Two of the Best Star Wars Cartoons

Speaking of cartoons, two of the best Star Wars cartoons of all time were a direct result of the existence of the Prequels. The first one, despite no longer considered canon because of Disney, remains a cult hit with fans. The Force remains strong with Star Wars: Clone Wars.

Created by Genndy Tartakovsky, already famous for Dexter’s Laboratory and Samurai Jack, this micro-series had all the hallmarks of Tartakovsky. From the art style to the extended use of scenes with no dialogue, Star Wars: Clone Wars was some of the man’s best work. The micro-series would earn three Emmy awards during its run, and would serve as a major part of the Star Wars canon. The series’ so popular that even after Disney moved it out of the canon, fans have pushed for its return in some form.

Then we Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the show that brought the franchise to new heights. Tartakovsky’s Clone Wars was amazing, but The Clone Wars helped improved on it; it made Anakin’s personality far more likable. In addition, it introduced characters like Ashoka Tano and Captain Rex, who are now fan-favorites in the franchise. I look forward to the day Ashoka gets her own movie. Plus, it managed to bring Darth Maul back from the dead, and made him scarier than he already was.

It Shows Us the Original Jedi Order

Until the Prequel films came out, everything the fans knew about the original Jedi Order came from second-hand sources after it fell. While Luke eventually rebuilt the Jedi in the Expanded Universe timeline, what we knew of the original Order came in fragments. The Emperor was very thorough with wiping out knowledge about them.

With the release of The Phantom Menace, fans finally got to see what the Jedi were like before they fell. While they did indeed try to be the paragons of peace and justice that Obi-Wan said they were, there’s more to it. Viewers saw firsthand the flaws and failures of the Jedi Order firsthand. For all the good they try to do, the Jedi also prove to be very arrogant, rigid, and unwilling to change with the times. I think that the notion of detaching themselves from all emotions, even positive ones like love, is bantha poodoo. In a way, Anakin was right: the Jedi could be just as bad as the Sith. If Rey rebuilds the Jedi Order, I hope she fixes all their mistakes.

The Music

Half of the reason why Star Wars is so great is because of the music behind it. John Williams is a legend of cinematic scores, and the Star Wars films are some of his finest work. One song, though, stands out above all the others: Duel of the Fates.

First played in the climatic duel between Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Darth Maul, Duel of the Fates is nothing short of John William’s masterpiece. From the epic orchestra to the choir chanting in Sanskrit, this song is as epic as it comes. It’s one of the best songs from Star Wars, and widely considered one of the best things of the Star Wars Prequels. When you hear that music play, you know things are about to get epic.

As further proof, when this TV ad for Rise of Skywalker mixed “Imperial March” with “Duel of the Fates”, I went crazy with excitement.

The Prequels Legacy

Maybe the Star Wars Prequels were never as good as the classic trilogy. To be fair, though, could anything live up to the nostalgia and epicness of the classic films? When you get down to it, though, the Prequels aren’t as bad as some people may remember. When they’re at their best, they can hold their own against the rest of the franchise.

Moreover, it’s the legacy of the Prequels that makes them a good part of the franchise. They opened up a new era for Star Wars and brought it back into the public eye. If it wasn’t for the Prequels, Star Wars wouldn’t be the media juggernaut it is today. Not to mention, we got some really good characters out of it.

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A Look at How Darth Sidious Cheated Death in the Expanded Universe

Ever since the trailers for The Rise of Skywalker dropped and we heard the laughter of Ian McDiarmid, Star Wars fans went crazy. As a lifelong fan of the franchise, who is admittedly a little bitter over the loss of the EU (#MakeRevanCanonAgain), I was skeptical. I immediately asked one question, the same question everyone is asking: how the heck could Darth Sidious still be alive? We saw Anakin throw him over the railing and explode in a ball of dark side energy. Not even a Sith Lord could survive that.

However, assuming it’s not a red herring or he’s a ghost, I keep coming back to a single theory: cloning. We know Palpatine has access to advanced cloning technology. It’s possible he could have made clones of himself when and if he died. It’s a theory that’s been proposed already, but that’s not what I want to talk about. What I want to talk about the time in the Expanded Universe where Palpatine did, in fact, come back from the dead. It’s called the Dark Empire series, and I think it gives us clues on his possible return in The Rise of Skywalker.

Sidious’ Cheat Code

Like many Sith, Palpatine tried looking for a way to cheat death so he could rule his Empire for eternity. Fortunately for the Galaxy, while the Force has ways to extend one’s life by decades, even centuries, true immortality is a myth. Thus, Sidious found himself a workaround using cloning technology. He made an army of mindless clones of himself that he could inhabit when his original body died.

As a result, when a redeemed Anakin threw him down that reactor, he did die, but his spirit stayed behind. He traveled to his private fortress near the center of the galaxy, where he possessed a younger clone of himself. Thus, Darth Sidious returned from death.

The Shadow Hand

One would think that his first priority would be letting the Galaxy know he’s alive. Rather than do that, Palpatine stayed in the Deep Core and watched his Empire tear itself apart like a pack of starved Womp Rats. He built up his forces and created an arsenal of super weapons. These included the Eclipse and Eclipse II, two Super Star Destroyers with miniature versions of the Death Stars superlaser. There were the World Devastators, mobile factories that sucked planets of resources and churned out ships and weapons. Then my personal favorite, the Galaxy Gun, a platform capable of firing planet-destroying missiles through hyperspace. It’s like the galaxy’s biggest sniper rifle.

Around six years after the defeat at Endor, Sidious made his move. Using the Force to create a portal to his fortress world of Byss, Sidious captured Luke Skywalker. Rather than face certain death, Luke pretended to bend to the reborn Sith. However, Sidious eventually broke him for real, turning him into the leader of his armies. With an armada of ships and deadly superweapons, Sidious announced his return to the Galaxy.

However, Sidious once again underestimated the power of love for another person. Leia chose to confront her brother, and was able to bring him back from the Dark Side. Together, they used the Force to cut off the Emperor’s connection to it. As a result, he lost control of the massive Force Storm he just created, destroying him and his flagship.

He then came back, again.

Final Death

Having suffered several major setbacks, things only got worse for the Sith Lord. Due to the actions of a traitorous guard, Sidious’ remaining supply of clones were falling apart; even the genetic template was damaged. Desperate, Sidious sought the aid of the spirits of the Ancient Sith Lords. They advised him to take the body of Leia’s infant son, Anakin Solo.

Yes, Leia and Han names their youngest son Anakin. They wanted the name to stand for something good again.

Sidious tracked the family to Onderon and brought his armada in to finish the job. However, Luke arrived soon afterwards. Alongside him and Han was a Jedi survivor of Order 66, Empatojayos Brand, and his padawan, Rayf Ysanna. The three Jedi engaged in a furious fight with the Sith Lord and his Dark Jedi guards. Despite besting his guards, the Emperor killed Ysanna and mortally wounded Brand. However, Han Solo arrived, and with a well placed blaster shot, struck the Dark Lord down; which is what Sidious wanted. No longer needing his body, his spirit rushed towards young Anakin. Before he could do anything though, Brand used the last of his strength to throw himself in front of the baby and his mother.

Knowing that he was dying, Brand used all his power to trap Sidious within him. He told Luke he would drag the Emperor to the depths of hell, where all the Jedi he’d murdered would ensure he would never return. Thus, cursing the Skywalker bloodline, Darth Sidious died, this time for good.

A Similar Scenario for Sidious?

First off, this story came out in the early 90s, well before the Prequel Trilogy established the idea of the Chosen One. Thus, even though it’s said the Chosen One would destroy the Sith, Sidious’ survival seems to contradict that. It was a crazy time for Star Wars.

Secondly, I bring this story up now because, in my opinion, cloning may be the best way to explain how Sidious’ returns in The Rise of Skywalker. He could have created clones of himself on some remote planet where he could lay low and gather his strength over the next thirty years. That, and he’d probably see the Galaxy falling apart as some sort of sadistic entertainment.

How he came back, though, doesn’t matter in the end. What matters is that Darth Sidious is back from the dead, and by the look of things, he has dark plans for Kylo Ren and Rey. What’s surprising, though, is how I’ve warmed up to the idea of Sidious returning. If the rumors and speculations are true, then he’s been behind everything in the movies. He’s one of the greatest villains of all time, the overarching antagonist to Star Wars. Seeing him one last time will be awesome. Plus, after all’s said and done, he’s still got the Villain Pub on How it Should Have Ended to go back to.

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Check out this fan animation for the comics that I just found!