RJ Writing Ink

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 9 Review

When we first met Omega and learned that she was a special clone, fans began to come up with all sorts of theories. The leading theory being that she’s the last genetically pure clone made from Jango Fett’s DNA. With The Bad Batch now past the halfway point, the show’s begun to ramp up on the action and lore dumping, and its in this ninth episode that we get some big revelations. That, and we get to see just how tough Omega really is, even by herself.

Boba is the Alpha, Omega is the…Omega

It’s common knowledge that, besides the massive payment he got for using his DNA as the basis for the Clone Army, Jango Fett wanted one other thing: an unaltered clone to raise as his son. That clone became Boba Fett, who would grow up to surpass his father as the best Bounty Hunter in the Galaxy. In this episode, though, it’s revealed that Boba’s original designation was Alpha. In the Greek alphabet, Alpha is the first letter. In contrast, Omega is the last letter. Boba’s the first, and Omega is the last.

Besides the symbolism behind it, Omega’s name becomes doubly important as of this episode. While trying to locate Omega, Tech reveals that she’s the last, pure source of Jango Fett’s DNA. In other words, she’s the key to them creating any more Clone Troopers. Admittedly, though, it’s not that big a bombshell when most of the fans already put two and two together. Still, it’s entertaining to see that we were right about her. In addition, this makes Omega Jango Fett’s daughter, and thus Boba Fett’s genetic sister. That leads to a lot of possibilities in the future.

Everyone Wants Omega

The Kaminoan’s have proven several times that they’re desperate to get Omega back solely so they can create more Clones and remain valuable to the Empire. Beyond that, their leader, Lama Su, has stated that he doesn’t care if she dies. Which, of course, makes her capture and attempted escape from Cad Bane all the more high-stakes.

Some people might expect Omega to end up being completely helpless and unable to do much against Bane. However, it appears that her experiences with the Bad Batch have taught her very well. As Bane takes her to an abandoned Kaminoan city on another planet, Omega manages to escape not just from Bane, but from Fennec Shand. As the two bounty hunters engage in a blaster fight that would make Red Dead Redemption fans jealous, Omega’s able to get to safety, allowing her to be rescued by the Bad Batch.

The message behind this episode is clear: Omega may still be young, but she’s already turning into a formidable fighter. Given enough time, she may end up rivaling that of her genetic brother, Boba Fett, in skill.

Fennec is Trying to Protect Omega

As for Fennec Shand, this episode reveals that, while she was working for the Kaminoan’s , she wasn’t doing it in the way most expected. Nala Se, the scientist that served as Omega’s mentor and helped the Bad Batch escape, is the one who hired her to keep her safe. As a result, this puts all of her previous actions into a new light. Was Fennec trying to take Omega before because she thought she would be safer with her? Or was that because she was paid to bring her back?

The fact remains, at the time this show takes place, Omega may be the most important being in the Galaxy. And the fight for her future is far from over. I don’t know how this show will end, but I am looking forward to seeing more Omega in the future. She’s got a lot of potential, and I hate to see it wasted!

I Give “Bounty Lost” a 4/5

Click here for some of my Star Wars stuff.

Click here to see my other animation stuff.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 8 Review

It goes without saying that Dave Filoni’s just as big a fanboy about Star Wars as the rest of the fans. He wears his love for the franchise on his sleeve in everything he works on. However, as seen in The Mandalorian, Filoni’s also a big fan of old western movies. So, with The Bad Batch reaching the turning point in the series, it makes sense that Filoni pays homage to his other great love. And he does it in by bringing back another character from The Clone Wars. A character that may rightfully be considered the Clint Eastwood of the franchise.

We’ve Got Incoming!

At the end of the last episode, the Scrapper’s Guild spotted the Bad Batch on Bracca and called it in to the Empire. As a result, the Empire sends in Crosshair and a squad of Clone/Stormtroopers to eliminate them. Not capture; eliminate.

This episode marks the first time that Crosshair and his former squad have crossed paths since the premiere, and despite everything, the Bad Batch still cares about Crosshair. They know that he’s only doing this because of the inhibitor chip messing with his mind. However, even if the chip gets removed, will that be enough to salvage Crosshair’s relationship with his brothers at this point?

Think about it. Crosshair has always been the most abrasive of the squad, even before Order 66. How much of his actions are because of the chip and how much are his own choices. It’s an interesting quandary, and if the show’s smart, it will dive more into this.

In the meantime, though, Crosshair and the Bad Batch are enemies, and that leads to him nearly killing them using their own tactics against them. They outsmart him, but it just highlights how much of a threat he is. But not as great a threat as the Clint Eastwood type that comes in during the episode’s final act.

Cad Bane, the Clint Eastwood of the Galaxy, Returns.

I still remember the moment when we were first introduced to Cad Bane in the Season One finale to Star Wars: The Clone Wars. He was smart, deadly, and capable of holding his own against the Jedi. In other words, a total badass straight out of spaghetti westerns. Which makes sense, since he was inspired by the villain from the Clint Eastwood film The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. And until Boba Fett builds up his rep, he’s the best bounty hunter in the Galaxy. Which is why the Kaminoan’s call him in to capture Omega for them.

I won’t lie to you: when I saw Cad Bane standing at the Bad Batch’s ship waiting for them, I almost squealed in excitement. It had been years since we last saw him, and now he just shows up like this? And true to his western inspirations, he maintains the same menace as always. And when he and Hunter have their standoff, it felt like it was something straight out of one of the movies that Dave Filoni loves so much. The suspense, the closeups, the focus on their weapons, it’s a perfect send up to those classic films!

Sadly, Cad Bane wins the standoff and captures Omega, leaving Hunter to be found by his team as they barely escape with their lives. In other words, things are bad.

How Will the Bad Batch Beat Bane

With Cad Bane poised to take Omega back to Kamino, the Bad Batch’s next priority should be to rescue her. But how will they go up against Cad Bane? He’s the Clint Eastwood of the franchise. The only ones who could stop him were the Jedi, and they’re either dead or in hiding.

This episode marks the halfway point in this series, and it does so by ratcheting things up to the highest level of tension possible. From here on out, we can expect the show to get increasingly dark at the Bad Batch is put to the test. I wouldn’t be surprised if not all of them make it out of this before things are done. However, that doesn’t change the fact that I’m looking forward to seeing how things turn out. This is Star Wars at its finest, and I love it.

I Give “Reunion” a 3.5/5

Click here for some of my Star Wars stuff.

Click here to see my other animation stuff.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 7 Review

Every war leaves its battle scars on those who fought it. But as bad as physical battle scars can seem, they may pale in comparison to the ones inside the mind. They psychological scars can haunt a person, even years after the war ended. In this week’s episode of The Bad Batch, “Battle Scars”, we see the squad and an old friend face the legacy of the Clone Wars head in a fight to save Wrecker.

Captain Rex, Reporting for Duty

After coming back from another mission for Cid, the Bad Batch’s greeted by a surprise visitor. It’s everyone’s favorite Clone Trooper, Captain Rex! It turns out, he was the one the Martez sisters contacted last episode, and he’s come to meet his old friends. However, this reunion nearly takes a dark turn when he learns that the Squad hasn’t gotten their inhibitor chips out. In addition, there’s the fact that Wrecker’s growing headaches are due to his chip coming online!

The first thing that struck me about Rex’s appearance in this episode wasn’t his inclusion itself. We all knew he’d appear thanks to the trailers. However, it’s the way that he acts throughout the episode that deserves mentioning more. This is not the Rex we knew during The Clone Wars, despite how he acts. Nor is he the cool old war veteran that we know during Rebels. Rather, we see Rex still dealing with the aftermath of Order 66, and from the way he acts, it’s clear he’s got some serious battle scars from it.

A Very Aggressive Rex

From the moment that Rex learns that the Bad Batch never got their chips removed, he becomes very hostile, keeping his hands on his blasters. The last time he did this, he kept his weapons on stun while escaping the brainwashed Clones. However, it’s clear that this time, he’s more than willing to kill his brothers if necessary. Even though he says that the thought of doing so sickens him.

As the group meets him on Bracca (yes, that Bracca,) to get their chips removed, Rex remains evasive about how he escaped Order 66. Viewers already know why, but to hear him being so reluctant to speak of this is a very somber sight. He never had time to think about what was going on during Order 66, but now that it’s over, it’s clear that the events left a heavy impact. I’d go so far as to say he’s displaying minor symptoms of PTSD. It’s a very painful reminder of just evil Darth Sidious’ plans to wipe out the Jedi were.

No Strings, But Battle Scars Must Heal

In the middle of the episode, everyone’s worst fears come true, with Wrecker’s inhibitor chip coming online. As a result, he turns on the others and nearly kills them before they can stun him long enough to remove the chip. No one holds it against him, though, especially not Omega. However, I doubt the scars will fade away anytime soon.

In the end, the Bad Batch and Rex part ways, with it heavily implied that Rex is working with the early rebellion. Odds are, we will likely see him again in the show. And if not, this leaves the door open to tell more stories about his life between The Clone Wars and Rebels. However, in more immediate concerns, the Bad Batch got spotted by the Scrapper’s Guild. Which means they’re going to tell the Empire.

The show writers said that things are going to be picking up in the back half of the season. Given how this sets us up for the inevitable reunion of the Bad Batch and Crosshair, I can see why. This is going to be good, people! I have no idea how things will end, but I’m looking forward to enjoying the ride! This may be my new favorite episode of the show!

I Give “Battle Scars” a 4/5

Click here for some of my Star Wars stuff.

Click here to see my other animation stuff.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 6

Say what you will about the Battle Droids, and there’s a lot to say about them. They’re clumsy, idiotic, and for the better part of twenty years, they’ve served as comic relief/cannon fodder in Star Wars. However, it’s because they’re usually so inept that the Battle Droids remain some of my favorite characters in Star Wars. When the Clone Wars ended, though, the vast majority of them got shut down. Some got reactivated or repurposed in the decades that followed, but the rest just dropped off the face of the Galaxy. Which begs the question: what did the Empire do with all the Battle Droids? We finally get to see what happened onscreen in the new episode of The Bad Batch.

Enemies Become Unwitting Allies

After the events of the last episode, it would seem that the Bad Batch has settled into the life of working as mercenaries for Cid. Well, “settled” might be stretching it, as Cid doesn’t give them a choice on the matter. Case in point, she gives them their next mission: go to a smelting plant on Corellia where Separatist Battle Droids are being melted down, find a tactical droid’s head, and bring it back. The intel it has will be valuable against the Empire.

The irony of the Bad Batch having to rely on their old enemies to fight their former comrades is not lost on anyone. However, I think that this is a smart choice for the show to take. Until now, the only knowledge we’ve gotten regarding the Separatist’s Droid Army after the Clone Wars is that they either a.) got deactivated, b.) remained active in scattered pockets, or c.) wound up on the black market. Getting to see how the Empire melted them all down provides a bit of closure on the story of most of the Battle Droids. They may have been unwitting pawns of evil, but it’s still sad to see them get melted.

However, not all of them got melted. After the Bad Batch got discovered, Tech resorts to using the Tactical Droid’s head to turn all the Droids back on and sic them on the police droids. So, that was pretty cool to watch.

Wrecker May Be On A Dark Path

Last week, I made it a point to voice my concerns regarding Wrecker. For the past several episodes, he’d been suffering from headaches, much like Crosshair did. Thus, it was safe to conclude that his Inhibitor Chip was beginning to activate. After this week’s episode, though, any remaining ambiguity has been resolved. During the fire fight at the smelting plant, Wrecker hits his head pretty hard. As a result, he begins to repeat the mantra that Crosshair did regarding “good soldiers.”

We have seen firsthand how it’s nearly impossible for Clone Troopers to resist the Inhibitor Chips, even mutated ones. If Wrecker’s chip is activating now, then the Bad Batch has to find a way to remove it. They need to remove all their chips, or else they’ll become slaves of the Empire. And no one wants that!

The Martez Sisters Return

In an unexpected move, this episode saw the return of Trace and Rafa Martez, the smuggling sisters befriended by Ashoka in the final season of The Clone Wars. However, it seems that they’ve moved from smuggling to freedom fighting. While attempting to steal the tactical droid head for themselves, they end up fighting, then working alongside, the Bad Batch. By the time the credits roll, the two part ways as allies, thanks in no small part to Omega’s ability to win everyone over.

It’s then that we get the big bombshell, as they spend the episode’s final moments contacting someone. Someone who’s very interested in hearing about a group of renegade Clones. While fans are speculating on who it may be, I’m only focused on one thing: a resistance is already brewing. The Empire’s only a few months old, and already the embers of rebellion are spreading across the Galaxy. Hopefully, the Bad Batch will end up becoming a big part in the early rebellion against the Empire.

The Bad Batch Has Gotten its Footing

It’s taken longer than I would’ve wanted it to, but it seems like The Bad Batch is starting to cement its identity as a show. It may never reach the high-end battles of The Clone Wars, but it’s more than capable of delivering on the action when needed. As the show continues to progress even further, I hope to see more of what the Galaxy’s like under this new Empire. Also, I hope we see more Battle Droids. I like them too much to see them go away forever.

I Give “Decommissioned” a 4.5/5

Click here for some of my Star Wars stuff.

Click here to see my other animation stuff.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 7 Episode 10 Review

We’re only halfway through the final arc of The Clone Wars, and I have to agree with Ashley Eckstein, Ashoka’s voice actor. The Siege of Mandalore is already one of the best stories in Star Wars history! Last week saw the start of the fabled Siege of Mandalore start with a fight worthy of being on the big screen. Ashoka, Rex and the Clones, and the Mandalorians all worked to free Mandalore from ex-Sith Lord Darth Maul, and we got to see how far the former Padawan’s come. However, as epic as it was, we cannot overlook the coming storm gathering in the distance. And in this episode, Maul makes things clear: it’s time to be afraid. 

Hide from the Coming Storm

When I was a kid, I thought that Darth Maul was one of the scariest guys you could meet. Ergo, if there’s something out there that’s enough to scare him, then everyone should be afraid. As the episode establishes in its opening minutes, the ex-Sith knows what’s happening in the background. He may be the only one in the show that’s aware of the coming storm that is Revenge of the Sith. And he doesn’t want to be around when that happens. 

As a result, Maul spends the episode focused on getting off the grid. He kills anyone who could rat him, orders the Shadow Collective to go into hiding, and throws the Mandalorians out as decoys while he gets off-planet. But before he does, he can’t resist trying to make one last jab at Kenobi and Darth Sidious. He was hoping that not only Kenobi would come after him, but also Skywalker, so he could kill both.

Skywalker is the Key 

At first, I was confused as to why Maul would want Anakin dead. Then it all clicked. In the episode’s climax, Maul tells Ashoka the cold truth: Anakin Skywalker is the key to all of Darth Sidious’ plans. Maul figured out that Sidious has been grooming Anakin to become his apprentice since day one. So he decided to rob his former master of that satisfaction by killing him.

This moment was the lynchpin to the whole episode for me. The events of Revenge of the Sith were hanging over the entire episode like a sword about to fall. We know what’s coming, but can’t do anything to stop the coming storm, and it gives the episode a sense of genuine dread. What’s the worst part, though? Ashoka doesn’t believe Maul. 

This moment only makes Anakin’s fall even more tragic. Had Ashoka believed Maul, she could have warned Anakin or Obi-Wan of Sidious’ plans. It could have stopped everything before it started. Tragically, it’s Ashoka’s faith in her master that costs her this one chance to save him before its too late. 

A New Duel of the Fates

I’ve always thought that if the Jedi never fell, Ashoka would be sitting on the Jedi Council by the time of Rebels. So far, the Siege of Mandalore has vindicated these thoughts for me, with Ashoka facing off against Maul in the Sundari Royal Palace. 

The duel between the former apprentices strikes a perfect balance with all the duels in the films. It blends the emotional intensity of the original films with the speed and acrobatics of the prequels. There’s even a hint of the desperation found in the sequel duels. This is peak lightsaber dueling in Star Wars, and we get to see Ashoka largely in control of the fight. Thanks to some help from Rex and the Clones, Maul’s finally captured. It’s small comfort, though.

Day of Reckoning Almost Here

We’re only halfway through the Siege of Mandalore, and I’m already counting it as one of the best arcs in the show’s history. It’s also going to be one of the most tragic stories in Star Wars history. Early in the episode, Ashoka talks to Obi-Wan, who informs her that Anakin killed Dooku and his departure for Utapau. Judging by the film’s timeline, there’s only a few hours left before Order 66 begins and the birth of the Empire. 

In my opinion, this episode hammered home how pointless the Clone Wars really are. An entire galaxy devastated and divided by war, courtesy of Darth Sidious. We hate how he’s going to win, and aside from Maul, no one else realizes it. While we know that Ashoka, Bo-Katan, and Rex live to see another day, this isn’t going to make what’s to come any less heartbreaking.

I love it when shows end with a bang, and it looks like Star Wars: The Clone Wars is going to end on the biggest bang possible. As the coming storm prepares to engulf the galaxy, I’m going to keep a box of tissues handy for the next two Fridays. Tears will be shed.

I Give “The Phantom Apprentice” a 5/5

Stray Observations

• During the whole episode, it felt like Maul was acting like the only one who’s in on the big joke. If it weren’t so tragic, seeing Darth Sidious play an entire galaxy would be hilarious. 
• Maul wouldn’t last five seconds if Anakin had shown up. 
• I got the title for this post from Tartakovsky’s series Star Wars: Clone Wars. Watch it on YouTube.

Click here for some of my Star Wars stuff.

Click here to see my other animation stuff.