The first of a two part finale for The Bad Batch dropped this week, and it definitely puts focus on closing out a few of the first season’s main plot threads while also setting up some narratives for the show’s confirmed second season.
Head on down below to check out the full breakdown!
Eggs and References
The Bad Batch S1e15, aka, Finale Part 1, aka, Return to Kamino, kicks off the show’s season one two part finale, and it didn’t waste any time getting to the good stuff, so nor shall I.
Alright in terms of eggs and references I’ll start with the heavy use of John Williams’ excellent Attack of the Clones score. It is used liberally throughout this mostly Kamino based episode, and it was hard not to be taken back to Obi-Wan’s first trip there while hearing it, which is ironic considering how the episode ends with this Star Wars location essentially being annihilated. My have we come full circle with this facility or what?
The next scene of note is more of a reference for Star Wars lore, in particular the genesis chamber for Omega, Boba, and Clone Force 99. It was just interesting to learn that they were all initially grown in a separate lab, and it’s also one more connection they all have together as a clone family unit.
While the training room has already been featured in this series and in my breakdowns, I will note how very Star Wars the whole scene was and the fact that the show has come full circle with this room by it being featured in the premiere to vet the Batch, and now it is again being used to save them from the Elite Squad troopers. Lots of Star Wars clone history in this room to say the least.
This room also provided a callback to The Clone Wars via Crosshair’s use of his blaster bolt reflection discs to take out the Elite Squad troopers. He used them in The Clone Wars to take out a full squad of B1s.
And to close out the eggs and references portion of this breakdown how about a little You may fire when ready line from your boy Tarkin, which is clearly a favorite of his when he’s about to have someone nuke something.
Key Moments
And now for the key moments and a reminder to sub to the channel if you’re not already subscribed. Oh, likes and comments help too. Cheers.
I wouldn’t say I found the elite squad trooper’s apprehensions about crosshair to be surprising, but I did find it noteworthy that she and Rampart didn’t really trust the clones at all by this point in the timeline, so clearly the Empire is moving into the next phase of its galactic takeover, and the clones are becoming just as disposable as the old war machines from the clone wars.
Well clearly Crosshair has some issues with his brothers, because he makes it very clear that he felt betrayed when they left him. I’ll definitely take the prediction win on him having a slight redemption moment, but what I found interesting about it was that he’s trying the Vader route of thinking when it comes to redeeming yourself.
What I mean by that is that he ultimately wants the batch to join him and the empire to use their strength to enforce the empire’s ideals, which is the same line of thinking Vader tried to use on Padme when he broke bad, as well as his son many years later when he tries to convince Luke to join him so they could destroy the emperor and rule the galaxy as father and son.
Clearly Vader and Crosshair’s line of thinking is skewed, but both thought they were trying to do the right thing by doing more bad things to make things right to them. So yeah, they’re both really messed up characters who need to focus on their mental health.
I have a bit more on Crosshair because he’s definitely a bit more dynamic than we thought, but first I have to point out a key line that confirms some speculations from last week’s episode. I’m talking about the fact that Rampart confirms to Tarkin that the Empire is now in full possession of the cloning tech the Kaminoans used to create the Clone army, so they’ve completed their theft of what the Kaminoans built and will clearly use it in the future for the Emperor himself, and whatever science is going down during the Mandalorian’s timeline.
Ok so back to Crosshair and the reveal that his chip had been removed for some time, but like I mentioned earlier, he still has a dark soul. This reveal is huge for the character as it confirms that he’s a bit evil by nature, but if he makes it out of Season 1, he definitely could still have an ultimate redemption moment through death, but if he does make it out alive and with the batch, then Season 2 will be ripe for showcasing how the Batch tries to get Crosshair to see the light. So there is all sorts of narrative potential thanks to the reveal that Crosshair is just kind of crappy by nature, and Hunter’s insistence on bringing him back into the family fold.
Finally, did anyone else just love the quietness of Kamino and the shots of its once bustling halls and rooms being empty right before the Empire started to blast it to bits? To me it was a clear final nod to the prequel era location and its importance to Star Wars lore overall, and how once the Empire is done using something or someone, it has no qualms wiping it or them off of the map. If anything, it was a symbolic moment that truly signaled the end of the Clone era and the true rise of the Galactic Empire.
One episode to go to see how our heroes escape and what may be in store for them in the show’s now confirmed second season.
Make sure to tune into the next episode of the Star Wars Time Show in which myself and my co-host Nick will fully breakdown the first part of the finale and give our thoughts on it as a whole.
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