The Bad Batch: Season Two

[Palanan]

First two episodes are out. They’re more entertaining than I expected, but they certainly put the “mindless” in mindless fun.

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Some unspecified amount of time has passed since the last season, probably a year or so. Omega looks a bit older, and is now a certified Space Action Hero, swinging on cables beneath spaceships and shooting alien crab monsters. Why are we doing this? No idea, but we are. Meanwhile I just feel sorry for the alien crab monsters.

We have a solid tie-in to the movies and Clone Wars series with a visit to Dooku’s palace and a discussion of his personal plunder; not only was he a traitor to the Jedi and perpetrator of countless crimes, it seems he was also a war profiteer on a massive scale. It makes sense that the Empire would snap up the plunder, but I do have to wonder why it took them an entire year or more to even get started on that. As usual, economics in Star Wars aren’t exactly considered in detail; but given the colossal magnitude of the wealth which Dooku had squirreled away, I’d think the Emperor would have wanted it the moment Dooku’s head stopped rolling.

There are just a few hints of depth here—a moment when Omega needs to be told what a toy is, with the implication that she’s missing out on childhood. (But she’s a clone and we knew that already.) More interesting is the local man’s reminder to Tech that his planet had an identity prior to and separate from its role in the Clone Wars—and this is clearly a revelation to Tech, who likes to think he knows everything. Probably the best character moment in either episode, though sadly not followed up on. Even so, it speaks volumes for the narrow mental space that even our liberated clone heroes are operating within.

As usual, there’s no trace of any thought for the ethics of child soldiers in combat, although maybe they figured they’ve got it covered by giving Omega a helmet. There’s also scrupulous care given to show that the Batch are using stun settings, while the Empire’s clones are using lethal fire—although this apparently only applies to ground troops, since Wrecker unquestionably kills several pilots when he blows a few fighters out of the sky, and Tech kills a couple more when he shoots down a gunship. Presumably we’re meant to overlook this discrepancy.

There’s a Big Moment at the end when Omega has to choose to give up the loot, seconds before the cargo crate crashes the rest of the way down the mountain—except there are literally ninety-nine other crates scattered all around, so it shouldn’t have been too difficult to stop by another one for a quick scrounge. Ah well.

The character of Commander Wilco had real potential, but he needed a bit more development for the audience to truly feel his fate. He’s competent, dedicated and cares for his men, but we only get this in glimpses, and he really deserved a fully humanizing moment. But maybe Andor has set those expectations higher than this series is willing to meet.

Sadly we don’t see much in the way of new terrain or set design, at which later seasons of Clone Wars absolutely outdid themselves. Even Dooku’s palace didn’t have quite the ominous feel it really should have.

Overall a touch better than I was expecting. The first episode has some decent action and ends on a real cliffhanger; but the second episode quickly gets bogged down, and just drags by comparison. The paint-by-numbers dialogue, generic action, lackluster design and sparse character moments all make this thoroughly average post-Clone Wars fare.

[KillianHawkeye]

I would say these first two episodes are merely a setup for whatever the real plot of the season is going to be. I thought they were fairly good, but they mainly served to catch everyone up with current events and lay down the "we should be fighting against the Empire more" goal that will likely drive the plot going forward. Seems like a fairly decent start for the season, though it doesn't have the same gravitas as the first season's Order 66 start off.

I agree with most of your points raised, especially with Omega and Tech, but I'll point out that the heroes using their blasters' stun settings was also something that happened a lot in season 1. It's the standard operating procedure at this point.

I'm also kind of wondering if the change to yellow armor accents has some greater meaning, or if it was just done to update the visuals or to sell more toys or whatever....

[Devlerbat]

When the guy says, "My people existed before the war you know" and Tech responded with "I haven't thought about that" I half expected him to finish with something along the lines of "I suppose because my people didn't".

[Keltest]

When the guy says, "My people existed before the war you know" and Tech responded with "I haven't thought about that" I half expected him to finish with something along the lines of "I suppose because my people didn't".

Depends on how much of the "clones consider themselves a Mandalorian offshoot" element they go with I think.

[Giggling Ghast]

I watched the first two episodes tonight. I thought it was a strong start.

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Clearly they’re setting up Rampart to be a major antagonist, given that he now has a reason to eliminate the Bad Batch and cover up his failure to destroy them on Kamino.

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It makes sense that the Empire would snap up the plunder, but I do have to wonder why it took them an entire year or more to even get started on that. As usual, economics in Star Wars aren’t exactly considered in detail; but given the colossal magnitude of the wealth which Dooku had squirreled away, I’d think the Emperor would have wanted it the moment Doooku’s head stopped rolling.

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Well, there would be a pretty massive re-organization effort following the end of the war. The Imperial Army had to be built from the ground up, and planets formerly under Separatist control like Raxus (or even nominally Republic-aligned planets like Ryloth) would have to be brought to heel. Amidst all that, looting Dooku’s treasure hoard seems like a low priority.

On a side note: was there general consensus around the theory that Crosshair had his chip removed after Episode 8? Back in Episode 1, he still had hair, but after he was badly injured during “Reunion,” his hair is shaved and he has scarring on the side of his head. It stands to reason he might have required brain surgery.

That would also explain why Crosshair shifts from wanting to execute the squad for treason to accusing them of “betraying” him by leaving him behind.

[Palanan]

New episode, surprisingly excellent.

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I was expecting low-grade pablum, but got a tightly written story that gives us both a flashback to the Clone Wars and a detailed look at how the Empire is inexorably spreading its grip.

It’s great to see the war memorial again, and the new location on Dessex is superbly moody. Also nice to see Cody again—he has a full arc in this one episode and it’s very well done.

My one real complaint is that Governor Ames made a bone-stupid move when she released Grotton without having made some very detailed arrangements beforehand. Yes, she was out of droids, but when the entirety of the battle and your life depends on a tiny sliver of leverage, you don’t just give that leverage away.

The episode also gives us the conundrum of who to root for. We spent seven seasons believing clones were the good guys (more or less) when they were mowing down battle droids, and here the episode works nicely to draw us into that frame of mind again, before showing us just how wrong that assumption has become.

Even though we know what Crosshair’s going to do, it’s still painful to see it play out—and all the more so when the steps leading up to it are fully in the Clone Wars spirit. Crosshair’s trick shot with the reflective pucks is just brilliant, and we want to enjoy its sheer coolness, right up to the point when he murders a woman we know is in the right.

Overall genuinely impressed with this one, and my estimation of the show's potential has risen because of it. We’ve seen Star Wars shows give us strong early episodes and then completely fall apart (e.g. Book of Bobalorian) but for now, I’m looking forward to the next episode with higher standards in mind.

Also, the battle droids high-fiving was hilarious. I don’t know if we’ve seen that before, but it perfectly nails the battle droid vibe.

[Giggling Ghast]

Well, that was a very somber episode. The action was impressive, but there are no heroics going on here.

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Ironically, by continuing to fervently serve the Empire, Crosshair has only further isolated himself as his execution of Ames was what led Cody to desert. Now he’s disliked by his fellow clones and looked upon with suspicion by Rampart.

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My one real complaint is that Governor Ames made a bone-stupid move when she released Grotton without having made some very detailed arrangements beforehand. Yes, she was out of droids, but when the entirety of the battle and your life depends on a tiny sliver of leverage, you don’t just give that leverage away.

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She knew she was beaten. It’s not like she could hold that Imperial stooge hostage forever. I think she knew what was coming and decided to go out on her terms, upholding the ideals she once believed in one final time.

[KillianHawkeye]

I agree, excellent episode!

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Is it a new plot point that more clones are escaping the Empire's brainwashing over time, or had it been shown before?

I know Rex managed to defeat it at the end of The Clone Wars, but it was extremely difficult for him. And the Bad Batch had their own difficulties in getting their mind control implants removed before being driven insane (or worse) last season. But Cody seems to have somehow taken the slow road back to mental independence, and other "regs" going AWOL was also mentioned in the episode.

It feels weird that Cody was able to grow a conscience again just over a year after so easily turning on his good friends among the Jedi.

[Keltest]

I agree, excellent episode!

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Is it a new plot point that more clones are escaping the Empire's brainwashing over time, or had it been shown before?

I know Rex managed to defeat it at the end of The Clone Wars, but it was extremely difficult for him. And the Bad Batch had their own difficulties in getting their mind control implants removed before being driven insane (or worse) last season. But Cody seems to have somehow taken the slow road back to mental independence, and other "regs" going AWOL was also mentioned in the episode.

It feels weird that Cody was able to grow a conscience again just over a year after so easily turning on his good friends among the Jedi.

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Consider that Cody and Rex took after their respective Jedi. Cody is much more a believer in protocol and authority as a principle, as opposed to Rex being a free thinker. The chips also cant just turn the clones into droids, because that does genuinely defeat a lot of the purpose of the more expensive clones, so theyre probably left with their personality intact, they just suddenly have new priorities. And with the stormtroopers in the near future, there probably isnt a lot of priority for getting the Clones all on board, since theyre being replaced anyway.

[Devlerbat]

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I honestly can't remember if rescuing the officer was an openly stated objective of their mission. Because of that I half expected Crosshairs to shoot the governor right through the officer.

[Giggling Ghast]

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I honestly can't remember if rescuing the officer was an openly stated objective of their mission. Because of that I half expected Crosshairs to shoot the governor right through the officer.

It was. Rampart told Crosshair to do whatever was necessary to “secure the city and ensure Governor Grotten’s release.”

[Palanan]

New episode, and we’re back to silly and goofy. Ah well; at least it was fun.

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Bit of a nostalgia retread with another podracing story, and for most of the episode I was expecting Omega to be the one to pilot the team to glory. But if there’s a developing theme to this season, it’s Tech discovering how much more there is to life and the galaxy. Here he has his first taste of fame, so we’ll see whether it has any effect on him.

TAY-0 was supposed to be funny, but ended up being too annoying for me to really like. Otherwise the only highlights were the outstanding voice acting for the bad guy, and the excellent design work on the establishing shot of the podracing arena.

I do have to wonder at the clones' decision to lay it all on the line for Sid. Since she has them by the [redacted], simplest thing would’ve been to step back, let her lose and watch someone else get her out of the picture. Why they didn’t…hopefully has a more nuanced calculation than “loyalty,” since she’s given them nothing to be loyal to.

It was too much to hope that the excellence of last week would be sustained, but even so this is at least enjoyably light fun. Here’s hoping for another visit from Cad Bane sometime soon.

[Giggling Ghast]

That was fun. It’s always interesting to look at civilizations within the Star Wars universe that existed prior to the Republic, the Jedi and what have you.

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I watched a short video that speculates the ancient superweapon was actually connected to the Zeffo, the lost civilization explored in Jedi: Fallen Order.

[Palanan]

Eh. Apparently we only get one standout episode per season, and this wasn’t it.

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Even by Bad Batch standards this was terrible. Silly and paint-by-numbers, with a highly annoying guest star. They seem to be confusing “pirate” with “Indiana Jones.” Very different concepts.

There was a brief glimmer of hope when they alluded to civilizations before the Republic…but then they punted and wouldn’t commit, so nothing came of that.

And clearly the robo-monster exceeded the manufacturer’s warranty. It’s a strange device that requires inserting a key to turn it off, but go figure. This is one of those episodes where you just don’t think. At all.

[Giggling Ghast]

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It’s a strange device that requires inserting a key to turn it off, but go figure. This is one of those episodes where you just don’t think. At all.

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I'm assuming that the "Heart of the Mountain" was a device created by someone who opposed the weapon's makers, and its purpose was to either shut it down or destroy it.

In the backstory of Fallen Order, the Zeffo species were initially peaceful Light Side users of the Force (which they called the Life Wind), but eventually they fell to the Dark Side and began warring amongst on one another.

[Maelstrom]

Eh. Apparently we only get one standout episode per season, and this wasn’t it.

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Even by Bad Batch standards this was terrible. Silly and paint-by-numbers, with a highly annoying guest star. They seem to be confusing “pirate” with “Indiana Jones.” Very different concepts.

There was a brief glimmer of hope when they alluded to civilizations before the Republic…but then they punted and wouldn’t commit, so nothing came of that.

And clearly the robo-monster exceeded the manufacturer’s warranty. It’s a strange device that requires inserting a key to turn it off, but go figure. This is one of those episodes where you just don’t think. At all.

Agreed -- this episode may have been beautifully animated, had some interesting character development (what is going on with Hunter??), but the last two episodes, for me, have fallen *way* short of the mark.

[Taevyr]

Just watched episode 7 "The Clone Conspiracy" - it's quite good, actually, probably due to it being part of the same general Rampart/Imperial clones plot that episode 3 was built around.

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So, at least to me, it felt obvious that the sniper wouldn't be Crosshair, but I didn't expect it to be another clone - let alone one who seemed eerily similar to Crosshair in the flatness/general timbre of his voice. Wonder what's going on there.

Also, can't help but think that the Empire would've been better off scapegoating the Kaminoans for something and simply taking over the clone facility for their own use if they need soldiers that bad, but that's neither here nor there.

It was unexpectedly nostalgic to see Chuchi again, I liked her few episodes in TCW.

[Keltest]

Just watched episode 7 "The Clone Conspiracy" - it's quite good, actually, probably due to it being part of the same general Rampart/Imperial clones plot that episode 3 was built around.

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So, at least to me, it felt obvious that the sniper wouldn't be Crosshair, but I didn't expect it to be another clone - let alone one who seemed eerily similar to Crosshair in the flatness/general timbre of his voice. Wonder what's going on there.

Also, can't help but think that the Empire would've been better off scapegoating the Kaminoans for something and simply taking over the clone facility for their own use if they need soldiers that bad, but that's neither here nor there.

It was unexpectedly nostalgic to see Chuchi again, I liked her few episodes in TCW.

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The clones have the fundamental problem of relying on the Kaminoans to produce correctly. Its not just a matter of having the equipment to do it, theyre the geneticists who actually operate it. And if the Kaminoans, for example, were to modify the chips of the next generation of clones, they could do the exact same thing Palpatine did and take over that way, or at least cause him significant issues. On top of that, they know about the Sith involvement in the creation of the clone army, or at least pieces of it, which could be dangerous knowledge if it ever gets out.

What I appreciate about this episode and the next though is how much of a manipulator Palpatine is. No matter whether the Bad Batch got the data or not, he wins. If Rampart isnt undermined like that, then he just persuades the senate to pass the bill normally. But it did get out, so now he knows that Rampart simply cant be trusted to handle things cleanly and quietly, and he still gets his bill. Its genuinely fairly clever, which is rare for media villains these days.

[Devlerbat]

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The clones have the fundamental problem of relying on the Kaminoans to produce correctly. Its not just a matter of having the equipment to do it, theyre the geneticists who actually operate it. And if the Kaminoans, for example, were to modify the chips of the next generation of clones, they could do the exact same thing Palpatine did and take over that way, or at least cause him significant issues. On top of that, they know about the Sith involvement in the creation of the clone army, or at least pieces of it, which could be dangerous knowledge if it ever gets out.

What I appreciate about this episode and the next though is how much of a manipulator Palpatine is. No matter whether the Bad Batch got the data or not, he wins. If Rampart isnt undermined like that, then he just persuades the senate to pass the bill normally. But it did get out, so now he knows that Rampart simply cant be trusted to handle things cleanly and quietly, and he still gets his bill. Its genuinely fairly clever, which is rare for media villains these days.

The whole Clone Wars was a win-win for him since he would have taken over the C.I.S. if they had won the war (and the C.I.S. winning would have meant dismantling the Jedi order anyways).

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It isn't surprising that he would be able to pull off another win-win.

[Keltest]

The whole Clone Wars was a win-win for him since he would have taken over the C.I.S. if they had won the war (and the C.I.S. winning would have meant dismantling the Jedi order anyways).

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It isn't surprising that he would be able to pull off another win-win.

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Its not surprising, its just nice to see a genuinely clever, manipulative plan that doesnt rely on a lot of specific contingencies that he couldnt control for like usually happens with "clever" characters in media.

[Taevyr]

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Its not surprising, its just nice to see a genuinely clever, manipulative plan that doesnt rely on a lot of specific contingencies that he couldnt control for like usually happens with "clever" characters in media.

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Exactly, I very much enjoyed Palpatine in these episodes. He's written exactly as he ought to be written.

[Giggling Ghast]

So the Senate has yet to pass a recruitment bill, but we know from Season 1 that new recruits have been receiving training from clone instructors. I guess that means said recruitment and training has been going on in secret?

Am I the only one who found the similarities between the voices and story roles of Cid and the pirate lady super jarring? Coming off episode 4 into that left me double-taking like "when did Cid change from a short bald alien to a tall human with dreadlocks?"

Cid is voiced by Rhea Perlman, Phee is voiced by Wanda Sykes. I can tell the difference, but I have a good ear for voices. (It’s one of my very few talents.)

[Mando Knight]

So the Senate has yet to pass a recruitment bill, but we know from Season 1 that new recruits have been receiving training. I guess that means said recruitment and training has been going on in secret?

The program was probably obscured from the Senate the way the clone army was: sold as a smaller-scale pathfinding program for backup sources, buried as a line-item inside budget bills nobody has time to read before voting on, "start the program now, get authorization for it later", etc.

[Grim Portent]

My guess would be an experimental extension of the existing non-clone GAR positions. If you're already recruiting non-clones to fill roles in command, maintenance and support roles and so on then sliding some of those resources to 'peacekeeping garrison force training' or whatever would be easy enough. Not hidden so much as just not obviously a problem.

Then when you have the formal justification for replacing the clones you roll the previous groups into the new Stormtrooper corps.

[Taevyr]

To add to the discussion: they mention a conscription model over the course of the two episodes, and the non-clone soldiers in the previous season mention joining up willingly if I recall correctly. Could be that that's supposed to be the main shift of the bill.

[Giggling Ghast]

Regarding Episode 8:

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And of course Palpatine wins again. The game was rigged from the start; if the evidence of Kamino’s destruction hadn’t come forward, the bill would have passed and he would have gotten his conscripted army. But now he has an excuse to deny a pension to the clones.

Anyone else sad to see Echo leave? It was well-foreshadowed, but still sad.

The program was probably obscured from the Senate the way the clone army was: sold as a smaller-scale pathfinding program for backup sources, buried as a line-item inside budget bills nobody has time to read before voting on, "start the program now, get authorization for it later", etc.

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You’re sort of correct, Mando. Episode 8 seems to confirm Rampart diverted funds meant for the cloning program towards the training of new Imperial Stormtroopers, all in preparation for the destruction of Kamino.

[Giggling Ghast]

Episode 9 was all about coping with the loss of Echo. It was decent, though because of what transpires, it feels like the first half of a complete story.

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They should have just told Cid they recovered a satchel full of ipsium. That would have got her hopping.

[Taevyr]

So, just watched episode 12. It's another Crosshair episode and well...

Damn. Possibly the best episode of both seasons. Doesn't pull any punches in showing what the clones have been relegated to, hell, doesn't pull any punches at all.

That commander's eerily realistic in his prejudice, and the type who'd have absolutely gotten fragged in real life.

[KillianHawkeye]

I'm glad they're giving Crosshair a story arc while he's on his own this season, although it looks like he'll be reunited with the others before long.

[Giggling Ghast]

It does seem like all plot lines are converging, given that Crosshair is on the same planet where Hemlock is holding Nala Se and Hemlock wants to capture Omega to force Nala Se to do his bidding.

One thing I’ve been seeing repeated in YouTube comments is the question of why the Empire is getting ready of combat-ready clones who still have a number of years before they must be retired. I would argue that this is just in keeping with Palpatine’s MO: as soon as a tool has served its purpose, it is to be cast aside. The clones were meant to destroy the Jedi, and now that they’ve done their job, he’s throwing them away.

Plus, as a previous episode pointed out, the Empire isn’t abandoning cloning - they just want to completely control it.