– Spoiler Review –
The Clone Wars returns, again, for its 7th and final season and it begins its 12 episode run with “The Bad Batch,” the beginning of a 4 episode arc dealing with a motley crew of specialized clones, ripped right from 80’s action movies, and their plan to disrupt a highly effective Separatist defensive strategy that might involve someone long thought dead. As far as starts go, this is a rousing, action-heavy episode and sets up for some deeper aspects down the line.
As the Republic Army takes far more losses than normal, constantly thrown back no matter their strategies to take over a shipyard at Anaxes, Commander Cody calls in an audible, Clone Force 99 aka the Bad Batch, as their methods and skills will help them sneak behind enemy lines and uncover how the Separatists have managed to defeat them so badly. Captain Rex has some suspicions it’s actually a fallen clone trooper, Echo, somehow helping the Separatist, but he declines to share this with General Anakin Skywalker, his closest Jedi friend, despite his obvious suspicions of Rex, and instead only shares it with Cody. While his clone brethren doesn’t believe him, the episode ends with one thing very clear: Echo lives!
Echo, in part of the Citadel storyline in Season 3, perished as far as we all knew, but after TCW was cancelled in 2013 and revived shortly on Netflix in 2014, Dave Filoni confirmed the opposite was true and somehow Echo was alive, somewhere. This arc of episodes originally were released April 2015 in rough, unproduced animation form, though the music, voice acting, and sound effects were finished, and I found the original airing of them to be quite a blast, especially the Bad Batch’s Wrecker, though I haven’t watched the episodes since, so I’ve forgotten some of the little details. Echo’s survival is still an interesting storyline and I’m excited to see it unfold in full animation. Similarly, the antics of the Bad Batch are a little more impressive now, as their fun tactics using a part of their blown up ship advance on an overwhelming enemy feels as crazy and awesome as it should, while a later “single-shot” scene of them infiltrating a minor base looked fantastic and fluid.
Dee Bradley Baker, voice of all the clones, dials up his abilities to 11, as each member of the Bad Batch is distinctive but yet sounds clone-adjacent. This entire series is full of his impressive display of vocal range, giving nearly all the clones enough difference you can even I.D. them on voice alone, but the fact this episode is basically his performance (he voices Admiral Trench as well) is a stunning reminder of his abilities. It’s rather easy to guess who does what on Clone Force 99: Hunter, the gruff but level-headed Sergeant, has heightened senses, including detecting electromagnetic emissions; Crosshair, the silent and grumpy sniper; Tech, great with all sorts of technology, including hacking and decryption; and Wrecker, a giant wrecking ball with enhanced strength. Wrecker was my favorite the first time I saw this arc, but after this first episode I’m not as much of a fan, but if I recall it happened thanks to some spectacular displays of strength and hilarity towards the end of the arc. As I mentioned earlier, these characters feel ripped from the 80’s, for better or worse, but to see them in the Star Wars galaxy is a lot of fun, as it’s only in TCW we get such mashups and genre crossovers so seamlessly included in its story. An added bonus, going off the opening fortune cookie of the episode, will be watching how the regular clones grow used to the modified ones, and vice a versa, because accepting others for their differences really does make one stronger; as will be the case for these clones, as together they’ll manage to win this deadly battle.
While “The Bad Batch” focuses more on the action and getting the plot moving, there are undercurrents of the thread this show has always carved: the cost of war. The whole mission to start this arc of episodes is due to the Republic trying to stem their losses, but it’s interesting to see the Jedi seemingly more concerned by the amount than that there even is such a large scale of death happening to their troops, another little sign of how the war has effected them and, as Yoda put it in Rebels, sent them down the dark path without knowing. It’s a small moment, but Rex reminiscing about the brothers he’s lost, including Heavy and Fives, only adds to his desperation to figure out if Echo really could be alive, as while saving one might look insignificant next to all those who have died, it means a lot to these clones to save as many as they can…no matter the upcoming Order 66-pocalypse. Especially after the tragedy of Fives, as seen in season six, Rex could really use a win with saving his friends.
Here are a few other things:
- Skako Minor, where the show is headed next to unravel the mystery of Echo, was most recently seen in Doctor Aphra‘s “Remastered” arc, where Aphra and truly unique crew investigate Wat Tambor’s laboratory and vault, a character who will become more prominent in the final few episodes.
- Blink and you’ll miss it, but as the team squabbles about what to do next and Rex takes over after Cody is injured, you can see a fyrnock in the background! Beyond being one of the many amazing offshoots of the Mynock genome, these creatures featured in a few Star Wars Rebels episodes, where the crew visited Fort Anaxes (the base where Anakin and Mace Windu confer with the clones), like “Out of Darkness” and “Gathering Forces.” I don’t know if that was in the initial rough animation release of this episode, but I wouldn’t be surprise if it was added for this release.
- There aren’t any episode guides up yet, but they have been promised! They haven’t yet materialized for The Mandalorian, but I feel like we have a better chance with TCW ones. UPDATE: Looks like we’ll just have to wait for the Monday’s following the episode premiere, as the official site has an expansive episode guide up for “The Bad Batch!” It includes a new digital series The Clone Wars Download, trivia gallery, commentary gallery, and more!
The Clone Wars is back and leading the charge is a unique group of clones, on a mission tailor made for their special brand of tactics, as “The Bad Batch” kicks off the newest season with lots of action and plenty of old school TCW vibes along with it.
+ Clone Force 99 aka Bad Batch
+ Dee Bradley Baker’s performances
+ Potential brewing with cost of war thread
+ Fantastic action…
– …though maybe too much action-focus
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website @MynockManor.
THE CLONE WARS REVIEWS
Season Seven: Ep. 2 “A Distant Echo”
Legacy Impressions: Crystal Crisis | The Bad Batch