Bad Batch Spoiler Recap: Decommissioned
I’ve gotta hand it to The Bad Batch. In what was, to date, their shortest episode so far at just over 20 minutes, they managed to not only pay off several plot points from earlier episodes - and earlier shows! - and set the ball in motion for the rest of the season. Finally, finally, they seem to have remembered that this is a bingeable streaming show, and not one airing on network TV, where a kid might miss an episode or two.
The episode begins at Cid’s bar on Ord Mantell, where Echo is in the middle of teaching Omega how to use her new bow. I’ve gotta say, it’s refreshing to find a skill Omega doesn’t take to right away like she has with the others. This is just furthering the theories that she was engineered to have the skills of the Bad Batch specifically. Because Echo is technically a Reg, and he’s the one teaching her, I guess archery doesn’t come easily to our enhanced heroes. Omega is also frustrated that the skill doesn’t come naturally to her, despite Echo’s assurances that she needs practice, and Cid’s suggestion that she strengthen up her arms.
Speaking of Cid, she has a job for the Batch, and won’t take no for an answer. There’s something very unnerving about Cid and I can’t tell if this is a “no nonsense galactic citizen” thing, or a “she’s going to betray them” thing. Whatever her motivation, the task sounds fairly simple: go to a decommissioning facility on Corellia, and recover one of the tactical droids set to be decommissioned, on behalf of an interested mystery buyer. The job starts off fairly simply. They land without an issue and sneak into the facility, splitting up to achieve their objective. Things take a turn, though, when Omega announces to them that someone else has made off with the head of the last remaining tactical droid.
Which someone, you ask? Why none other than TRACE MARTEZ.
That’s right, the Martez sisters are back! Trace is still just a little too trusting, Rafa is still quick to anger, but then again I guess it’s only been what? A few weeks? Months maybe, since we saw them last? Even though season 7 of The Clone Wars feels like it happened a million years ago.
The two of them are also after the tactical droids head, and what follows is a tussle between them and the Batch, where they alternate between fighting against each other and allying themselves with one another to fight the police droids who patrol the facility. This is some pretty standard Star Wars action stuff, yet the scene was filled with nail-biting tension. Why? Because at long last Wrecker got one blow to the head too many. He doubles over in pain, clutching his skull, and starts to mutter to himself.
Good soldiers follow orders.
He manages to shake this off, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say that this plot point is over and done with. It’s definitely going to come back at some point. Or at least I hope it does, because otherwise it just seems like they’re laying the groundwork to kill Crosshair, since he couldn’t just shake off his conditioning. I love a redemption arc, but redemption in Star Wars makes me very, very nervous. I should also mention at this point that once again we don’t get any Crosshair this week. I’d be interested to see if maybe in a few episodes, we have one that’s just all him, that catches us up on what he’s been doing? Is he safe? Is he alright? I need answers!
They escape the facility after some further hijinx - including Hunter just smashing everything to pieces to save Omega from the garbage conveyor. The reprogram the droid head to reactivate old battle droids, and order them to fight the police droids. This all works wonderfully except for one problem. On the way out, they drop the tactical droid head, and it winds up getting destroyed.
It seems all is lost for everyone, as the information contained in the head - namely, battle strategy from the war - was what their respective employers were interested in. Though the Batch are somewhat miffed by this, Trace and Rafa take it much harder. Unlike the Batch, they didn’t want to steal it for the highest bidder. They were sent by a mysterious someone with no love of the Empire who wanted the information to make a difference.
This leads to a great conversation between Hunter and Rafa that I hope will pay off later in the season. She tells him that as simple as things might have seemed before, they can’t go forever without choosing a side. Ultimately, Hunter gives them a data rod containing the information from the tactical droid, so it seems like Hunter already knows where he stands. Or at least where he wants to stand.
The episode ends with Trace and Rafa reaching out to their mysterious contact. Initially I thought it was Ahsoka, and then two things happened. I remembered that according to the Ahsoka novel, she’s still in hiding and isn’t Fulcrum yet. They also refer to their contact as a “him”. They tell him about the Batch and say they know where they can be found. We don’t see much of this mystery man, and so it’s anyone’s guess who it might be. Bail Organa? Rex?? Or perhaps they’re still working on the wrong side of the law, and it was actually Darth Maul? Only time will tell. And with Fennec Shand still on their tail, it looks like things are going to converge in a big way, at either mid-season or end of season.
On a lighter note, I would like to state once again that Echo remains the superior Dad of the Dad Batch. He’s teaching Omega to use weapons responsibly, and he’s the one she goes to with questions. He also tells dad jokes. After Rafa and Omega say the same thing one after the other and Trace quips “is there an echo in here”, the man just swoops in and says “Yes. I’m Echo.” Top-notch dad humour. Yet another week where I have no choice but to stan Echo.
What did you think? Who was the mysterious man at the end? Is Wrecker in the clear? Have we figured out where the Martez sisters get their smudge-proof lipstick yet? Join us for Bad Bitches on the Bad Batch, our biweekly livestream to dive in! And for more Star Wars discussion, don’t forget to subscribe to “Space Waffles”, our Star Wars focused podcast!
The Bad Batch is streaming now on Disney+ with new episodes every Friday.
