The Bad Batch Spoiler Review: Faster

This review contains spoilers for The Bad Batch episode “Faster”

Here at The Geeky Waffle, while we are fans of The Bad Batch, we are also in support of the Unwhitewash TBB movement.

This movement is from the Twitter user @unwhitewashtbb and is being led by “fans of color, disabled fans, neurodivergent fans, and Jewish fans.” It’s to bring awareness of the racial discrimination that is baked into the very fabric of this show. The Batch is designed to be “elite clones” and yet their skin tones are very white. All clones are designed after Temuera Morrison, who is a man of color. If the only clones that are perceived as white are considered “elite” and “the best” while regular clones who still appear as people of color are seen as “lesser,” these kinds of design choices have very real consequences on young audiences. @UnwhitewashTBB cites in their title card the hurtful implications this has on minority groups. The card, linked here, goes into great detail about how and why this is a problem. Go read it thoroughly.

It’s important that the creators hear the concerns of fans and work to rectify them. To be clear, whitewashing characters of color should never happen in the first place. It’s a choice that begins in the design phase, which makes it faulty and wrong from the start. We will continue to help hold the creators accountable so mistakes like this don’t happen if we get a season three as well as for future Star Wars projects.

Please follow @UnwhitewashTBB for more information.

The Bad Batch’s second season is absolutely giving my Tech-loving heart heaping helpings of what I wanted since the show began. “Faster” focused on Tech but also Cid which led to a delight of an episode.

I know that “Faster” is probably going to get the dreaded “filler” label stuck to it, but I vehemently disagree with this sentiment.  Tech and Cid both got some much-needed focus in this episode. It was built upon the opening entries of the season. They were probably the most underdeveloped characters coming into season two, so episodes like “Faster” are all the more important. Character development is plot. I always think of a quote from Amphibia creator Matt Braly that often resonates with me when it comes to episodes like this. He said:

“Be careful about skipping episodes because you think they look like ‘filler.’ You may get to the end and not realize you missed the journey completely.”

I actually want to start with Cid, because I have a feeling we’ll be looking back at “Faster” later in the season as a big changing point for her. I think it’s becoming more and more likely that Cid has a chance of dying in season two.

Going back to “Spoils of War,” she specifically tells the Batch that it’s only a matter of time before the Empire come for them. Cid knows that eventually her operation is going to end. It’s part of the reason why she’s hustling business in other places like the racing circuit in this episode. The Batch is getting multiple jobs from her at the same time with Hunter and Echo absent from “Faster,” apparently living their best lives as DoorDash workers for Cid. Cid refuses to let the rest of the Batch be idle, giving Tech, Wrecker, and Omega a second job. She even chews them out about the power bill. Cid is worried about money which her future is tied to. The Trandoshan is pinching pennies and working the Batch twice as hard with that pressure from the Empire is starting to be felt.

Then once she’s taken by Grini Millegi, we get some snippets of her backstory. She clearly has a past with Millegi and he mentions how the Batch doesn’t know the real Cid. Looking at the first and second seasons, Cid doesn’t have many allies. Tech points out she has a pattern of calling on the Batch to bail her out of problematic situations. My theory is she usually pulls in new associates like the Batch and then throws them under the bus when things get too tough. She leaves them behind to save her own skin.

Cid is starting to change, though. She definitely has a soft spot for Omega by helping teach the young girl the energy bow and nurturing her skills. The Batch has wormed their way into her heart to a certain extent. Though I don’t think she expected the loyalty she got from Omega, Tech, and Wrecker in “Faster” when they not only were ready to defend her but also Tech volunteering to race for her. She probably isn’t used to having people in her corner which sets her up for an interesting possible story.

Putting on my tinfoil hat for a theory, I do believe that at some point this season that the Empire will come for them just as she said in “Spoils of War.” Cid is going to have to face a choice of whether to save her own skin or save the Batch. I could even see all of this new development being built up with her staying behind to give her life for them too, fighting to her last breath so they can escape. This is why episodes like “Faster” are important. Sure, the plot of the episode isn’t shattering the universe and changing the very fabric of Star Wars. But if Cid does end up sacrificing herself, her development in “Faster” is key to helping the emotional resonance of that kind of moment. It’s like Matt Braly said, don’t skip on this one and call it filler.

You might miss Cid’s journey in the end.

I do think Tech’s character development was bigger in “Ruins of War,” but “Faster” is continuing to hone who he is. We saw that he can be action-oriented when he needs to be. He’s not just the smart one. He can throw down with his brothers and hold his own too. “Faster” had him step up into the racer role out of necessity. But at one point he does tell TAY-0 that he finds racing fascinating when it comes to analyzing the track and the other racer’s patterns. I find this very healing for him and it goes back to my discussion of Crosshair from last week.

In “The Solitary Clone,” I discussed one of the reasons why Crosshair doesn’t leave the Empire which is the fear of not knowing who he is if he can’t be defined by his sniper trait. Here, Tech is finding other interests outside of being a soldier and mercenary. Being the smart Batch member doesn’t define his life. If he continues to follow racing and develop a hobby, that’s developing a new side of his personality. It gives him something outside of the Batch to help shape him as an individual and a person. I love the idea of him following up on this new interest. It gives him something more to do which is more than Crosshair can say.

I got pretty emotional after the race was finished when the crowd is cheering for Tech. That kind of admiration is probably something the Batch didn’t get much of growing up. Remember, they weren’t regular clones. Regular clones got to see the efforts of their work and sometimes were praised by the people they saved. The Batch’s job was to get in, get out, and move on to the next thing. It was a much more thankless job compared to their brothers. That scene was probably the first time that Tech got that kind of praise in his life which made me all sappy.

I also wouldn’t be surprised if the Empire or Crosshair see this race or hear about it to close in more on the Batch in future episodes. It might be an underground race on a shady planet, but I’m sure when word of a hot new racer named Tech reaches the Empire, the baddies are going to follow up on it.

Another thing I’m really enjoying in The Bad Batch’s second season is them mixing up the team dynamics. It’s refreshing that Hunter and Echo are off, leaving Tech and Wrecker in charge with Omega. They’re an interesting little team with Tech and Wrecker balancing off each other well. There’s no clashing between them either. Wrecker’s weaknesses are Tech’s strengths and vice versa. Omega is there to mediate among the group as a nice midway point between the two. She has both Wrecker’s heart and Tech’s mind, able to assist with all their tasks. This was a really fun trio for “Faster.” It gave Wrecker a chance also to drop a lot of great one-liners throughout the race sequence. I really do like this ongoing mixing and matching among the team.

It also makes me want a story where Crosshair and Omega are separated together. She’s learned so much from the rest of the Batch. Crosshair would easily be able to see their influences on her. Though unlike how he wrote her off in season one, she’s also her own capable person now too. He wouldn’t be able to deny that.

TAY-0 is a freaking delight of a character, but I’m sure he’s going to be hit-and-miss among fans. This entire episode gave me so many Star Wars Resistance vibes, which had to be great for the crew. Many of them, including creator Jennifer Corbett who got her start on Resistance, came over from the previous series. TAY-0 feels like a character who would stroll through the Colossus and run into Kaz, Neeku, Torra, and the gang. It made me very nostalgic for that show, and I was smiling like a loon through all the racing bits.

Also, TAY-0 is an amusing character. I really enjoyed Ben Schwartz portraying him. Granted, I’m a fan of his work in DuckTales and the live-action Sonic the Hedgehog movies. I have a very boring superpower of being able to pick up Ben’s voice in animated projects. The moment TAY-0 started talking, I was like, “Oh look! It’s Ben!” which made me smile even more. TAY-0 might be sassy, cocky, and brash. That’s all the reasons why I liked him though. He was a really fun character and a nice change from the heavier episode last week. Star Wars doesn’t have to be sad and deep all the time. God forbid there are characters that are fun in an all-ages animated show (sarcasm).

Some random thoughts to round out Faster:

-Big shoutout to Ernie Hudson from Ghostbusters voicing Grini Millegi. He was excellent in the role and gave it depth and nuance than a normal “Baddie of the week.” I really loved his performance.

-I also love that Millegi is this big guy holding this tiny bottle of wine. That’s a cute little visual moment

-After voicing Sonic, Dewey Duck, Leo in Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and now TAY-0, I am here for all the Ben Schwartz jokes that his defining acting trait is ‘Blue.’

-All the racers are a freaking delight. I love their designs and it has all the whimsy of The Phantom Menace and the podrace scene

-Kevin Kiner is just knocking the score out of the park with these episodes. Last week was both an homage to Clone Wars and somber. This week is upbeat and exciting. Loving his work this time around.

-The announcer going off about Tech’s name reminded me so much of the first episode of Star Wars Resistance with the whole “Kaz Kaz Xiono!” bit. Boy, I’d love a third season of Resistance please and thank you

-It’s a small thing, but I enjoy watching how more aware of the galaxy the Batch is. In their first meeting with Cid, Tech didn’t even know how to bribe the hangar worker. In “Faster,” he’s very aware of the consequences of acting against Millegi could cause. It’s a small growth that shows how he and the Batch are settling in the bigger galaxy around them.

-Another small thing is when Millegi first shows up. Wrecker is immediately on guard and glares him down. There’s no dialogue. Just a visual of Wrecker’s loyalty to protect everyone. It doubles when Millegi approaches Omega. Both Wrecker and Tech step up to her protection without any words. It’s all wonderful visual storytelling.

I LOVED “Faster.” It might be my personal favorite episode of The Bad Batch thus far. It wasn’t a canon-shaping episode or changing the very fabric of Star Wars. It was a high-octane adventure with my favorite character at the center of it. That’s enough for me to love it. Looking ahead to next week, the title of the episode is “Entombed.” I have absolutely no idea what this could be which is incredibly exciting! See you next week, and please go check out Unwhitewash TBB until then.