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Friday, May 07, 2021

Star Wars: The Bad Batch -- Thoughts on Episode 2

 So with Star Wars Day being back on Tuesday, they gave us a new Star Wars animated series, The Bad Batch.  And I was lucky enough to see the first two episodes beforehand!  And I am now free to give you my thoughts on Episode 2.  

Star Wars the Bad Batch Poster

Mild Spoiler Warnings for Episode 1:

No doubt you've seen Episode 1 by now, but let me bring you up to speed.  Turns out the genetic enhancements of the Bad Batch have made them immune to Order 66.  Branded a liability by the new Empire, they're now on the run.  Crosshair, the sniper of the Bad Batch, was the only one where Order 66 took, so he swore his loyalty to the Empire and now he's tasked with bringing in his former squad mates.  Replacing him is the Baby Yoda type I mentioned in my Episode 1 review...Omega, who is also a clone, but unlike the rest, she's a little girl.  No doubt there's going to be some mystery as to what her purpose is.

Anyway, in Episode 2, they make their first stop to find an ally and figure out their next move.  This friend and ally...Cut, the clone deserter we met in The Clone Wars.  But, Cut's got problems of his own, as he wants to evacuate his family to safer ground now that the Empire's mobilizing.  So the Bad Batch become "The A-Team of the Star Wars universe" that we were promised with this show as they work to help Cut and his family escape.  

Now that our series is established, we're working more to develop our formula for the show.  As I said with my episode 1 review, it almost looks like The Mandalorian has laid out our formula for Star Wars shows:  our heroes are on the run, stopping wherever they can to lend a hand, before heading out on the run again.  And to continue The Mandalorian connections, the bond between Hunter and Omega is definitely growing to become our Mando and Grogu of this show.

So to differentiate it, we need to focus on our team dynamics.  Tech and Echo get some time together, and it looks like they're going to be a fun pair.  And it's too bad that Cut looks to be just a one-time guest star, as he helps out Hunter with some fatherly advice.  

It's looking good so far, but it's still got to work to distance itself a little further from Mandalorian.  

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