This was a phenomenal episode of The Bad Batch. I love how the writers really did their homework and dug into lore of the Wookiees
In the last episode, I complained (slightly) that The Bad Batch was not doing stories that would benefit the team’s progression and character development. Tribe comes in and turns that completely on its head, presenting us with a story that is pure Star Wars at its core.
TRIBE
The episode starts with the team heading to an odd looking space-station in orbit around a planet. The station evokes the classic UFO feel with a signature saucer-shaped disk and the inhabitants are a bunch of droids with deep, modulated voices and a cyclopean single photoreceptor or droid eye. When watching Star Wars, the key goal is to be wowed by the creativity of the locale and the characters that live there.
Right away this station hooks me into that sense of nerdy wonder that sci-fi does for me. So right away I could tell this would be interesting. The fact that The Bad Batch is dealing business with droids was a bit different and my first thought immediately thought they were members of the Droid Gotra. A droid-led criminal organization.
SHADY DEALS
When making a shady, crooked deal, Omega (who is staying with the ship) hears the cry of someone in trouble. She immediately springs into action once again. I admire Omega’s bravery, confidence, kindness, and selflessness. Even when she goes to help someone in need and is wholly outnumbered or outgunned.
We quickly see a furry, familiar face and the rest of the clones respect this wayward Wookiee padawan. Yes, it’s Gungi from The Clone Wars. He is only slightly taller and wields his green lightsaber with expert precision. Fun fact: Wookiees are rarely Force-sensitive (for some unknown reason) and he may have been one of the few Wookiee Jedi in the galaxy.
GUNGI RETURNS!
He is reluctant to trust the clones as this grimly tells that his clones indeed turned on him and Gungi was lucky to survive. Yet this poor teen has nowhere to go and the clones decide to take him to Kashyyyk (the Wookiee homeworld) as it seems like the most logical destination. The animators really captured the arboreal beauty that is Kashyyyk. It is brimming with life and lots of monsters and creatures are showcased. This is yet another staple of the well-tested Star Wars formula. I also love how the writers really did their homework and dug into lore with the Wookiees “speaking” to the trees and their arch-enemies the Trandoshans.
WOOKIEE CULTURE
The Wookiee culture reminds me very much of the Na’vi from Avatar and I thought it was cool that Hunter could speak a little Shryiwook. I always wondered how hard it is to learn such a guttural, monosyllabic language and give Han and Hunter credit for understanding it. So we have creatures, action, and lore. Three extremely important components for a good Star Wars story. And we have a purpose for the Batch!
Instead of just doing grunt work for Cid (their employer), the Batch is helping a noble cause. By safeguarding and delivering a fugitive Jedi to a safe location. This is probably one of the best things a team of their skill could be doing right now. Perhaps we are seeing the beginnings of what later will be known as the Path from the Kenobi live-action series. The Path is the Star Wars version of the Underground Railroad. A network helping Force-users, Former Jedi, and other Imperial enemies get to safety. Maybe the Bad Batch will help another Jedi later on as the season progresses. One can only hope.
VERDICT
This was a phenomenal episode. It got its hands dirty (for a kid’s show) as many Trandoshans (and some Wookiees) died from blaster fire-inflicted wounds. The war is not over and you should never sugarcoat the loss. Solid A all the way.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 2 is streaming on Disney Plus NOW!
Author
Max Nocerino is a regular Staff Writer for The Future of the Force. He is a passionate Star Wars fan and loves the literature of the galaxy far, far away. Follow him on Twitter where he shares his love of the Force frequently!
