TV Review | Star Wars: The Bad Batch S3:E12 (Juggernaut)
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Max Nocerino 
Although witnessing the Batch commandeer a Juggernaut tank was impressive, this week’s episode of The Bad Batch lacked its usual smooth flow.
THE BAD BATCH has consistently delivered high-quality storytelling and plenty of Star Wars action. But it is not infallible. Some episodes of the third season have been slow, juxtaposed with some episodes that have been truly epic and remarkable. “Juggernaut” falls into that weird grey zone, with some parts good and some wrong. Dr. Hemlock has recaptured Omega and ordered Dr. Karr to do further tests on her. The goal is to ensure that her m-count is replicated in her blood, as the Emperor intends to create clone bodies for himself that can use the Force as his original body could.
It is refreshing to see a technological/scientific breakthrough in a long-criticized “static” society. I can’t wait to see how Omega and the other Force-sensitive children come together to realize Hemlock’s goal. After all, we are in the last season and desperately need some answers.
JUGGERNAUT
The main problem I had with the rest of the episode was that, while it was super cool to see the Batch steal a Juggernaut tank, the plot didn’t flow as well as usual. Many story points are clumsily shoehorned into the point where I thought it became a big mess. The batch’s ship was destroyed during the raid on Pabu, but luckily, Phee arrived to save the day. Okay. That’s not unreasonable. She is an established character and has been in touch with them the last few days. It isn’t that convenient that she would be arriving at this reasonable time.
However, what is too convenient is that Crosshair reveals he knows who knows where Tantiss base is (he couldn’t have bothered to tell us earlier!). What’s more, the secret lies with the disgraced former Admiral Rampart, the same individual who destroyed Tipoca City on Kamino and then was scapegoated and betrayed by the very Empire he served so willingly before.
Rampart has been relocated to a work camp on a brand-new throwaway world. I think its name is Erebus (I’ve honestly given up trying to remember planets; Star Wars throws them around like water). He works in a not-Osha-safe work environment and has grown a beard to signify how long he’s been there and how far he has fallen. It is satisfying to see him struggle to understand the alien language of one of his co-workers. It is a subtle reminder (and comeuppance) of his humancentric racist ideology that fuels many Imperial officers.
RAMPART RETURNS!
Yet, I feel this is an unnecessary shoehorn to re-introduce this character, and the problems grow from there. The stealth maneuver that Phee uses to get down to the planet’s surface is laughable. Lazy and uncreative, she turns off her engine and plunges her ship to the ground. The Batch then quickly takes control of a Juggernaut Turbo Tank transporting Rampart, who refuses to help them unless they get him off-world first.
Again, while it was cool to see the decked-out tank go toe-to-toe with another tank and some gunships, everything felt bootstrapped and cliche, with very little creativity or believability. I knew how everything would go down, and honestly, that bores me. I also didn’t ask for Rampart. feel his inclusion is writers being ultra-lazy. Hopefully, the Omega arc will kick off again and give us what we want. The highlight of the episode was the tank making other tanks go boom.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch is streaming exclusively on Disney Plus now. Stay informed and never miss a story with our frequent updates at Future of the Force.
FORCE FACTS
Throughout the episode, we noticed various Force facts, Easter eggs, trivia moments, and observations. How many of them did you see?
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The Batch uses magnetic seals in their hijacking of the Juggernaut. Magnetic sealing causes blaster bolts to ricochet off the walls (until they hit something else), and we were first introduced to this phenomenon in the original 1977 Star Wars. I still don’t know how it works.
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Ouch. Wrecker punches one of the Juggernaut operators right in the face, and with his super-enhanced strength and the fact that he punched him right in the center of his head- yeah, he’s probably dead or hemorrhaging out slowly.
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The Juggernaut is part war vehicle, part-monster truck, and we see its rapid missile launchers in full spectacle. We only saw this briefly in Revenge of the Sith, in the background of Kashyyyk.
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So, can Omega touch the Force now, or is she simply a carrier for the midi-chlorians like a Typhoid Mary? Only time will tell.
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!
