Episode three of the new season of The Bad Batch, The Solitary Clone, is out on Disney+. I wasn’t expecting that we would see some of the events of this episode happen so early into the season. An improvement over the first two episodes and a preview of what we could expect in the future.
This review contains spoilers.
Recap of the story so far
Tipoca City, home of the former clone army was destroyed by Imperial Star Destroyers. Crosshair tried to hunt his old squad but he ended up stranded on the planet after being rescued by them. Stormtroopers are becoming more common with every day that passes.
Clone Force 99 is still on the run and completing missions in order to survive but they know that this won’t last forever. The Empire is coming and they need a plan and more allies if they want to survive.
An unexpectedly dark episode
After the first two episodes, I seriously thought that we’d be returning to the light tone and not-so-meaningful feel of the early seasons of the Clone Wars. It’s not that they were bad but if we compare them to Andor or Obi-Wan it’s a pretty big difference.
Maybe comparing The Bad Batch with those two shows isn’t completely fair but after Tales of the Jedi, it’s clear that Filoni still wants to tell darker stories in animated media and I thought that Season 2 of the Bad Batch would immediately get into that mood.
I should have imagined that after how Wilco ended in the last episode things would get darker. Honestly, I’m glad that scenes these types of scenes appear in an animated show. Sometimes they’re not easy to watch but it’s necessary if we want the stories to be more believable or relatable.
The creation of the Empire is as old as Star Wars itself but watching how the transition really happened is something relatively new. We’ve seen glimpses of that in Andor, Obi-Wan, The Clone Wars, Rebels, and Jedi: Fallen Order but I believe this has been the most intimate it’s ever gotten.
The replacement of the Clone Troopers and the destruction of their homeworld, systems being invaded by those that used to protect them, civilians being treated as criminals, the purge of the Jedi, and all the chaos that was unleashed after Order 66.
The first two episodes felt like a weak opening to this show but after this third one, my expectations and excitement have increased considerably.
Imperial Occupation
The Empire is just a few months old, which means that seizing control of different systems is one of the top priorities of the new rulers of the galaxy. It doesn’t matter if they were part of the Republic or not, the Empire is taking over.
Understandably, some systems don’t accept the claims of the Empire and try to reason with them. Since the Empire used to be the Galactic Republic it’s not too crazy that they think there can be dialogue.
Sadly for them, the newly appointed Imperial Governors lack the authority and interest to find a peaceful solution. Tawni Ames, the rightful Governor of Desix tries to make them leave peacefully but things don’t go as planned.
Just like Ferrix, the Empire simply shows up and expects to be in full control. Without any sort of respect for the people, their costumes, ideas, or identities. We know how this ends but until the destruction of the Death Star the people of Desix will suffer the same fate as millions of people
CT-9904
Crosshair has always been a lonely individual, even among his brothers of Clone Force 99. Now that they’re gone he spends his time completely alone and the only social interaction he gets is when one of his superiors issues new orders.
Spending so much time on his own has definitely made him think about his future not only as a soldier but as a person. With each day passing, more clones decide that this isn’t something they want to be a part of.
Crosshair might be many things but dumb is not one of them. He knows that the future of the clones is uncertain. Not only that but corruption and ineptitude in the higher ranks is becoming more and more evident.
One of the reasons why the Grand Army of the Republic was so efficient is because of the understanding and true sense of camaraderie between the clones and their Jedi generals. They were exceptional soldiers led by exceptional leaders and warriors. When everyone’s lives are at risk trust is key and I don’t see it happening with Imperial Officers and Moffs.
In fact, I think the only thing that’s already happening is that the distrust between clones and non-clones is increasing with every episode. Wilco wasn’t the first victim and he’s not going to be the last one if the rest of the clones find out what happened then things are going to get even more chaotic.
The question remains; what is Crosshair going to do when things get to the point that he’s no longer willing to comply with the orders given to him?
Clone Wars meets Rebels
As someone who grew up watching the Clone Wars animated show, it fills me with joy when I see Clone Troopers fight the goofy battle droids in recent Star Wars media.
Desix used to be a member of the CIS aka separatists, that’s why it makes perfect sense that they still have a small army of droids ready to defend them.
Experiencing Commander Cody and Crosshair displaying their skills and experience against the B1 Battle Droids and the deadly BX Commando Droids was very nostalgic and entertaining. I’m not sure how many moments like this we’re getting in upcoming episodes so I really savored it.
Just like Cody and Crosshair remind me of the Clone Wars, the new Stormtroopers and especially the Imperial Officers remind me of Star Wars Rebels. I mean, this is the show that shows the transition between both eras but it’s still super cool to see Stormtroopers and Clone Troopers in the same scene. Hopefully, we’ll be able to watch them go against each other.
Good soldiers follow orders
This phrase has been said to and by the clones on many occasions. Whenever they questioned or had second thoughts about an order this slogan is what helped them get through the confusion or displeasure.
These are different times, obeying an order like attacking unarmed civilians or executing governor Tawni after promising to find a peaceful solution goes against the ideals and morality of most clones. Even if they were programmed and trained to blindly obey that doesn’t remove their humanity.
The problem is that no one in the Empire sees them as such, for officials like Tarkin and Vice Admiral Rampart the Clone Troopers are just organic machines that are expendable.
We all know that this is not the case, due to their inhibitor chips and how they were raised it might be harder for them to push back or even turn against their superiors but they are humans with emotions, fears, memories, and even dreams.
This is highlighted when Cody tells Crosshair that they’re not droids, they have their own choices, and said choices have consequences that they must deal with, positive and negative.
Honestly, I thought we would have to wait a lot more before watching the clones desert from the Empire but if this trend continues this season it’s just a matter of time before we see an exodus of the members that once were the pride of the Galactic Republic.
Easter Eggs and References in “The Solitary Clone”
In the segment below I am going to share a few of the key secrets and references from this episodde. Star Wars is not just a title, it’s a connected world. Let’s see what connections to the franchise’s legacy are hidden in Episode 3 of the second season of the show.
Ralph McQuarrie’s original TK Troopers design
The design of the TK Troopers is a reference to the original designs that Ralph McQuarrie envisioned for the Stormtroopers.
Senator Amidala
Governor Tawny mentions that once she and another separatist senator called Mina Bonteri, who first appeared in Season 3 Episode 10 of The Clone Wars, tried to make a peace treaty with Republic senators. And Padmé Amidala was among the republic representatives.
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