After two months the second season of The Bad Batch has come to an end and there are a lot of things to discuss: What happened, how it made us feel, and what’s next for the Bad Batch.
It started as a predictable series and it often felt like something was missing but when things got serious they really caught everyone by surprise! Here are my thoughts and impressions about Season 2.
The Bad Batch Season 2 Story Recap
Season 2 begins with the Omega, Echo, Hunter, Tech, and Wrecker looking different from the previous season. Their armor no longer recalls their allegiance to the Republic now turned Empire, this is a subtle but meaningful change that is reflected in their way of thinking and most importantly, their actions.
Omega has also improved a lot, she’s now a fully operational member of former Clone Force 99. When she joined her brothers, Omega was a burden simply because of her lack of military training. She was impactful in a few key moments, but that wasn’t too often.
Now, she is more than capable of holding her own against any standard enemies. Her small size also makes her perfect to fit in places impossible for others. Hunter is still very protective of Omega but he also trusts her to do certain missions.
Character development and good storytelling are basic for any series, game, or book; especially if it’s Star Wars related. Omega isn’t the only one that has evolved.
Senator Riyo Chuchi was introduced in the Clone Wars series. She was shy and a little insecure but now we see her fighting for clones’ rights, openly speaking against many of the Empire’s policies, and also helping Rex rescue as many clones as possible from the Empire’s hands.
Clones are figuring out what this new Galactic Empire is all about. It is replacing everything related to the former Republic and that includes every single one of them.
Fighting against the people that they once protected, being sent to overthrow governments that refuse to join the empire, and arresting civilians have now become regular missions for the members of the now-disbanded Grand Army of the Republic.
Clones like Cody, Howzer, Fireball, and many others have decided to abandon to leave the Empire. Echo joins Rex to help him save as many of their brothers as they can. Alone they might not be a threat but if a large enough force is gathered, they could do something meaningful to help the people of the galaxy.
Throughout the entire season, the Bad Batch met people that might not appear to be very important but when you’re against the Empire, acquiring new allies is vital. Senator Chuchi, Phee Geona, Gungi, the kids on Ipsidon, and the villagers of Pabu.
Hunter, Wrecker, and Echo are going to need every bit of help they can get if there’s any hope to rescue Omega.
New and returning characters
Every single time that a new Star Wars show starts airing I’m always wondering what kind of characters we’re going to see. The first season of the Bad Batch featured Cad Bane, Fennec Shand, and a young Hera Syndulla. Not a bad roster by any means but the more the better.
Season two brought back characters from the Clone Wars and the original trilogy. Senator Chuchi is now a complete senator that isn’t afraid to do what’s right, by helping Rex and the other clones she’s putting her life and even her planet at risk.
The operation is still small but they have already helped a lot of clones. I would dare say that she’s the spiritual successor of Padmé Amidala. We’re going to see more of her in the future and I can’t wait to see the impact she has on the story.
Gungi also returned after many years after his first appearance in the Clone Wars. The Wookiees have been fighting offworlders since the age of the Old Republic, sadly for them the Empire continues to be one of these invaders. Thanks to the effort of Omega, Hunter, Echo, Wrecker, and Tech, Gungi is now with his kind.
This probably won’t be the last time that we see them. Wookiees are very thankful and will always remember those who helped them. With Omega captured, Hunter will try to get help from anyone. Aside from the rescued clones, I think the Wookiees are the best option Hunter and the remaining members of the Bad Batch have.
Phee Geona might not look like a dangerous person but she’s a woman with many connections in the underworld and that can never be underestimated. Phee enjoys the peaceful view of Pabu but she’s not afraid to get her hands dirty.
When Phee learns about what happened to Tech and Omega I’m sure that she’ll use every contact to get the information required.
Dr. Hemlock is what this show needed to feel more personal if that makes sense. There are few characters in animated Star Wars shows that I despise and he’s one of them. He fits the “mad scientist” role perfectly, using any means to obtain results, no matter who has to suffer.
The Empire has always been the enemy but it’s nice to give a face to said enemy. Having a person that serves as the main antagonist allows me to be more emotionally invested in everything that happens. An adversary that is brilliant and has an almost infinite amount of resources will make any mission incredibly hard and risky.
We still don’t know many things about Dr. Hemlock but if he’s as dangerous and insane as he looks then we’re probably going to have a Season 3 full of emotions and anguishing moments. And I’m all in for that!
Answers to old questions
One of my favorite things about recent Star Wars media is how everything is (finally) being connected; games, books, series, and movies. Every now and then we’re getting some answers about things that have kept us wondering for years.
Republic Commando is an iconic Star Wars game; Boss, Sev, Fixer, and Scorch are some of my favorite clones of all time. Since there was no sequel to Republic Commando many fans (including myself) assumed that we’d never hear something about it.
Luckily for us, Dave Filoni has us covered. Scorch, Delta Squad explosives specialist, appeared since Season 1 but there wasn’t confirmation. I honestly thought that the Clone Commando was just using a similar-looking armor.
There’s not too much information about the different types of armor that Clone Commandos wear so the possibility of him being Scorch was small.
But if we’ve learned something from Dave Filoni is that anything can happen. It was such a delightful surprise that the mysterious and badass Clone Commando that has been around since Season 1 is, in fact, RC-1262.
The Zillo Beast remained one of the biggest mysteries that the Clone Wars animated show left unsolved. For almost thirteen years we didn’t hear anything about what happened after Palpatine secretly ordered it to be cloned.
A creature that could rival every legendary beast in the Star Wars universe is not something to be taken lightly, especially with all the incredible capabilities that this Malastarian animal has.
Bringing back the Zillo Beast was incredible, but Filoni had to wait for the right time. After Palpatine’s controversial return, Disney had to fill the gaps about how such a thing was possible.
Since then, cloning has been the central topic around many storylines; The Mandalorian and The Bad Batch are the most notorious ones but I do not doubt that the topic will continue to be explored in more Star Wars media.
Even if it was only for an episode, I’m glad that we learned more about what happened. But to be honest I want the Zillo Beast to appear at least one more time.
Season 2 Fails and Flops
As much as I enjoyed the big surprises like Scorch and the Zillo beast, other things surprised me negatively.
Half the season felt like filler episodes; I understand that not all of them can have incredibly high stakes or good cliffhangers but many of them felt inconsequential to the story.
Many of them served for character development purposes with Omega, Tech, and Crosshair being the ones who grew the most. Don’t get me wrong, I love what they did with all of them but in my opinion that could have been done in a way that was a little more entertaining.
Every time that it looked like things were finally getting serious everything cooled down in the next one or two episodes, feeling like we were back at the beginning. I consider that it took way too long before the stakes felt high enough.
Dave Filoni knows the bigger picture better than anyone, what may have looked like a filler episode could probably be very meaningful in the upcoming season.
Maybe I am being too impatient with an animated show; this season was still entertaining so I’m not too bothered about this entire situation.
Not giving Filoni the benefit of the doubt would be the dumbest thing to do. He has proven himself multiple times with The Clone Wars and Rebels. It might take time to build up something but in the end, it has always been worth the waiting.
Improvements from Season 1
Even if there are some aspects of this season that I wasn’t the biggest fan of, it’s undeniable that it is a lot better than the previous one.
The entire Bad Batch grew a lot in every aspect. Most of them filled a stereotype; the big strong guy, the smart tech savvy, the leader, the loyal soldier. Now, most of them have become more complex characters with goals, fears, and questions about how they want to live their lives.
Omega has been invaluable in developing the rest of the Bad Batch members. She can reach into their emotions and show them in a vulnerable way that has never been seen previously in a clone trooper. This allowed me to connect on a different level with every one of them.
This backfired when Tech sacrificed himself but it is a good thing that I’m so devastated about a character’s death.
Most of the stories were also better: saving Gungi, getting into what looks like a Zeffo droid, the clones leaving the Empire, politicians confronting Palpatine, and the Empire’s plans that seem to get darker and darker with every season.
Good stories are essential but adding a little twist can make them feel fresh; “Entombed” felt like an Indiana Jones tribute, “Metamorphosis” reminded us how terrifying it is to be trapped on a stranded ship with a deathly alien creature, and “The Crossing” had this huge western movie vibes.
Many Star Wars fans are also huge cinephiles so it is very cool to see how they incorporate elements of iconic films to give these episodes a stronger identity even if the story itself isn’t the most interesting.
Setting up Season 3 and beyond
The ending of the final episode was incredible, what happened was certainly not expected. I thought that they would simply infiltrate Mount Tantiss, fight clone commandos and Scorch, and go through a lot of problems to get out of there with Crosshair.
With Omega captured and Tech gone it looks like the next season will be full of action and drama. Hunter, Echo, and Wrecker will have to get a lot of help if they plan to infiltrate the heavily-guarded Mount Tantiss.
Right now I could think of Gungi and the Wookiees, Rex with the other clones, Phee and that’s probably it.
It is certainly going to require a lot of planning, help, and even a bit of luck but Omega’s rescue attempt is going to keep us tight in our chairs.
There’s also a lot to learn about Dr. Karr and Dr. Hemlock’s experiments. They haven’t explained what they’re doing with the clones but as I mentioned above it is all linked to the sequels. Obviously, Palpatine finds a way to create a force-sensitive clone but learning more about how it was done will probably make some of us finally accept the infamous “somehow Palpatine returned” line.
Omega is a smart girl, I’m sure she will learn a lot about the place she’s being held captive and eventually use that to her advantage.
Many have underestimated her due to her age, size, and character but she has become a resourceful and capable individual. If Dr. Hemlock isn’t careful, Omega is going to cause a lot of problems for him.
Now, the big question is: Is Tech really dead? I watched that episode six times already and that scene was devastating to see every single one.
We never saw the body so it is impossible to know for sure. Star Wars has brought back from death a lot of characters so it doesn’t make it any easier to predict.
Tech being dead would be something pretty sad but I think it’s better than watching Hemlock turn him and Crosshair into mindless killing machines and then send them after their remaining brothers.
The Season Finale left me speechless and with more questions than answers. What do you think the next season of The Bad Batch will have prepared for us? We will most likely hear new details and future plans from The Bad Batch Panel event during Star Wars Celebration 2023. Stay tuned for all of the news coming from there!
Star Wars The Bad Batch Season 2 Episodes Reviews
Reviews of each individual episode of Star Wars The Bad Batch Season 2. Each article breaks down a single episode and analyses its story, digs for secrets and easter eggs and explains how the events of the episode and scenes featured in it relate to and reference the rest of the Star Wars franchise!
The Bad Batch Season 2 Premiere Episodes 1 and 2 Review and Breakdown
Review and analysis of The Bad Batch Season 2 Episodes 1 and 2. Find out how much Clone Force 99 has changed and what are their new goals.
The Bad Batch S2 Episode 3 Review and Breakdown
Review of Episode 3 from the second season of The Bad Batch Star Wars Animated TV Show. Breakdown of scenes, events, references and secrets!
The Bad Batch S2 Episode 4 Review and Breakdown: Faster
Episode 4 of Star Wars The Bad Batch Season 2 lacks any planetary-level threats. Instead, it focuses on developing an unexpected character!
The Bad Batch S2 Episode 5 Review and Breakdown: Entombed
The Bad Batch’s S2 Episopde 5, is an enjoyable episode but one that raises many questions about the direction this series is going!
The Bad Batch S2 Episode 6 Review and Breakdown: Tribe
The sixth episode of The Bad Batch’s season 2, Tribe, is out on Disney Plus. This has been my favorite episode of the current season so far!
The Bad Batch S2 Episodes 7 and 8 Review and Breakdown
The Mid-Season Review of The Bad Batch’s second season includes episode 7 "The Clone Conspiracy" and episode 8 "Truth and Consequences".
The Bad Batch S2 Episode 9 Review and Breakdown: The Crossing
After last week’s intense Mid-Season, The Bad Batch Season 2’s ninth episode “The Crossing”, which focuses on Character development!
The Bad Batch S2 Episode 10 Review and Breakdown: Retrieval
In The Bad Batch Season 2 Episode 10 "Retrieval" the team recovers their ship and learns that the Empire is not the only evil in the galaxy!
The Bad Batch S2 Episode 11 Review and Breakdown: Metamorphosis
The Bad Batch Episode 11 of season 2 is surprisingly dark and answers two questions that have haunted Star Wars fans for over ten years!
The Bad Batch S2 Episode 13 Review and Breakdown: Pabu
The Bad Batch S2 Episode 13, Pabu, is the most relaxed so far. Animation can be exceptionally beautiful and this one is a testament to it!
The Bad Batch S2 Episode 14 Review and Breakdown: Tipping Point
The Bad Batch S2 Episode 14 “Tipping Point” shows what Echo has been doing with an Imperial Senator’s help and an update on Chrosshair’s fate.
The Bad Batch S2 Season Finale Review and Breakdown
The Bad Batch Season Finale is out and it left many of us speechless. What started as a standard mission quickly turns into something that will change The Bad Batch forever.
The Bad Batch Season 3 Episodes 10 and 11 Breakdown and Easter Eggs
These two episodes, Identity Crisis and Point Of No Return are the prelude of the final arc of the season. Dr. Emerie Karr learns what's inside the Vault while Omega makes a choice that could change everything, for better or worse. The Bad Batch face their toughest moment, so far.
