Star Wars: The Bad Batch S2 Eps. 7 & 8 Review
Back in college, I took a class on the Vietnam War and how American culture came to view it. I learned from that class how broken it left some of the people who fought in it. Worse, many came home, shunned and forgotten by the people they fought to protect. Now compare this to what I’ve been saying about the Clones throughout Season Two of The Bad Batch, and you can see the disturbing parallels. We’re seeing the Clones who helped build the Empire tossed aside as it happens, and it’s a tragedy. Unfortunately, that tragedy gets worse this week with the two-parter that marks the season’s halfway point.
Also, Darth Sidious stinks.
The Clone Conspiracy Afoot
At the end of the first season, we saw the Empire destroy Tipoca City and its advanced cloning technology. In the opening moments of this two-parter, we learn that they didn’t just level this one city on Kamino. The Empire destroyed all of them; because why wouldn’t they? They like using hammers instead of scalpels. And Rampart covered it up by saying it was all a storm. A storm that hit every city at once. Cities that can submerge and weathered thousands of storms before.
I don’t know what’s worse: the fact that Rampart made a cover-up with so many blatant holes or that people seemed to buy it. Regardless, Rampart and other interest groups use this as an excuse to push for a conscripted army since the Clones can’t keep fighting forever.
This is where the tragedy of the Clones takes center stage after being hinted at and touched upon throughout the series. They performed the job they were literally created to do. They fought for the Republic and defended it. Now the Empire they helped create wants to abandon them without pension or job training? The Clones are angry about this, but they also don’t have a choice. No more Kamino means no more Clones, and their accelerated aging means they’ll have to retire twice as fast.
This whole thing mirrors what many real-world veterans go through when their war ends. Some can adjust to civilian life fine, but it seems impossible for others. And we saw in Kenobi how those Clones could end up homeless on the streets.
Exposing the Truth to the Galaxy
What makes this two-parter so great is that it is a political thriller filled with conspiracy and intrigue. First, we have the majority of the Clones, forced to let other people decide their fate when they’re not allowed to. We have Senators with a moral compass, like Bail Organa and Chuchi of Pantora, who fight on their behalf. Lastly, we have the Empire in the form of Rampart, who’s pushing for this new army and needs to see the Clones as people.
At the heart of the matter, though, are the Clones themselves, such as the Bad Batch and Captain Rex, who returns once more. Besides laying the groundwork for rebellion, Rex has dedicated himself to saving his fellow Clones. And when two who took part in the destruction of Tipoca City are killed, he steps in to expose the truth. To do that, though, he calls in the Bad Batch.
The Bad Batch are reluctant to go to Coruscant to find the proof of Rampart’s crimes, save for one: Echo. Despite being part of the squad, Echo still needed to start with them. He was a normal Clone Trooper with his squad who joined the ARC Troopers, only to be captured and used by the Separatists against the Clones. His old squad was dead when the Bad Batch saved him, so he jumped to join their team. They gave him a new home. Despite this, Echo still has a strong bond with the normal Clones, whereas the Bad Batch never had that outside of a few people. So he’s the one who pushes them to do this, and ultimately, they succeed.
But the Clones still lose in the end.
The Clones Would Lose Either Way
The Bad Batch and Chuchi catch Rampart in 4k in front of the Senate, and he is arrested. However, even this victory proves hollow for several reasons.
Firstly, Rampart is ambitious but dumb. Which makes him the perfect fall guy if things go wrong (which they did.) The Empire can say Rampart went rogue and deflect any blame as Darth Sidious himself does as he makes an appearance! Secondly, even though they caught Rampart, Sidious still argues that the fact that the Clones did this to their own home makes them untrustworthy. So he still gets the bill for the Stormtroopers passed.
This is why the Empire sucks, and Darth Sidious is an evil mastermind. Even when he loses, he still wins. And now, all the Clones he helped create are getting thrown under the bus. Everything except himself is replaceable. Because he sucks. He sucks so much.
Echo Takes a New Path
This two-parter ends on a bittersweet note, emphasizing the bitter aspect more. With the Clones’ fate sealed, Rex is determined to save as many of his brothers as possible. And he won’t be alone; Echo decides to join Rex, much to Omega’s sadness.
This decision felt a long time coming. Echo was a part of the Bad Batch, but he never really got center-stage at this time. With Rex, he has the potential to continue his story in a direction the Bad Batch doesn’t want to follow for now. I have a feeling we’ll see him again, though. The question is, how will this affect the rest of the squad from now on?
These two episodes were absolute bangers. The best the show’s ever been, and it showcased the tragedy of the Clone Troopers. Like real-life veterans, they risk being abandoned by the people they protected, just like the Jedi were. Their fate hammers home how much war stinks and how some institutions, left unchecked, will abandon these people for profit and power. I hope Rex and Echo get as many Clones out as possible.
And Stormtroopers stink!
