Star Wars: The Bad Batch S2, Ep 9 Review
If people thought that The Bad Batch would return to a normal status quo after last week, then think again. Following the news that the Clones were going to get phased out, Echo left the team to help Rex save as many of them as possible. Echo may not have started out with the Bad Batch, but he’s been with them the entire time Omega’s known them. As a result, seeing him leave isn’t just a big change for viewers; it’s a fundamental change to the life Omega’s come to know. This week focuses on Omega’s attempts to process this change, which can be an uncomfortable part of anyone’s life. However, it’s also one of the things about life that we often cannot control, and the sooner Omega learns that, the better off she’ll be.
Oh, and the team’s ship gets stolen.
What Do You Mean, Someone Took the Ship?!?
Back on another mission for Cid, the Bad Batch heads to this remote planet to harvest a rare mineral used in explosives. However, thing’s don’t go as planned. Firstly, Omega’s distracted by the fact that Echo’s currently not with them. Secondly…some nerf herder steals the Marauder when they’re not looking and flies off with it. Not. Cool.
In short, the team’s stranded on a hostile planet with a limited food supply. The nearest spaceport’s miles away, and there’s an oncoming thunderstorm. To top it all off, without Echo, they’re down a man. In other words, they’re in it deep.
And none of this is helping Omega’s emotional state.
Omega Coming to Terms With Change
Omega has had a challenging life. Born the last clone of Jango Fett and forced to go on the run alongside the Bad Batch, her life’s been filled with uncertainty and change since we first met her. As much as she enjoys it, it isn’t conventional for a kid to grow up in, which can severely affect their future growth. Having the Bad Batch around provided her with the semi-stable family unit she needed to support her. But then Echo left, and like many children her age, she didn’t know how to cope. Worse, she doesn’t understand why the adults aren’t as upset as she is about this.
In a particularly somber moment alone with Tech, Omega takes the chance to lay out all her frustrations in front of the older Clone. Tech tries to explain how change is a fundamental part of life, and that they, as soldiers, have to adapt to it. Omega retorts that they’re not just soldiers, but a family, and she doesn’t understand why they aren’t upset about it like she is or acting like a family. This actually throws Tech for a bit of a loop.
Tech Does Care in His Own Way
Tech has always been one who’s driven by logic rather than emotion. He can be prone to saying insensitive things to those around him. In fact, many fans believe Tech could be classified on the Autism Spectrum or neurodiverse. As someone who is Autistic, looking at Tech was this week was like looking into a mirror for me.
Tech’s very intelligent, but as he himself admits in this heart-to-heart with Omega, he also processes thoughts and emotions differently than others. However, while some people misinterpret this as him not caring, that’s not true. Tech does care; all of the Bad Batch cares. They care as much about Echo leaving as they did about Crosshair leaving. However, they respect them enough to honor the choices they make in life, and while they hope to see them again, they understand that their path might be different than theirs.
Omega doesn’t outright say it, but by the end of the episode, her talk with Tech helps her come to terms with Echo’s absence. Unfortunately, it also ends on a cliffhanger with the Bad Batch still stranded and waiting to get picked up.
Learned a Valuable Lesson, Omega Has
This episode doesn’t reach the highs of last week’s two-parter, serving more as an epilogue/adjustment to the new status quo. However, it’s not a filler episode, despite what some fans will think. The reason is that this has to do with the future of Omega.
No one wants to acknowledge it, but the fact is that Omega’s going to outlive the Bad Batch. Their accelerated aging means they’ll die in half the time an average human would. Omega will be on her own when that day comes, and she needs to be prepared for that. I personally would very much like to see Omega live to see the fall of the Empire like her brother, Boba Fett, and she may have to do that without the Bad Batch by her side. The sooner she understands change is inevitable, the better it will be for her in the long run.
While this might not have been the best episode, it still meant a lot to me to hear what Tech had to say. As someone neurodivergent, I understand just how much it means for Tech to say how he sees the world differently. That’s not a bad thing, but it can sometimes make it hard for people like him and me to be understood.
Next week, we’ll likely see the Bad Batch get off-world and back to Ord Mantell. That, and find the nerf herder who took the Marauder and punch their lights out. Regardless of what Tech says, a ship can be as much a part of a family as a person or Droid. Think about how Han felt when he lost the Millenium Falcon.
