Star Wars: The Bad Batch S3 EPS. 10-11 Review
Ever since the Bad Batch made Pabu their home, I think we all feared that this would happen. That the day would come when the Empire would trace them back to the island. And with how easily Ventress found them, it only seemed like a matter of time before the Empire would. Not only did those fears come true, but they once again shifted the status quo of the series. The series is nearing the endgame, and the Empire is done pulling their punches in this two-parter.
Whenever the show releases more than one episode a week, you know stuff’s about to hit the fan!
Dr. Karr is Starting to Wake Up
In the first episode, “Identity Crisis”, the series shifts away from the Bad Batch and back to the Empire’s perspective in the form of Dr. Emerie Karr. With Nala Se now an official prisoner of the Empire, Hemlock has tasked Dr. Karr with overseeing Project Necromancer. Karr may think that this is her big chance to prove herself useful to the Empire. However, she’s taken aback when she learns about the “specimens” that she will be working with in the name of Sidious’ Dream of immortality. Instead of the adults she would expect, her “specimens” are kids. The Empire has been hiring Bounty Hunters to abduct Force-Sensitive kids.
Even though the idea that the Empire would abduct children to use as test subjects/turn into weapons shouldn’t surprise me, it still makes sick to my stomach to watch. The show also doesn’t pull punches showing how they acquire them, either. An extended sequence shows Cad Bane kidnapping an infant from their mother and delivering them to Dr. Karr. And to make matters worse, it was one of their neighbors that sold them out. For money. Anyone with a sense of morality or basic decency would decry these acts.
And, as this episode demonstrates, Dr. Karr does have a conscience. Despite being told not to grow attached to the children and to treat them as mere resources, Dr. Karr ends up doing just that. One of them even tries to befriend her, seeing her as someone that they, as a kid, should be able to trust. Which only makes it harder when she breaks that trust by lying about asking when they can go home.
Unless she learns to ignore her conscience, then Dr. Karr is not someone who can survive long-term in the Empire. And whether she likes it or not, she’ll have to make a choice when Omega returns.
There’s also bad news on that front.
The Empire Has Come for Omega
In the last episode, Ventress warned the Bad Batch that they may not be enough to protect Omega anymore. Worse, the fact that she found them so easily means that they’re not as safe from the Empire as they think. This prompts the squad to begin preparations to leave Pabu for a more secure location. Alas, they’re already too late.
Having survived his last encounter with them on Teth, CX-2 managed to gain the intel on where the Bad Batch and Omega were hiding. First, by interrogating Cid (karma) and then hacking into Phee’s starship. After that, it’s only a matter of time before the all-too-familiar sight of a star destroyer appears in the sky above the island.
The rest of the episode highlights how helpless the Empire can make people feel. CX-2 destroys the Marauder while Imperial LAAT’s blast the local’s skiffs and ships into slag. Imperial troops round up the inhabitants and are fully prepared to kill them and let the island burn. And all the while, the Bad Batch remains unable to stop them. No matter how good a group is, when faced with the sheer numbers the Empire can throw at anyone, they can eventually wear them down. The only reason anyone gets out alive is because Omega chooses to make a tough call, surrendering herself to the Empire. Besides doing it to stop the carnage, she does it so Crosshair can plant a tracking device on CX-2’s ship so they can finally locate Tantiss. However, the plan falls apart when Crosshair, distracted by TK Troopers, fails to attach the tracker in time.
These two episodes were incredibly bleak. The Empire is abducting children to use as guinea pigs. The Bad Batch’s sanctuary of Pabu was compromised, their ship’s destroyed, and Omega is back in the Empire’s hands. As dark as things may seem, though, all is not lost. The Empire makes several mistakes the protagonists can use to their advantage.
There’s Still Hope Left
Firstly, it appears like Hemlock remains unaware of Dr. Karr’s growing conscience and empathy towards the abducted children. Best case scenario, that could lead to her turning on the Empire.
Secondly, the Empire doesn’t kill the Bad Batch when they had the chance. They may have left them stuck on Pabu, but we all know that it won’t stick. Either they’ll find a way off-planet or one of their associates will help them. Phee, Rex, or even Ventress could end up coming to their aid.
Lastly, the Empire’s biggest mistake is bringing Omega back in the first place. Having orchestrated her and Crosshair’s escape and reunion with the Bad Batch, Omega has proven far more capable than most adults realize. And they’re bringing her back to a facility filled with captive Clones and Force-Sensitive children. Even if Hemlock keeps her under lock and key, I can see Omega rallying the other children and teaching them what she knows to escape. On top of that, when the Bad Batch and their allies find Tantiss, and they will, they’ll pull out all the stops to shut it down.
Things may look bad for the Bad Batch, but that doesn’t mean they’ll stay that way. These two episodes were, by far, the best of the season to date and did a great job raising the stakes. The series has entered the endgame on a bleak note, but with the Bad Batch still standing, they can still win. Hopefully, the series ends without any more of the heroes dying in the process. The Bad Batch is too interesting to see them die, and I want to see where the franchise will take Omega in the future.
