If there's one thing The Bad Batch isn't afraid of, it's introducing a familiar face. The series is littered with cameos of characters from The Clone Wars, The Mandalorian, and Rebels. This time it's Gregor's turn captured as he flees from a patrol on a mysterious planet in the Outer Rim.
Last week's episode was surprisingly filler-heavy, considering its proximity to the upcoming series finale. However, this week offered insight into events on Kamino as well as following The Batch. Episode 14 finally reveals the fruits of project 'War-Mantle' as the show maneuvers pieces into place ahead of the series' penultimate episode.
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Since The Bad Batchbegan the Empire has been threatening to phase out Clone Troopers. Fans have seen how vessels and vehicles once used by the Republic have evolved under the Empire across the Star Wars canon, now it's time to discover how they iterated upon troopers. On Kamino, the Clone Troopers are all being relocated, even the younger ones, which seems to rule out any Clone Trooper uprising. Prime Minister Lama Su reveals that the Empire has canceled their contracts. Fearing that they won't just be abandoned, but destroyed, Lama Su plots to escape with medical officer Nala Se.
Rampart's project 'War-Mantle' began with the replacement of The Batch, as Crosshair trained his new conscripted squadmates, but has since spread to the planet Daro in the Outer Rim. It's here that Gregor, as yet unacquainted with The Batch, has left a distress beacon for Rex. He contacts Clone Force 99 pleading for their help in saving his friend. Loyalty is a theme that has permeated throughout this season of The Bad Batch. While the Empire enforces loyalty upon others through control, among this set of Clones it is organic.Hunter is reluctant to help Rex at first, with the situation thrust upon them in the middle of a mission and a lack of information. However, he's convinced by his comrades that it's the right thing to do. Given how the mission pans out, one suspects that Rex will make an appearance in the next two episodes, considering the abruptness of his request.
During this season of The Bad Batch, it's been satisfying to reflect on the impact micro-decisions have upon the macro plot. Here Hunter swithers over whether to help the Clone in distress, while Echo reminds him that he would likely still have been imprisoned had Hunter not rescued him from a similar fate. The decision to save Gregor will later see him play a key role in Rebels during the liberation of Lothal, one of several successes for the blossoming Rebellion.
During surveillance, Hunter notes that the Troopers' armor has changed. It's a subtle hint that the patrols they will encounter here are no longer the Clones they've been fighting. Once again, Hunter is reluctant to go any further with the mission. This should set alarm bells ringing for his safety come the end of the episode. Though his tracking skills are unquestionable, Hunter's intuition can let him down when it comes to decision-making. While it can often be frustrating, he's right to split the group into two and ask Omega and Wrecker to wait on the ship as a contingency plan.
As is often the case in Star Wars, escape plans rarely go off without a hitch. Tech triggers an alarm, caught out by the Empire modernizing their systems. What follows is a thrilling pursuit in which the sound design perfectly captures the spirit of an Imperial base from Rebels or the Original Trilogy. During their escape, Gregor is injured from blaster fire but avoids death as it seems like blaster fire might be becoming less lethal in the series. The Batch discovers that the troopers pursuing them aren't clones but replacements. Having been forced to train them, Gregor jokes that he hasn't taught the new recruits everything he knows, a nod to the fact Stormtroopers could be viewed as one of the least consistent aspects of the series. Nevertheless, The Batch continues to set their blasters to stun.
With their preferred route blocked, the group attempt to flee through an exhaust port – signaling Omega and Rex to fly them to safety. Omega takes the controls, but she's hesitant, still unfamiliar in a stressful situation – though she would have made Hera proud.
Meanwhile, the ground team is headed off by more troopers and an aerial unit. Omega does her best to hold steady under fire, but she can only rescue some of the group. Tech takes over, and after another pass secures Gregor. However, thanks to sustained blaster fire Hunter is knocked from the ledge and eventually captured as he orders The Batch to flee. Crosshair finally catches up with the imprisoned Hunter, leaving fans in little doubt that there's a showdown coming next week.
There remains one final sting in the tail as chief medical officer Nala Se is apprehended while trying to escape. However, thanks to her cloning skills Nala Se is, as the Empire might put it, recruited under duress. As The Mandalorian hinted and Rise Of Skywalker showed, cloning will continue to play a part in the Star Wars universe. Things look far more ominous for the Kaminoan Prime Minister, with Rampart already showing on Ryloth how disposable he finds politicians.
With two episodesof The Bad Batch remaining, 'War-Mantle' is a well-paced entry that contains enough tension to keep fans guessing while setting the stage for the climax. Introducing Gregor could have backfired, but instead, it served as a poignant catalyst that allowed further insight into project 'War-Mantle'. The show may well deploy numerous cameos, but there can be few complaints as it consistently finds interesting ways to weave them into the story.
New episodes of Star Wars: The Bad Batch are streaming every Friday on Disney Plus.
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