Enough with the tangent missions. On this week’s episode of Disney+ and Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Bad Batch, the crew finally did something for themselves—something they should have done a long time ago but didn’t know how. Thankfully, with the help of a familiar friend, Hunter, Tech, Echo, Wrecker (all Dee Bradley Baker), and Omega (Michelle Ang) headed out into the universe to solve probably the biggest problem any clone has.
The seventh episode of The Bad Batch is called “Battle Scars,” which ended up having both figurative and literal applications. It picked up at the tail end of yet another mission the crew was doing for shady Trandoshan bar owner Cid (Rhea Perlman). Again they had to steal some weird creature and, again, they made it out by the skin of their teeth. I was glad this is where the episode started and not ended, because we’ve spent the past few weeks seeing these missions with not that much to show for it. Upon arriving back at Cid’s place, Wrecker and Omega grab some Mantel Mix (but not Outpost Mix, which would have been a nice tie-in to Galaxy’s Edge) while Hunter realizes all these jobs they’re doing for Cid are basically costing them more than they’re making. Things start to get tense when there’s some action in the bar; a cloaked stranger is causing problems, but of course the episode keeps this person’s identity a secret until the very last second. Eventually we realize it’s…
Captain Rex! Yes, everyone’s favorite Clone Leader is back in his first appearance since the end of Star Wars: The Clone Wars when Order 66 made him turn on Ahsoka Tano, forcing her to remove his inhibitor chip so they could successfully escape. Since The Bad Batch started at basically the exact same time as that, it hasn’t been too long since Rex last saw Ahsoka. We don’t know where or what he’s been doing since, and “Battle Scars” didn’t answer that, but his appearance certainly suggests we might find out. Though we do learn he’s been declared legally dead by the Empire, and he points out that the headache Wrecker has had for the past few episodes is probably his inhibitor chip acting up. He’s shocked to find out none of the Bad Batch have had their chips removed and thinks they should do that immediately—luckily, he knows it’s possible since he’s had it done himself (thanks, Snips). There’s also a curious, interesting moment where Omega and Rex meet. He’s in awe meeting a clone so different from the others he’s known, and Omega instantly knows Rex was one of the first made—more story to be told there, we assume.
The Batch heads to the planet Bracca which is described as a “starship graveyard” and also happens to be where the game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderstarts, so that’s pretty cool. (Where are you, Cal Kestis?) They’re there to find a medical bay on an abandoned Jedi Starcruiser, much like the one Ahsoka used for Rex. It’s not easy to get to though and, along the way, Wrecker almost gets eaten by a huge sea creature in a fun little action beat. Once they get to the medical bay, the moment the show has been teasing for several weeks happens: that pain in Wrecker’s head clicks off and he begins to execute Order 66. He starts shooting at all his friends and even goes after Omega, nearly killing them all in the process. While we knew this was coming, it’s never easy to see one of the show’s main characters turn on his friends, especially Omega, to whom he’s basically a big brother. The scene was uncharacteristically intense in a Star Wars meets Friday the 13th type way but, eventually, he’s knocked out and they’re able to get him into the medical bay to remove the chip.
As expected, the surgery is a success and the rest of the team undergoes it too. Hence those literal “Battle Scars” to go along with the figurative ones they already carry. Hunter thanks Rex for the assist but is curious what to do next. Now that the Bad Batch have that crucial remnant of the Empire out of them, they’re back to just trying to survive. Rex teases he’s still working at fighting for the Republic but Hunter isn’t sure he wants to do that too. In the end, they part ways and Hunter says to Rex if you ever need us, you know how to find us. Unfortunately, the planet’s evil Scrapper Guild watched all of this and put in a call to the Empire, so therein lies another future problem for the gang.
“Battle Scars” was an enjoyable episode of The Bad Batch, but not just because it’s always great to see Rex. The journey to remove their inhibitor chips is such a crucial step for Hunter, Tech, Echo, and Wrecker to separate themselves from the other clones. That includes Cross Hair, who we haven’t seen in what feels like forever but has to be coming back to face his friends soon. And who knows? Maybe Cross Hair’s plan was to force the inhibitor chips into action, making the Bad Batch’s subjugation easier—now that’s no longer be possible. Plus, they’ve got another ally in the form of a formidable Clone Captain named Rex.
And that’s my first Bad Batch recap! In case you didn’t notice James Whitbrook, who has been recapping the show for io9, is moving over to Loki for a few weeks so I have taken over, hopefully doing the show justice. What did you think of the latest episode? Tell us below.
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