Star Wars: The Bad Batch: Battle Scars

June 11, 2021 5:00 AM - Season 1, Episode 7

The Bad Batch encounter an unexpected threat as they traverse a decommissioned medical facility.
posted by EndsOfInvention (12 comments total)

Rex featured heavily in The Clone Wars, eventually becoming a friend to Ahsoka Tano and commander of her clonetrooper division. I don't want to spoil the (very good) final season of The Clone Wars for anyone so his story is summarised here.

Was that a rathtar or a dianoga in the water?
posted by EndsOfInvention at 5:22 AM on June 11, 2021

Subtitles called it a dianoga, so I’d go with that.

Wrecker really is the closest this universe has to a Warhammer 40K Space Marine, isn’t he?

This episode felt kinda meh to me, not sure why the team didn’t jump on Rex’s offer since the deal with Cid isn’t quite as rosy as it first appeared to be.
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 5:34 AM on June 11, 2021

I feel like they don't have a strong idealogical motivation to fight the Empire (yet). Obviously they're not fans, but they just got lucky and had non-functioning inhibitor chips rather than resisting Order 66 through force of will because they were close friends with Jedi. I think right now they'd rather lay low(ish) than purposely insert themselves into a fight with the Empire.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 5:39 AM on June 11, 2021

Also, I get the feeling that Hunter is erring on the safer side of life now that he's a daddy.

Rushing headlong into a war with child in tow isn't exactly a fab idea
posted by coriolisdave at 5:23 PM on June 11, 2021 [2 favorites]

Wrecker* got significantly more interesting and realistic looking while under the influence of Order 66. This plot was decent - could have been the plot of a major motion picture. They make it feel lighthearted but - yeah. Cut our heads open to prevent the chance of future danger.
posted by rebent at 6:52 PM on June 11, 2021

I missed what triggered wrecker to go all berserk?
posted by skewed at 8:40 PM on June 11, 2021

Last ep he got head damage. This ep he had headaches and was on his way - then Rex mentioned order 67, which triggered the reaction
posted by rebent at 2:34 PM on June 12, 2021

IIRC, Wrecker had been having headaches all the way back to episode three or so. This is something that had a lot of foreshadowing.
posted by happyroach at 4:29 PM on June 12, 2021 [6 favorites]

I loved all the visual LotR references in this. The animation/artwork is really outstanding and frequently downright beautiful.

I've got a theory about Rex. In the second or third episode the Kaminoans were discussing how degraded the DNA they've been using is. The head doctor mentions that "there are only a few of them"--which I thought referred to the BB, but that can't be right because Crosshair is right there if they need a blood sample or whatever. I think they're looking for some of the Generation 1 clones, the closest copies to the original DNA. Which, as Omega rather tactlessly pointed out, includes Rex.
posted by orrnyereg at 6:44 AM on June 14, 2021

They did set Wrecker up to be the inhibitor chip guy really early on and I thought for sure they were going to pull out the trope of a little kid's love tames the beast. They laid on the connection between Omega and Wrecker so it seemed the natural path. Surprised they didn't. The way everything just rolls off Omega like she's an emotional nonstick pan seems so, non-Star Wars-y.
posted by M Edward at 4:50 PM on June 15, 2021

Maybe that's her "enhancement"? She's preternaturally well-adjusted.
posted by orrnyereg at 10:26 AM on June 16, 2021

Haha, what an "enhancement" for life in Star Wars! "Chill and normal even when everything around you has gone entirely weird" is perhaps the most useful superpower if you're going to be a character in this franchise. The least extra sentient in the galaxy far far away...not a lot of competition there lol
posted by potrzebie at 11:38 PM on June 16, 2021 [1 favorite]