STAR WARS: The Bad Batch Season 2 Mid-Season Recap

By Sideshow

Star Wars: The Bad Batch™ season 2 has been going strong since January 2023. Full of family fun as well as deep, meaningful narratives about the aftermath of war, The Bad Batch continuously surprises and delights. With its recent two-episode mid-season finale, it’s solidified itself as a contender alongside the rest of the great animated Star Wars™ series.

As we wait for the next episode, let’s break down why this season has been such a game changer. Plus, we’ll throw in some light predictions for what we think could happen next.

Major Takeaways

Plot Points

As expected of a show (mainly) targeted toward younger audiences, we’ve had a couple filler episodes. Clone Force 99™ went treasure hunting with a less-than-reliable pirate. Tech™ found a new affinity for pod racing. But between all the other adventures, we’ve been building toward a pretty major narrative. That storyline came to light in the mid-season finale episodes, “The Clone Conspiracy” and “Truth and Consequences.“

Slowly and methodically, the clone troopers™ are getting phased out. It began with Kamino’s™ destruction. Admiral Rampart’s™ cover-up was still shady before, but now his motivation is clear. Emperor Palpatine™ wants all remnants of the old regime to disappear. Preferably, they go quietly. If not, he’s always ready to cause a stir in the senate — such as when he announced the new Imperial stormtroopers™. This army will permanently replace clones, regardless of whether the old soldiers wish to serve or not.

Cameos

Since its season 1 premiere, The Bad Batch has functioned as great connective tissue between The Clone Wars™ and that nebulous time period before Rebels™ and Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope™. Unsurprisingly, then, we’ve seen a lot of familiar faces from both — but most notably The Clone Wars. Emperor Palpatine, Bail Organa™, Commander Cody™, Gungi™, and Riyo Chuchi™ all had important roles to play as both allies and antagonists.

Senators Organa and Chuchi are busy fighting for the galaxy’s rights while Palpatine aims closer to dictatorship. Commander Cody, who executed Order 66™ and joined the Empire, is now AWOL. Meanwhile, the Wookiee™ Jedi Gungi has returned to his people on Kashyyyk™. Whether these friends and foes reappear in later episodes remains to be seen.

Themes

As mentioned above, Palpatine is treating clones like disposable toy soldiers. Throughout season 2, of course, we’ve seen discussions of clone rights as well as clear jabs at the abuse of power. From a free city under Imperial siege to incompetent generals and terrified clones, it’s abundantly obvious that the galaxy just isn’t a safe place for Jango Fett’s™ lab-made brothers.

Additionally, there’s a long-running theme of finding peace. This, of course, carries over from The Clone Wars. When warriors no longer have a war to fight, what is their purpose? What do they do? Some, like Hunter™, want to settle down. Others like Echo™ want to somehow continue the fight, perhaps by forming the first Rebel insurgency groups.

Standout Episodes

“The Solitary Clone”

Season 2, episode 3 is probably the best in the series so far. It’s tense. It’s filled with action, as well as vital conversations between two disagreeing, aggrieved clones. When Crosshair™ and Commander Cody are placed together for a mission, who could imagine that the siege’s success leads Cody to desert? Or that the “reg” would be abandoning order, while the “defective” clone sticks to his lonely life within the Empire?

“The Solitary Clone” is morally, visually, and artistically fascinating. With top-notch voice acting and really incredible writing lacing every single scene, it builds up the basic themes of this season while also holding its own as a self-contained, awe-inspiring episode.

“Tribe”

In episode 6, Omega™ discovers that the Vanguard Axis droids™ are smuggling living beings. But what starts as a botched mission becomes a rescue and return with far-reaching consequences. Omega has helped a former Jedi™ escape, and historically that kind of action makes things a lot harder for our heroes.

Fortunately, things go almost according to plan. Clone Force 99 return Gungi to his kind so that he can find his tribe. Along the way, they help stop rampant deforestation and destruction of the Wookiee homeworld. They connect with a different culture, and Omega finds solace in Jedi practices. But more on that later.

Final Questions and Predictions

Will Crosshair go back to the Batch?

Let’s do a headcount. Clone Force 99 is down a couple members. Echo is now traveling with Captain Rex™, and we haven’t seen Crosshair in a while. Based on Crosshair’s stubborn personality and behavior in the season 1 finale, it’s unlikely he’ll reunite with his brothers. However, the episode titles above give us pause. “The Crossing,” “Retrieval,” and “Metamorphosis” could possibly hint toward a complete turnaround from our favorite antihero.

Is Omega Force sensitive?

Interestingly, we also see Omega embracing more Jedi traditions such as meditation. Fans have debated over whether or not Omega is Force sensitive considering her shooting skills, strong feelings about certain places and people, and overwhelming empathy. In Star Wars, we’ve never seen a clone — unaltered or not — exhibit Force sensitivity. Could Omega be the first?

What’s next?

So far, there’s no news about a third season. If season 2 is it for The Bad Batch, there’s still a lot of ground to cover. We need to know why these characters don’t appear in further canon continuity — and hopefully it isn’t because they’re dead.

“Plan 99,” a nice play on the Order 66 syntax, looks pretty finite. We’re excited to witness the paving of the road that leads us there in the latter half of season 2.

What do you think of The Bad Batch season 2 so far? Discuss your thoughts and feelings with other fans in our Let Your Spoiler Sideshow: Star Wars Facebook Group, and don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!