'The Bad Batch' S1, Ep. 7: Return of the Clone

The Bad Batch cameo highlight reel continued in the most recent episode, titled Battle Scars, and though I keep making little digs at the writers for continually mining already established character stories while not giving us anything truly concrete for the bigger picture in the current story, I can't help but get giddy.

This episode would've been little more than a sidestep in the season if not for finally seeing a character any Star Wars fan already guessed was forthcoming: the great clone trooper Captain Rex. Rex, of course, was highly involved in the Clone Wars, worked with Anakin and Ahsoka, and even has been canonized as someone who fights on the Battle of Endor.

I'll come back to Rex in a second, because I want to pause and applaud the eerie tone set with this episode. The Bad Batch reach a planet called Bracca, a scrapper shipyard that serves as a graveyard for Empire vehicles, including Star Destroyers.

That's where the Bad Batch decides to go. Rex joins the Bad Batch's bandwagon and advises them to search a Star Destroyer for some medical tech they need to work on Wrecker (remember, he has had a progressively worsening headache). When they sneak onto the abandoned, wrecked ship, there definitely was a survival-horror feel to their trek. I recently read a Star Wars book titled Death Trooper (no longer canon), and the feeling of terror was intense. These moments had similar vibes. Think about the scene when Rey was climbing around the Death Star in Rise of Skywalker. That's what it felt like with The Bad Batch walking through dark, flooded tunnels.

They eventually find the medical apparatus they need to work on Wrecker. Of course, Wrecker goes crazy right before and actually attacks his crew mates, including Omega. But eventually they subdue him and get him fixed up. This procedure proves that the chip inside the clones' minds can be deactivated and removed once and for all, so this undoubtedly will be their plan to redeem Crosshair, their befallen comrade.

Back to Rex: we don't really know a whole lot about where he has been to this point. Apparently the Empire has listed him as killed in action in their database - why they would assume this, I have no idea - so it's safe to assume Rex has been in hiding to stay safe. Rex could be a precursor to Ahsoka's arrival. At the very least, I think Rex's story will end with him joining this newly forming rebellion group (again, he's a rebel during Return of the Jedi). For now, though, we'll settle with Rex saying goodbye to Hunter, putting on his classic clone trooper gear, and promising he'll be around if they ever need him again.

There could be other precursors happening here. As a I mentioned, the scrapyard planet is called Bracca. That's the name of the planet where we first meet Cal, the young Jedi you play in Jedi: Fallen Order (I loved that video game). Could Cal make an appearance eventually on this show? Maybe his story could tie into Omega; after all, Cal's whole story was trying to save the children Jedi whose names appeared on an Empire's hit list. It would make sense if maybe Omega's name was on that list.

The final main shot of the episode shows some masked spies scoping out the interaction between Rex and Hunter as they say goodbye. Could be members of something called the Scrapper's Guild. I don't know, and honestly, I'm not going to keep them in mind too much. They're probably just going to be contacts for the Empire to help track down the Bad Batch and/or Rex. Time will tell.