Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 2 has been releasing weekly, however this week fans are treated to two episodes so that they don’t have to wait too long after that massive cliffhanger.
The Bad Batch season 2 episode 8 continues the story that was given in episode 7, and it was no surprise they decided to deliver both on the same day. Fans were finally welcomed back to the main storyline, and with Rampart’s lies starting to be exposed and the return of Captain Rex, it would have been cruel to make us wait a week for the follow up.
Warning: Spoilers ahead for Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 2 episode 8.
Clone Force 99 Heads To Coruscant
Viewers who were missing Clone Force 99 will be thrilled as soon as the episode opens up, as we see Omega meditating. She tells Echo that Gunji is the one that taught her. The two talk briefly about how Echo was alone and trapped before Clone Force 99 found him, and that is part of why he joined.
Suddenly, Captain Rex calls on the hologram and asks the team to go to Coruscant, stating that he will explain the mission to them once they get there. Hunter is immediately taken aback, telling Rex that is quite a big ask. Omega doesn’t understand why this is so dangerous, but the team explains to her that this is the heart of the Empire.
Lucky for them, the Empire believes them to be dead, so they won’t be looking for them. However, this does mean they will need to keep their heads down and not be discovered. Rex explains that it is a simple data extraction mission, and gives them safe coordinates for them to land at.
The Truth To Their Mission
Once on Coruscant, Captain Rex meets with Clone Force 99 and brings them to the assassin that killed himself at the end of the previous episode. He explains that his identifying number has been wiped, which Tech says he did not even know was possible.
Senator Riyo Chuchi is also there. When Clone Force 99 questions why a clone would be targeting another clone, and a Senator for that matter, she tells them that it was done to silence them. She then goes on to say that Admiral Rampart has the entire Senate believing that Kamino was lost in a storm. She wanted Slip to testify, and that is why he was killed. Echo immediately offers to testify, but Hunter points out they are deserters and no one will listen to them, which is true.
Captain Rex explains that Slip made a copy of the log, and tells Clone Force 99 where to find it. They need the evidence ASAP as the Senate will be meeting to vote on the Defense Recruitment Bill the next day. This adds intensity to the episode, as there is a ticking clock and the clones must accomplish their mission quickly.
While the clones go off to extract the data, Senator Chuchi shows Omega around the Senate. She is in awe of it all, and enjoys learning about the Government. She is shocked to learn that the clones do not have a representative in the Senate.
Halle Burtoni Enters The Picture
Senator Organa recommends that Chuchi speak with Kamino’s former Senator, Halle Burtoni. She asks about the funding for the cloning facilities that was siphoned off and asks where it went. Burtoni tells her that she is a fool, and should not be digging around because it is dangerous. She says that her people are gone, and asks why they care about what happened to Kamino.
Omega says that she saw the Empire destroy everything, destroy her home, and she is angry. She says that it was not right. Burtoni says that she knew an attack was imminent, and admits that yes, Rampart is the one who took the funds. When asked to testify, Burtoni says that they will need concrete proof as well, as her word will mean nothing without it.
Extracting Data
After witnessing the conversation between Omega, Chuchi, and Burtoni, viewers are shown what Clone Force 99 is up to. We see them working to extract the data without being detected, but of course nothing is ever as easy as they would hope.
The music that accompanies their journey is intense and suspenseful, making it feel like a very high-stakes mission. When they finally get to Rampart’s ship, they realize that they do not have a lot of time. They need to reroute energy in order to get the data, which will alert the Empire to a security breach.
Of course, they are immediately notified and troopers are sent to Clone Force 99’s location. This starts a blaster fight, which gives viewers some great action. As Echo and Tech are working to extract the data, the other clones are holding off the troopers. The clock is ticking and just when it seems like they will not finish in time, they do.
They must then fight their way past troopers, and end up commandeering a ship to help escape.
The Senate Meeting
Senator Riyo Chuchi confronts Rampart at the Senate meeting. She claims that he took the Kamino funds and asks him to explain what happened to it. He says they were redistributed and he was not at liberty to reveal how that money was spent.
Chuchi then takes it a step further, claiming that because this started months before Kamino was destroyed, this was all planned. When she doesn’t have proof, the Senate starts to turn on her.
However, the evidence arrives just in the nick of time, because of course. The data log indicates that it was his ships that caused the destruction of the city. The Senate is outraged as they are shown video footage of what really happened on Kamino.
Admiral Rampart is arrested and detained. He claims he was following orders, but is not allowed to speak and explain. The Emperor then shows up and says that he is troubled by this and he thanks Chuchi for discovering the traitor.
Palpatine then says that he did not act alone, and blames the clones for following Rampart’s orders without hesitation. In the end, he gets what he wants and casts doubt on the clones. The Senate agrees and they vote to usher in a new era heralded by the Imperial stormtrooper. It seems that Chuchi’s plan backfired.
After a short discussion, Echo decides to leave Clone Force 99 and go with Rex, to where he is needed. He promises that it is not forever, and he will see them again soon. Omega is saddened to see him leave.
Overall Thoughts
Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 2 episode 8 seals the fate of the clones because Emperor Palpatine was one step ahead of them. Exposing Rampart only solidified the fate of the clones, which fans of Star Wars knew happened, however this explanation of it all is not at all what was expected.
It was nice to head back to the main storyline and get to see this group of defective clones as a part of it. An emotional, action-packed, and exciting episode, it is easily the best so far. We aren’t sure what will happen next, but we definitely cannot wait to see what happens next week.
Rating: 10/10 SPECS
Star Wars: The Bad Batch drops new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+.
This article was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.
Tessa Smith owns MamasGeeky.com and is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic and a huge geek. Tessa has been in the Entertainment writing business for almost ten years and is a member of several Critics associations including the Critics Choice Association and the Greater Western New York Film Critics Association. She grew up watching movies, playing video games, and reading comic books -- and still loves all of those things. She proudly lets her geek flag fly and spreads the word that there is nothing wrong with being a geek.