'Star Wars: The Bad Batch' Breakdown: The Details And History That Enrich "Rescue On Ryloth"
This article contains major spoilers for the latest episode of Star Wars: The Bad Batch.
"Rescue on Ryloth" picks up shortly after the events of the last episode, with Cham and Eleni Syndula (as well as Gobi Glie) arrested for the attempted assassination of Senator Orn Free Taa. Hera eludes the Imperials, led by Admiral Rampart and calls the only number she knows for help: The Bad Batch. Omega had given her their comm channel in case of an emergency and this seems to qualify.
Omega insists the Bad Batch go and help Hera, but when they get there, they're reluctant. They're not sure there's anything they can do to help, especially since the Empire has the capital of Ryloth locked down tight in an occupation similar in size to the one they saw on Raxus. This stirs doubts among the Batch about where they need to stand in the fight against the Empire. Still reluctant, it's not until Hera and Omega develop a strategic plan to rescue her parents that Hunter agrees to help.
Hera Syndulla
Hera's barely a tween here and on the run for her life. She goes to her father's old outpost from The Clone Wars in order to hide, vacating the family home. The Syndulla home was seen in Star Wars Rebels and it's where Hera had confrontations with Grand Admiral Thrawn during that show in the third season. In the background of the homestead, you can still see the Y-wing that crashed with Chopper inside of it. In Rebels, Hera explains that her father left it there as a memorial, but Chopper still has problems with it. Cham's outpost served as his base of operations during The Clone Wars, bringing these locations from other bits of Star Wars into The Bad Batch in much more visual quality and detail than we've seen before.
When Omega helps Hera realize that Hunter can be swayed with strategy rather than emotion, the pair build a plan around a diversion, using Chopper to infiltrate the Doonium refinery to destroy the cannons and allow Wrecker and Tech to create a diversion there. Things don't go as planned for Chopper, forcing Hera and Omega to sneak into the facility themselves, steal a shuttle, and take matters into their own hands.
This is pretty much how Hera operates in Star Wars Rebels, as she learns to be a general in the Rebellion. Omega has a profound influence on Hera and her leadership and strategy style. Chopper, as usual, is Chopper: not the best at subterfuge, but ready to drop anyone who gets in his way.
The most touching, telling moment in this episode is Hunter telling Hera, "I guess we'll follow your lead." This is a beautiful moment of foreshadowing for Hera's future, and makes one wonder if she and the Bad Batch will have more dealings in the future.
Clone Rebellion
Clone Captain Howzer is put in the middle of the conflict and is confused by the cognitive dissonance he feels. Sure, good clones follow orders, but rounding up the Twi'leks feels wrong after fighting side by side with them to liberate Ryloth from the Separatists. There seem to definitely be limits to the inhibitor chips as Howzer is able to inspire other clones to give up their arms and quit the Empire. Sure, it puts them in a position where they're under arrest, but how many of these small clone rebellions can the Empire stand?
It's another compelling reason the Empire pivoted away from the use of the Jango Fett clones that made up the Grand Army of the Republic. So many of them were still able to rely on their experiences and principals and throw down their weapons in the face of the tyranny of the Empire.
What happens to Howzer? We can only hope he and his clone turncoats survive.
Other Details
A detail mentioned this week worth noting is the plasma bridge that leads into Lessu, the capital of Ryloth. This plasma bridge was a key factor in the Republic's ability to take the capital from the Separatists during "Liberty on Ryloth", the 21st episode of the first season of The Clone Wars.
The bridge was taken by Mace Windu and Cham Syndulla's freedom fighters and it's mentioned as Hunter and the rest of Clone Force 99 reconnoiter Lessu to see if an outright rescue is even possible.
They're interrupted by a probe droid, very much like the one that harasses the Rebels on Hoth, shot up by Han and Chewie in The Empire Strikes Back. The sounds it makes on The Bad Batch are likely from the exact same recordings that brought the ones in The Empire Strikes Back to life, making them some of the most distinctive sounding droids in Star Wars.
Crosshair’s Hunt
After rescuing the Syndullas and helping them get off the planet, Hunter refuses the payment that Hera promised them. He's slowly starting to learn that there are more important things at play in the galaxy than money and he believes in the cause that Cham is fighting for, which will turn into the Free Ryloth movement—based very much in the Free French movement of World War II, hence the Ryloth accents being French. Hera and Omega have a tearful goodbye and I hope it's not the last time they see each other.
Crosshair, though, is finally given the mission he wants. He asks permission from Admiral Rampart to hunt down the Bad Batch and Rampart agrees. That's where the episode ends, with the lost member of the Bad Batch, working for the Empire with a chip on his shoulder (and in his head) hunting down his old compatriots in Clone Force 99.
As we near the end of the season, with just four episodes left, this sets up a conflict that has the potential to be explosive in ways we can't yet imagine.