This episode of Bad Batch goes "Faster" and more Furiouser, losing focus on an arc for the season. the title seems like it came from the George Harrison song with the same name. A ship flies towards the Ord Mantell City, we see in an alleyway next to Cid’s Parlor, a Gotal, the alien with two cones on its furry head, seen in the Cantina. Inside, Wrecker is playing dejarik, the hologram monster game, against Omega. Cid walks up to tell them about a mission, Omega says Hunter and Echo are still on their mission. Tech adds that they are transporting nerf nuggets. AZ floats to the bar as Cid heads to the doorway telling them about the waiting shuttle. A mission with Cid and no Hunter, interesting. The shuttle heads to the dusky planet, Safa Toma, and then to its spaceport. Another new planet for Star Wars, but similar to Tatooine. Cid takes them to an arena, Sofa Toma Speedway, and they see speeders racing past. Cid tells them it is called Riot Racing.
The pods have blasters and one brings another down. Wrecker is impressed and Cid says the racer is TAY-O backed by her. They go to the hangar pit, and the thin droid with three photoreceptors (Ben Schwartz) greets them. Schwartz developed the voice of BB-8 and this is his first Star Wars character. He also voices Sonic the Hedgehog, but more important is he played Jean-Ralphio! Tech is stunned that Cid’s racer is a droid and TAY-O takes Jean-Ralphio-like offense at the accusation. He identifies TAY-O’s vehicle as a 12-series speeder, a vertical ring pod and a blunt engine in front. TAY-O is impressed at his modifications. Then, a voice says Cid’s full name, Ciddarin Scaleback. This is Millegi (Ernie Hudson),a bulky Dowutin with two tusks on his chin, an alien, Grummgar, seen at Maz Kanata’s castle in Force Awakens (2015). Hudson is of course known for Winston Zeddemore, a part he reprised in Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) and currently, he is in the Quantum Leap series.
Cid angrily tries to send him away, but the gangster steps in front of Omega. Millegi doesn’t think much of TAY-O with his racer, Jet Vermin (Jonathan Lipow), a Nosaurian, a Muppet-like reptilian alien with a horns at the top of his head, similar to the podracer, Clegg Holdfast from Phantom Menace (1999). Lipow also voices the announcer in this episode and previously voiced many characters in Star Wars: Resistance. He speaks only in Nosaurian so not a little like Sebulba. Millegi offers Cid a bet on the better racer. Cid accepts. I don’t know why the trio accepts the mission besides it will be fun? I’m certain that Hunter wanted them back at Cid’s Parlor. The racers rip through a tunnel with multi-colored screens this makes me think of the awesome racing video games. Jet bumps TAY-O’s racer while the others are watching atop the arena wall. Wrecker munches on a meatstick, a large skewer of meat. A barrier pops up in the tunnel threatening a battle droid racer with red painted head and a protocol droid!
The audience has to duck as speeder blasters flash over their heads! “Now this is Podracing!” Kinda. So if Riot Racing is like Podracing has it replaced that sport? Why do 12-series speeders have blasters? It is like Death Race 2000 (1975). I don't think the makers of the show put too much thought to this ep. I can see why Cid would go on this mission, but the Bad Batch really don’t have anything to do besides watch the Riot Racing which reminds me of Sugar Rush from Wreck-It Ralph (2012). I guess Cid could make Omega the racer, but that would be too obvious. This is just a showcase of a new version of Podracing to make the other race cool. At his own place, Millegi tells Jet to “get him in the Crunch.” Jet activates a “Steel Claw” and pulls back TAY-O with a grappling hook. TAY-O loses the race and his speeder took a tumble. Wrecker finds the torso and head of TAY-O.
Millegi is there to collect, Wrecker is ready with his blaster against the gangster’s gunmen, but Omega says there should be another race. She wants to win to save Cid. Millegi agrees to a race the next day and takes Cid away. Later, Omega works on the speeder as Tech repairs TAY-O. The droid revives and is surprised to see he is in pieces. He mentions the trouble Cid gets them in. Millegi brings a drink to Cid in her room and brings up “old times.” The next day, Omega has TAY-O get ready for his race, he checks on Tech calculating the racers’ patterns. He advises the droid to move power to the reflector shields in his race. Reflector not deflector shields? TAY-O boasts about his skills and then is crushed by a speeder, of course, because it is a Bad Batch member to race. Millegi appears with Cid and Tech volunteers to race! It looks like Tech can win at a place called Slaughter Race! This season seems to be more broken up with no strong, overall storyline. “Faster” is a fine episode of Bad Batch focusing more on Tech going fast and furious and Omega with some character details on Cid!
Three Vibro-knives out of Five!
#BadBatch, #Faster, #Cid, #RheaPerlman, #DeeBradleyBaker, #MichelleAng, #TAYO, #BenSchwartz, #Millegi, #ErnieHudson, #JetVenim, #JonathanLipow
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