The Bad Batch finds a discovery on a trading mission that leads to Kashyyyk! The Havoc Marauder heads towards an station, Vanguard Axis, with a flattened ring with pod-like buildings at one end. It orbits a planet. An unusual name, I wonder why not use Axis Station, it makes me automatically think these are bad guys. The ship lands at a docking bay, Hunter exits and tells the others that the Axis is used for smuggling. He leaves Omega and Echo to guard the Havoc Marauder as the others head for the shipment. They are met by an Axis droid, bulbous arms like made from balloons, and a flat, roundish head with green, oval photoreceptor and red eye. They are voiced by Shelby Young cleared until reaching the Axis leader (Noshir Dalal), the blue droid has a cross on his photorecptor, who asks Hunter about the forgeries. Wrecker brings a case of Chain codes, the Axis leader wants to verify them, Tech vouches for them. The droid has another to check each code. Omega tells Echo she’s suspicious, he goes to ready the ship, then Omega hears distant roaring that gets her attention!
She walks into dark, deserted halls of the station, then Omega sees two Axis droids using electostaves to bring pain to a young Wookie. Omega shouts for them to stop. The Wookie takes the time to kick a droid down, takes its electrostaff, and then duels with the other droid and shocks it with the electrostaff. The other is hit by the energy bolt from Omega’s bow. They start to slip away from the Axis droids. One droid surprises Omega, but the Wookie brings down the staff on its head! The Wookie goes to search through a box of parts. He roars at Echo who wants Omega on board the Marauder. The Axis leader gets a message of the combat and leaves the room. Hunter is contacted by Echo about acting as reinforcements. Axis leader sees the Wookie with Omega and Echo. He calls in his droids, but a blaster rifle of one droid is blasted away. The rest of the Bad Batch is there! The droid leader says the Wookie is valuable to a “buyer.”
The Wookie drops his blaster rifle and has his hands out - a green lightsaber flies to him! This is the Wookie Padawan, Gungi, who was introduced in the Clone Wars episode, “The Gathering” (2012) getting his lightsaber crystal and was last seen watching Anakin Skywalker at the Jedi Temple. Gungi takes the lead in deflecting blaster bolts and is effective alongside the Bad Batch. It is great to see a Jedi Youngling who trained under Ahsoka survive Order 66 and rescued by the Bad Batch! They retreat to the ship and escape! This is one of their most important missions! In hyperspace, Omega wonders why Gungi is separated from everyone in the ship, Hunter says he’s scared, and Omega offers him a box of rations. Gungi roars at the approach of the others. Hunter tells him that they are not like the other clone soldiers. He tucks into the rations and Omega asks his name. The Wookie (Jonathan Lipow) replies in Shyriiwook, Hunter says he is a “bit rusty”, but makes out Gungi’s name.
Tech translates the rest of his words saying that Gungi was on the run trying to reach Kashyyyk in the Mid Rim. Omega, of course, wants to help him. Wrecker says they haven’t been to Kashyyyk in some time. Echo says to Hunter that the Empire may have outposts on the Wookie homeworld and may not be safe. Hunter adds that he is a Jedi. The Havoc Marauder jumps out of hyperspace. They are headed to a village known to Hunter and the Bad Batch. Echo has detected “heavy deforestation.” Remember that this is the time that the Empire occupied Kashyyyk. It was later freed by Han Solo and Chewbaccca after the Battle of Endor in Aftermath: Life Debt (2016). Hunter warns Gungi about his lightsaber. They fly to the Kashyyyyk forests, Omega asks what he remembers, Hunter translates “From his dreams.” The trees are webbed around them, Wrecker cuts through the webbing with a vibroknife, they are suddenly surrounded by yellow kinraths, like strange praying mantis, they first appeared in the game, Knights of the Old Republic (2003).
It reaches out a pseudo-pod and Gungi has the squad lower their weapons. He reaches out with the Force and the creatures retreat. They reach a cliff edge seeing the valley with green swathed mountains like something out of China. Tech has found that the village is direclty ahead of them. They find burning wreckage of a bridge, broken branches, and smoke. Hunter looks at tank tracks and says that the Empire destroyed the village! Gungi falls to his knees in sadness. Omega tries to encourage him that they will find the Wookies. They hear rumbling, Tech scans to find Trandoshans taking away Wookies, with Imperial Armored Assault Tanks behind them. Trandoshans are known to enslave the Wookies. I wonder what Cid think of this mission? The tanks have the bases of hover tanks with a side cannon and a turret mount. A Trandoshan (Lipow) reports in to the hologram of Commander Venomor (JP Karliak) finding more “carved stones.” The commander wants them to continue. The Trandoshan turns the turret to send out flames!
Gungi charges after the tank and ignites his lightsaber. The Bad Batch join the fight. Trandoshans are blasted. Gungi frees the Wookie and he carves into tank with his lightsaber. The fight is finished and Hunter hands out shovels to stop the fires. In the morning, after stopping the fires, they hear loud growling. Large, shaggy, cat-like Mylaya with large ear flaps appear. Mounts for Wookies, their design, the same with the kinraths were unrealized designs for a Clone Wars episode. For some reason, the Mylaya remind me of Battle Cat from Masters of the Universe. They are taken to another village. The Wookie settlements looks like the circular wooden structures, mushroom-like around trees, which we’ve seen the designs from the Star Wars Holiday Special (1978). One is at the base of a giant, Wroshyr tree with steps. Walking down is a Wookie elder (Young) with a hooded garmet and using a staff. The hood seems like a connection to the Ewoks. She has two Wookie guards and speaks with the Mylaya riders. Tech explains that her name is Yanna. Hunter speaks to Yanna to say that they are returning Gungi, but don’t know his village. Yanna touches Gungi’s head. It looks liek they have to team up to fight the Trandoshans and find a place for Gungi. “Tribe” returns Bad Batch to the greater narrative of the Empire, connects to Clone Wars with Gungi!
Four Vibro-knives out of Five!
#BadBatch, #Tribe, #DeeBradleyBaker, #MichelleAng, #Gungi, #JonathanLipow, #Yanna, #ShelbyYoung, #NoshirDalal, #JPKarliak
No comments:
Post a Comment