Friday, August 6, 2021

Bad Batch, “Return to Kamino”, Review!

The Bad Batch season one is coming to a close with the two part finale!  Last episode, the clone trooper, Gregor, was saved from the Imperial facility on Daro.  Prime Minister Lama Su is ordered to be killed by Rampart and he takes away Nala Se.  Clone Force 99 has encountered a new type of trooper, the TK trooper, and Hunter stays behind so the others could escape!  He is faced by Crosshair while in his cell.  An Imperial shuttle travels through hyperspace.  On board, Hunter is watched over by troopers when Crosshair enters and takes his comm.  Crosshair says the squad will know it’s a trap.  On Ord Mantell, Echo is working on repairing the Havoc Marauder, and Omega is restless.  Wrecker walks in while Tech is also busy working on the ship.  Tech notes that Hunter’s comm shows that he is not on Daro.  The Imperial shuttle heads towards Tipoca City, it is occupied by Star Destroyers as the Empire is evacuating the planet, Hunter is taken to Rampart.  He notes that the Bad Batch’s activity on Ryloth got his attention.  The Havoc Marauder heads to Kamino, Omega notes that there is a landing pad at Tipoca City that will not be occupied by troopers, Echo notes that there are only three cruisers. 


Tech pilots the ship through the eternal storms on Kamino.  He finds that they reached the coordinates, but doesn’t find any landing pad, Omega tells him to get the ship lower.  Finally, the submerged platform rises, and the Havoc Marauder lands.  The Bad Batch has returned to Kamino!  Omega feared going back, but now she is ready with Hunter in danger.  She points out that they can take the “tube system” to Tipoca City.  Her knowledge of Kamino is proving very handy.  She activates a domed platform to take them down the tubes and then underwater to the city.  Omega tells them that the private system leads to Nala Se’s private lab. Hunter says to Crosshair that the reg troopers and the Kaminoans are missing and realizes they are shutting down the cloning facility.  E-02 notes that they lost the unknown ship that they were tracking.  Omega and the others reach the secret lab, she says that she was created there, as well as Experimental Unit 99.  Echo has accessed the system, but finds it empty.  They hear a noise, but it is just AZI-3.  The medical droid was in the pilot and last seen in the third episode, “The Replacements.”  


He says that all of the clones were sent off-world, the embryos and infant clones?, and the droids are being deactivated and medical personnel taken away.  Tech has detected Hunter’s comm at the central cloning platform.  Omega takes along AZI-3.  Hunter tries to reason with Crosshair pointing out that he is being controlled by the inhibitor chip.  Once Crosshair has served his purpose, he will be eliminated.  A trooper notes an intruder on Platform 5.  The Bad Batch running on the Tipoca platforms in the rain absolutely reminds me of playing the non-EA Battlefront II (2005).  You play a clone trooper in the 501st Legion with Boba Fett go to Kamino and end up stopping production of the clones.  They enter an empty corridor of the cloning platform.  The Bad Batch take cover as some of the TK troopers pass by with some cargo on a repulsorlift, getting shades of Luke on Cloud City!  Tech follows the signal, I hear Leia shouting out, “Luke, don’t!, it’s a trap!”  Three years before Admiral Ackbar said the same line, more or less.  Tech has tracked the signal to the floor above them, the training room, Tech lays out the plan to go to the turbo lift to reach the training room.  Tech goes ok as second-in-command, I wonder if this is his formal role in Clone Force 99. 



 Wrecker, Tech, and Echo go to rescue their comrade and want Omega to stay behind because they are Crosshair’s targets. The lift takes them up, but they are surrounded by troopers, Crosshair has Hunter covered and throws his comlink.  He orders them to drop their weapons and wonders about Omega.  Crosshair sends ES-2 to find Omega.  Wrecker activates the signal on his gauntlet.  AZI-3 wants to follow instructions and go to the research lab, but Omega wants to rescue her friends. Omega sees all of the droids used for training!  Crosshair says the Bad Batch are disloyal, Hunter says they are only loyal to themselves, and Crosshair says they abandoned him.  He says he will give them a chance!  The trooper reaches the level with the droids and finds Omega at work.  ES-02 reports she has Omega in custody.  Crosshair orders her to be taken to a shuttle to go off-world.  Crosshair says to Hunter that she will be safter off-world than on the run.  Then, he says they are superior to all of the other clones.  He still realizes he was a brother to the Bad Batch.  A glimmer of hope for Crosshair?  It’s kinda strange that the others don’t add to the conversation.  


Tech nudges Wrecker at a flash in a panel.  Crosshair has his blaster on Hunter and orders the others to stand down.  ES-03 says they refuse the order!  Their turning down Crosshair’s order does not go well for them.  AZI-3 activates a panel that knocks out ES-02.  Crosshair tells the Bad Batch to join the Empire, another Empire Strikes Back reference, they have to say, “No!, it’s impossible!” They hear alarms go off and several racks of droids emerge on the training floor.  Wrecker strikes down Crosshair who struggles with Hunter.  This has come full circle!  On a platform, AZI-3 points out the number of droids and Omega uses her energy bow to blast a few droids.  Hunter begins blasting the droids and then Crosshair fires on them, the Bad Batch is finally back!  ES-02 shoots a few droids and then withdraws contacting Rampart about the situation.  Rampart orders a full withdrawal.  ES-02 reaches the shuttle which heads to the Venator-class Star Destroyer.  Imperial Star Destroyers must be under construction.  Rampart contacts Tarkin who gives the order just like in Star Wars (1977)!  A stunning episode of the Bad Batch!, I might imagine that they might be seen as dead by the Empire, the Bad Batch could deal with the threat of Rampart or form the beginning of Captain Rex’s resistance!    


Five Vibo Knives out of Five!  


#BadBatch, #ReturnToKamino, #AZI3, #ES02, #BattlefrontII, #TipocaCity

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