“The Solitary Clone” features Crosshair and the return of a familiar clone trooper! We open to reddish tinged planet at a city with a towering mesa of a building with a circular opening, a mining facility, stacks, and a roundish structure on top. An alarm sounds, an Imperial shuttle is about to land, a Stormtrooper informs the governor. The workers scramble inside the facility to hide behind doors. Governor Grotton (Max Mittleman) confidently walks with his Stormtrooper guard. Mittleman voiced Han Solo in LEGO Star Wars: All-Stars (2018) mini-series. They are met by a trio, their faces fully covered, including the governor of the planet, Tawni Ames (Tasia Valenza), Governor of Desix. Valenza voices Jedi Master Shaak Ti in episodes of Clone Wars. She has a distorted voice like Boshh in Return of the Jedi. The Imperial governor is there to take over Desix. She activates a signal on her wrist and they are surrounded by an army of battle droids. Governor Ames says she has a message to the Empire. She has an interesting connection to the past.
On Coruscant, a strange alarm rouses Crosshair in his bunk, at the mess hall, some clones discuss the Defense Recruitment Bill. It looks like the Emperor is bringing the draft to fill Stormtrooper ranks. Finally, we get back to the main story about the Empire and what happens with Crosshair. He sets his plate down and the clones move to another table. The Clone Cold Shoulder! Still, Crosshair is called to Vice Admiral Rampart’s (Noshir Dalal) office, and he has been cleared for duty after being left behind by the Bad Batch on the Kaminoan platform. Crosshair is assigned to Desix to free the Imperial governor taken hostage so the Empire will make the planet independent. Rampart has placed a commander above Crosshair in a diplomatic mission that is just a cover. At the Battle Memorial, a wall with the names of the fallen soldiers, Crosshair is met by his new commander, Commander Cody! Of course also voiced by Dee Bradley Baker. He worked with General Kenobi in the Clone Wars series and was seen in Revenge of the Sith.
Commander Cody tells Crosshair that he requested him to be on his squad and talks of the clone questioning Order 66. I like Crosshair’s black armor contrasting with all of the other troopers. The Havoc Marauder moves through hyperspace, Hunter debriefs the squad on the mission, they don’t really have a stake here. The Imperial shuttle is given clearance by a tactical droid (Shelby Young). The voice actress portrayed Princess Leia in the animated series, Star Wars: Forces of Destiny. Grotton struggles to get free, but two battle droid guards are there. Ames sees him and removes her helmet. She says they are expecting the envoys and that Dooku was right about the Republic. A tactical droid spots the Imperial shuttle’s approach. She reports this to Governor Ames who in turn says this threatens Grotton. The tactical droid calls in an air strike team. An Armored Assault Tank, we saw the inactive units last episode, hovers out with battle droids. The shuttle is struck by missiles from the air strike droids that carry RPS-6 rocket launchers that were first seen in the Clone Wars episode, “Ambush” (2008).
Ames checks the wreckage with electrobinoculars and sends battle droids to the site. Battle droids reach the shuttle and just nudge one trooper’s helmet. Of course, they are blasted by Cody and Crosshair, an interesting duo. The surviving squad walks up to them and Crosshair activates his helmet’s rangefinder to see the empty balcony that had the tactical droid. Crosshair has spotted the tank guarding the bridge and has Cody take his squad around while he takes out the droids. The squad moves into position while Crosshair takes some random shots. The droid commander scans Crosshair and has the turret turned in his direction. The tank fire is not accurate and Crosshair’s sniper shots have the droids lock in his position. The turret turns in Crosshair’s sight until he sends a shot down its barrel destroying the tank! Droid troops start to move out and Crosshair takes out the droids on the wall. Cody and his troopers use their rifles grappling hooks to ascend to the upper level. It is intense to have Crosshair and Cody engaging in combat just like the Clone Wars. It looks like the Bad Batch is moved to a cameo in this episode. Maybe they will be in a second part?
Cody congradulates Crosshair on his tank shot and Crosshair thinks the battle droid coordination is from a tactical droid. Commander Cody divides up the squad taking the north for his unit with Crosshair. This is watched by the tactical droid and Ames goes to check on Grotton. The squad reaches the Desix civilans who are not reassured by Cody that they are there to help. Then, they hear droidekas! It is strange that the greatest threat to the Empire is the battle droids which should be recovered above any kind of rebels since they can be turned against them. I hope this is resolved this season. They use Electro Magnetic Pulse grenades, but the number of destroyer droids has the squad taking cover. The tactical droid spots the second squad, but Crosshair has found her in the bell tower. The tactical droid has her own surprise, acrobatic BX-series droid commandos! The situation with the hostage situation has to be resolved. “The Solitary Clone” turns out to be a very dark episode for The Bad Batch!
Four Vibro-knives out of Five!
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