Star Wars: The Bad Batch

[Techwright]

 

 

 

And that means Star Wars: The Bad Batch, aka The Continuing Saga of the Clone Wars, is set to appear!

 

I'm mightily stoked!  More so knowing the Ming-Na Wen (Mulan, Agents of SHIELD, The Mandalorian) will be part of the cast. 

Dee Bradley Baker is going to do a phenomenal job with the roles, I'm sure.

Edited May 23, 2021 by Techwright

[Techwright]

Just saw the first episode of The Bad Batch, and it did not disappoint!  Graphics are improved yet again, this time over season 7 of the Clone Wars. 

 

Thoughts

  Reveal hidden contents

Most thoughts center around Omega.  I suspect she is going to be the "baby Yoda" of this series, revealing more and more as she goes.

 

I suspect she's one of two things:  an empath/psi, or an early attempt to create a force wielder.   One thing I'm pretty sure about is that she's not is an "accident" like her Bad Batch "brothers".  That she remained physically close to the Kaminoans, even that she's a girl (XX chromosomes) suggests to me that she's not an accident, but a deliberate manipulation of the DNA.  Toward what end is the big question.  

 

I'm not sure her surprise shooting skills are from training.  I suspect her contact with Crosshairs in the prison cell may have allowed her empathic duplication of his marksmanship.  Likewise the outrage and fight-picking in the mess hall might have been her proximity (across the table) from Wrecker, for whom such actions are natural.  Notice when she was seated in the cockpit at the end that she was close-up observing Tech's flight movements.  She may just be the Star Wars equivalent to Marvel's Taskmaster, or Firefly's River Tam.

 

Nala Se's actions in preventing the Bad Batch from being trapped, might have been more about getting Omega away from Kamino, specifically away from Tarkin's observant eye. 

 

One thought on Crosshairs:  at some point, win or lose, the Batch is going to have to make an effort to nab Crosshairs and remove or destroy his control chip.  That may be a moment where Rex and Ahsoka come in as they know more than most in this regard.  In fact, it might be the moment those two part company for years.

 

[Glacier Peak]

Yeah I'll watch this - are all the episodes out or are they doing the one a week thing?

[Mr. Vee]

One a week. First was good but rather long for animated, not sure how long future eps will be.

[Techwright]

  On 5/5/2021 at 1:02 PM, Mr. Vee said:

One a week. First was good but rather long for animated, not sure how long future eps will be.

Expand  

 

What Vee said. 😉

 

I think I heard successive episodes will be 1/2 hour each, though perhaps the series/season finale will be longer.  The next one will drop this Friday.  They did the hour-long one for Star Wars Day, otherwise it probably would have dropped last Friday.

[Techwright]

Episode 2 is out and it was good to see the return of a favorite SW monster of mine, as well as the return of ____________ .

 

  Reveal hidden contents

So, glad to have a representative of the Nexu back.  Terrifying critters.  What gets me in regard to this one is two-fold:

1. Fence or no fence, why haven't they killed the crazy thing?  Seriously, warning it off with stun shots only delays it in figuring out how to get itself a kids meal.

2. Why didn't the parents take a moment to warn Omega?

 

Despite the lack of host warning duties, it's great to have Cut and his adopted family back.   Kind of surprised that it never sunk into him that Omega is not just a clone variant, but is actually his kid sister, and for that matter, the same for the Bad Batch. 

 

I'm loving, so far, how they're handling Omega in the writing.  The mistakes she makes mostly don't feel forced, but the natural outcome of a kid so sequestered that she doesn't really know basic life.  The scene with her overwhelmed with wonder at sunshine, fresh air, and dirt, of all things, was just precious, and actually had me thinking of all that I take for granted.  That's a pretty amazing bit of composition.

 

One criticism is of the character Tech.  There's only so many times where he can get away with saying "I thought it was obvious."  Lack of critical communication seems to be his major problem.  I hope that isn't foreshadowing.

 

Second criticism is of the portrayal of Echo.  He needs to be seen as more useful.  At the moment he seems more of an inferior redundancy to Tech, and that scene where he can't hack the ship boot was a little far fetched, considering all that he's supposed to be capable of.  At least he did manage to open the chip storage door quickly, but that's small potatoes compared to the rest of the team.

 

[Mr. Vee]

I thought the second ep was a huge fall-off from the first, but then I think kids ruin everything.

[Techwright]

  On 5/8/2021 at 2:08 AM, Mr. Vee said:

I thought the second ep was a huge fall-off from the first, but then I think kids ruin everything.

Expand  

 

(Skywalker's kid, Skywalker's grandkid, Palpatine's grandkid...the man has some experience with this point.)

[Techwright]

Episode 3 is out and it's like a yin yang relationship:  really wholesome and uplifting paired with some of the darkest stuff in animated Star Wars.

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Omega is really becoming a favorite of mine.  Usually when I see a kid in a big sci-fi product, the character is mishandled: either uber-smart geek or just outright annoying (or both).  Omega is much closer to what I remember of my nieces from around her (perceived) age. 

 

That said, I didn't much care for the whole crash land story.  It was kind of dull and formulaic.  It did serve a few purposes though:

1. Showed Omega on her own using her wits rather than a blaster.  I suspect this is going to become important later in the series.

2. Showed real consequences of the Batch on the run: limited ration, and a reducing stock of spare parts.  If they're smart (and so far they have been), the writers will have at least one episode where the crew has to undertake some sketchy stuff to restock what's been missing or lost.

3. Wrecker's headache, and its curious disappearance without comment later.  Where he held his head is pretty telling.  I suspect this also is going to be important later.

4. Tech once again failing to fill in important details for the others.  While this may just be a character flaw the writers like to harp upon, I can easily see it becoming an important plot point later in the series.

5. The establishment of "quarters" for Omega.  I found it interesting that what is left unsaid is that Crosshair's sleeping quarters could have been used.  Sometimes trying to guess the "negative space" in writer's intent is tricky, but it's like the writers are having the free Bachers acknowledging that they may find a way to bring Crosshairs back, and they can't let Omega use his bunk as a result.

 

On the flip side, we've got Crosshairs, Tarken, and Rampart.

I get the impression that repeated treatments applied to Crosshairs' inhibitor chip might be doing more than the Empire thinks.  Not sure if that is driving him to an even darker place where the Empire itself might blanch at the results, or if parts of his free will are slowly waking, leaving him with a sullen 1,000-yard stare when off duty.

 

Rampart's efforts seem to be with elites at the moment, although he's suggested general training with seasoned clones as the leaders.  While I'm not sure its going there, we may be seeing the beginnings of the first Death Troopers.  It is said the first ones were not machines, but people (and presumably humans, given the Empire's distaste of anything not human).

 

The Kaminoans:

Apparently need to acquire a single clone to perfect the next stage of getting every last bit from the Jango Fett DNA.  That suggests to me getting hold of clone zero, the clone with the least deviance from Jango.  That in turn suggests Boba Fett, who was part of his father's payment by the Kaminoans.  It might make sense that he'd be the first successful Fett clone created as an early down payment to Jango.  If it is him, that's interesting, because we already know we're going to see Ming-Na Wen's character, Fennec Shan.  We may be in for an early introduction between Boba and Fennec, and a reason why he decided it worth his while to save her life on Tattooine.

 

 

[Haijinx]

I wonder if Omega will be aging at an accelerated rate.   Since the other clones (save Boba) did. 

 

 

 

 

[Techwright]

  On 5/19/2021 at 11:18 PM, Haijinx said:

I wonder if Omega will be aging at an accelerated rate.   Since the other clones (save Boba) did. 

 

 

 

 

Expand  

It's an interesting thought.  She looks, what, ten now?  I get the opinion she was created much like Boba: no inhibitor chip, no accelerated aging.   I guess it would depend on why she was created, which is probably the biggest mystery for the season. 

[Haijinx]

  On 5/23/2021 at 3:58 AM, Techwright said:

It's an interesting thought.  She looks, what, ten now?  I get the opinion she was created much like Boba: no inhibitor chip, no accelerated aging.   I guess it would depend on why she was created, which is probably the biggest mystery for the season. 

Expand  

 

I don't get that that all.  I think she was pretty much the same as "The Bad Batch"  She is a deviation.  And her being a female was unintentional.    

 

She has never had a room, implying she isn't really that old. 

Somehow the bad batch clones, who were actually among those barracked on Kamino never saw her.  Even though it was implied they have been wounded before (often) 

The Kamino were hopeful she would be a success in that they let her go, yeah, but she really isn't their hoped for solution.  They are looking for earlier more Jango material.

 

Is it possible that Omega refers to her being from the last batch up to this point, and that they haven't had any viable subsequent batches since they had been degrading, and is thus a fairly recent clone.   

 

Giving her normal human development time makes her more "special" I guess.  But to what end?  It would take longer to get results.  

 

I suppose we will see.  I guess it depends on if they want to do the entire show with her approximately 9 years old (my guess on her current age), or with every season her noticeably older.   Being a teenager by say Season 3. 

[Techwright]

  On 5/23/2021 at 11:05 AM, Haijinx said:

 

I don't get that that all.  I think she was pretty much the same as "The Bad Batch"  She is a deviation.  And her being a female was unintentional.    

 

She has never had a room, implying she isn't really that old. 

Somehow the bad batch clones, who were actually among those barracked on Kamino never saw her.  Even though it was implied they have been wounded before (often) 

The Kamino were hopeful she would be a success in that they let her go, yeah, but she really isn't their hoped for solution.  They are looking for earlier more Jango material.

 

Is it possible that Omega refers to her being from the last batch up to this point, and that they haven't had any viable subsequent batches since they had been degrading, and is thus a fairly recent clone.   

 

Giving her normal human development time makes her more "special" I guess.  But to what end?  It would take longer to get results.  

 

I suppose we will see.  I guess it depends on if they want to do the entire show with her approximately 9 years old (my guess on her current age), or with every season her noticeably older.   Being a teenager by say Season 3. 

Expand  

 

It seems strange that her XX chromosomes would be the unintentional deviation, but admittedly it is the only possibility with what we've been offered so far.  I've gotten the vibe that something(s) about Omega was/were a deliberate manipulation by Nala Se, and her gender might have been one point, though I'm at a loss, admittedly, to explain why.

 

As to the "never had a room", I've perceived that as she's never had a room of her own, implying that she's been treated as an experiment, on a cot in a lab somewhere with Kaminoan scientists always observing her, or probably always somewhere near Nala Se, who appears to have a special connection to Omega, though that may be as scientist and favorite lab animal.

 

I agree that her name "Omega" implies she's the last functioning clone, though Nala Se's comment that the Fett DNA "continues to degrade" seems to imply that they're getting more failed cloning attempts, but still getting viable Regs.   Alternatively, I've considered the possibility  that "Omega" implies an ultimate effort, possibly an ultimate success in creating a super soldier.

 

As to her age,  this is a long shot theory, I admit, but if Omega is 9 or 10 with a natural aging process, she'd be around 38 years old in the era of both the Mandalorian and the upcoming Book of Boba Fett.  38 being the age of her voice actress, Michelle Ang. (10 years old plus: 19 year gap between Prequel and Original Trilogies, 4 years for Original Trilogy, 5 year gap until The Mandalorian)  That could lead to a live appearance of Omega by Ang in some future work (admittedly with a hair dye, and possible some makeup effects), similarly to how Katee Sackhoff portrayed Bo-Katan both in voice work and live action.    Of course, this means checking off a number of unknown factors at the moment:  natural aging, survival, location in the galaxy (assuming she's not moved off to some uncharted area as a survival tactic), etc.

Edited May 23, 2021 by Techwright

[Haijinx]

  On 5/23/2021 at 1:44 PM, Techwright said:

 

It seems strange that her XX chromosomes would be the unintentional deviation, but admittedly it is the only possibility with what we've been offered so far.  I've gotten the vibe that something(s) about Omega was/were a deliberate manipulation by Nala Se, and her gender might have been one point, though I'm at a loss, admittedly, to explain why.

 

As to the "never had a room", I've perceived that as she's never had a room of her own, implying that she's been treated as an experiment, on a cot in a lab somewhere with Kaminoan scientists always observing her, or probably always somewhere near Nala Se, who appears to have a special connection to Omega, though that may be as scientist and favorite lab animal.

 

I agree that her name "Omega" implies she's the last functioning clone, though Nala Se's comment that the Fett DNA "continues to degrade" seems to imply that they're getting more failed cloning attempts, but still getting viable Regs.   Alternatively, I've considered the possibility  that "Omega" implies an ultimate effort, possibly an ultimate success in creating a super soldier.

 

As to her age,  this is a long shot theory, I admit, but if Omega is 9 or 10 with a natural aging process, she'd be around 38 years old in the era of both the Mandalorian and the upcoming Book of Boba Fett.  38 being the age of her voice actress, Michelle Ang. (10 years old plus: 19 year gap between Prequel and Original Trilogies, 4 years for Original Trilogy, 5 year gap until The Mandalorian)  That could lead to a live appearance of Omega by Ang in some future work (admittedly with a hair dye, and possible some makeup effects), similarly to how Katee Sackhoff portrayed Bo-Katan both in voice work and live action.    Of course, this means checking off a number of unknown factors at the moment:  natural aging, survival, location in the galaxy (assuming she's not moved off to some uncharted area as a survival tactic), etc.

Expand  

 

The XX thing to make a Distaff clone is already an established trope in SCI FI.  Most famous probably being X23 the distaff clone of Wolverine due to "Damage to the Y chromosome, so we copied the X" And I don't think Marvel originated the idea.  Kind of depends on if these deviations are as unintentional as it seems on the surface.  And perhaps since they never saw her as a viable combat unit they didn't bother with the inhibiter implant.  

 

Does her not having accelerate age not also make her roughly the same age as Boba?  Or at least within a few years of Boba  Seems a weird thing for a clone named "Omega", since presumably they kept making clones during the war as long as they could.  But her age would make her a middle pack clone at the youngest? 

 

I'm not sure we know that Regs are viable now, that convo made me wonder if they are not.  Plus we don't see any kid clones ala Attack of the Clones. (Other than Omega)  The degradation is presumably due to the number of clones they needed to create.  Which still seems a ridiculously low number, But Sci Fi writes have no sense of scale. 

 

Not sure they need to worry about the Madalorian here though.  Also we don't know how fast the clones age after reaching adulthood exactly.  We just know some early war clones have gray beards and hair by the time of Rebels.    There are is a lot of Story Potential related to a rapidly aging tween-teen girl being raised by the equivalent of a bunch of space bachelors.  That and as she got older it might make her more useful to their mercenary affiliated rebel type life who knows.  

 

Cartoons (like comics) do seem to get away with the insanely irresponsible caretaking of children by exposing them to combat situations and the like, so I guess the non aging version is possible as well.   

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

 

So, the Batch are back. Not much to speculate wildly about in this teaser, but that's not gonna stop us from trying.

Omega looks slightly older: Palpatine tightening his grasp on the Empire: quite action-heavy.

Getting a slight "A-Team... in Space" vibe, but maybe that was the idea all along. Thoughts?

[biostem]

I'm happy to see that Omega finally gets some new duds.  As cool as their custom clone trooper armor is, I don't understand why they haven't altered or ditched it by this point;  You'd think a squad of guys walking around in clone trooper armor would stick out like a sore thumb.

[houtex]

  On 5/31/2022 at 3:56 PM, ThaOGDreamWeaver said:

Getting a slight "A-Team... in Space" vibe, but maybe that was the idea all along. Thoughts?

Expand  

In 19 BBY, a crack commando unit was forced to exile during a military coup for the crime of not committing to Order 66. These men promptly escaped from the field of battle to the underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them....maybe you can hire... The Bad Batch.

Edited May 31, 2022 by houtex

[Techwright]

I'm going to assume if you continue to read this, you saw the trailer. There will be spoilers ahead.

 

  On 5/31/2022 at 4:28 PM, biostem said:

I'm happy to see that Omega finally gets some new duds.  As cool as their custom clone trooper armor is, I don't understand why they haven't altered or ditched it by this point;  You'd think a squad of guys walking around in clone trooper armor would stick out like a sore thumb.

Expand  

SW lore has repeatedly stated and shown that clone trooper armor is vastly superior to other armor, Mandalorian armor being a notable exception. Yes, it does stand out a bit, but at least at the end of season one, not so much.  There's still tens of thousands of clone troopers around, and many of them, even retired still wear their armor.  For some, it's all they've got (See a recently dropped SW episode for confirmation.) It shouldn't be too much of a standout, unless they're going into a ballroom or something similar.

 

1.  Kid Wookie with the custom wood-handled light saber is back!  So he survived...for now.  He was in Clone Wars, the same episode in which David Tennant voiced an ancient droid.

2. I'm wondering who is voicing Palpatine this season?  Several have.  Ian McDiarmid is the natural of course, but even Sam Witwer does a good Sidious.

3. The sound quality is drastically improved.  First season, for example, sounded like Rhea Perlman was recording her lines in her basement, which might have been true due to COVID shutdown. 

4. Omega is in the same room as Palpatine. Did the Batch get sent in to deal with some of the elites close to Sidious?

5. In the shot before the emperor, Omega seems to be hunted in Imperial chambers by droids that look different than Separatist droids, These look closer in design to the L3-37 droid that was Lando's navigator in Solo: A Star Wars Story.

6. I like the new orange/yellow/umber/aqua paint choices on the armor.  Gives them less of a military feel and more of a band of mercenaries feel.

7. The TK trooper design might just be the best looking Stormtrooper armor. (Okay, I know TK's are the proto-Stormtroopers, but still...)

8. At 0:44 - clone trooper in armor trimmed in gray: a member of the Wolfpack?  If so, they've removed the heavy stylization of their armor, which would be in keeping with the Empire shredding every vestige of individuality from the clones.

 

If the pattern of Star Wars animated shows continues, first season is the "kiddie season".  Second season will be a little darker and more serious.  This darkening will continue with progressive seasons should there be any.  I suspect there won't be a death among the team this season, but a character or two within their orbit might be a possibility.  The Trandoshan Cid might be a good possibility, as this would severe an anchor in the Batch's life, forcing them into more run-and-gun living.  I do suspect there might be changes to the team, though.  I keep wondering, for example, why Tech doesn't build a cybernetic hand for Echo, one to go over his interface limb when not in use.  Season 2 might be where Alpha (Boba) and Omega meet, as fans have speculated.

[Techwright]

Just found this bit.  Dee Bradley Baker impressing by swapping voices between all his characters while reading a bit from the last season.  (The recent The Bad Batch panel)

 

 

Edited June 1, 2022 by Techwright

[Techwright]

So the first 3 episodes of Season 2 have now dropped, and The Bad Batch writing has really stepped up.  Episodes 1 and 2 were noticeably better than much of 1st season, and then 3 which dropped today, is just dark, really dark for this series and masterfully created.  It has a minimum of dialog, telling the tale mostly through visuals and action, one of the best ways to tell a tale on film, IMHO.  It brings back a fan favorite from The Clone Wars and Episode 2, and has a passing but important reference to an important Separatist character from The Clone Wars.  The overall result was like savoring a bit of fine, dark chocolate.

Spoiler-y talk

  Reveal hidden contents

Episodes 1 & 2:

 

Omega is visibly older, and noticeably more confident.  The writers take a few measures to insure she's not seen as a Mary Sue.  She's studying carefully under Tech's tutelage, and though it is not shown, I suspect her new martial prowess is the result of training from her other brothers. 

 

I'm wondering what is up with the appearance of Fee the Pirate.  It played out as a cameo, but feels more like the introduction of a major secondary character, like Hondo the Pirate, but I've heard nothing about where this is headed.  I'm impressed by the number of reactors on YouTube who immediately guessed the voice actor was Wanda Sykes. That normally does not happen.

 

Wrecker is still unnerved by heights, but other than a passing comment, we see him tuck into action, rather than belabor the point as was done in season 1.  Progress.

 

Echo is briefly mocked for his gloomy personality, a nice call back to his first appearance in The Clone Wars when he was mocked for echoing everything.

 

I like how this episode is helping to show the aftermath of the Clone Wars.  The war chest would naturally be something Palpatine would want to recoup as soon as possible (I say "recoup" as it clearly was a Sith property, though the rest of the galaxy don't realize that), especially if it contained Sith secrets that he didn't want to get out.  If anything, I'm surprised the process took this long.  You note that clones were used.  This is both an insult to them (they're not being given front line assignments that they are best for), and an acknowledgement of their sense of duty (not trusting riches to an army of individuals). 

 

I've seen these cargo ships before, I don't recall where, but they've always struck me as awkward.  The reverse pyramidal design doesn't seem efficient to the rectangular design of its cargo crate.  Style over function, I suppose.

 

I like that the writers kept continuity by utilizing Dooku's escape lift within this tale.  I don't recall which episode, but I believe this same lift was used before in The Clone Wars. Dooku was definitely known for having secret escape routes regardless.

 

The idea of cargo pods having their own retro-jets makes a lot of sense.  Accidents do happen, and having a recovery method is important, not to mention critical when there might be people and developed property beneath them.  What doesn't make sense however, is the lack of a combined technology, namely some basic guidance system to bring the cargo to a safe bit of land, and not water, cities, or cliffs as demonstrated in this episode.  Cut-rate budget empire fails again.

 

I love that Wrecker is shown as whip-smart, but just in his field of expertise.  Creating a portable canon from bits between a few wrecked vehicles is very McGuyer-ish, or perhaps A-Team would be a better comparative to the Batch. 

 

The sound design crew has got to be commended for these episodes.  I was stunned at how good explosions and even the pressing of unpowered tank buttons sounded, and I've got a crummy pair of headphones at the moment.

 

The focus on injured Tech the second episode did a great job of showing he's not just a brain, he's a commando.  The crate smash was unnerving at first.  I, and a number of YouTube reactors was nervous that we were getting a death early on, and it was clearly because we were drawing parallels to Nemick in Andor.

 

Episode 3:

 

No Batch team this episode, just Crosshairs, but it quietly underlines that although he's the villain at the moment, he is Bad Batch.

 

Love that they brought Commander Cody back and advanced his story.  It's been one of those enticing mysteries to Star Wars fans, what became of the clone who was liked nearly as much as Captain Rex?  I do think Cody is not going to live out the 19 years of the Empire until A New Hope.  Otherwise Rex will have recruited him along with Wolf and Gregor in Rebels.  I fear he might fall to a conflicted Crosshairs or a vicious Rampart very soon.

 

This episode really showcases Crosshair's talent.

 

Stock droid troops again showcase why the Separatists should have spent more for higher brain functions in these things (but then again, it could have gone that way if Dooku wasn't raiding every treasury).  Seeing a couple of dead clones and assuming the entire squad was dead was just plain brainless, but typical.  Curious that the command droid didn't order a more thorough search.

 

I don't think I've ever seen a better job of making the droideka rolling sound unnerving.  And I like that they showed them operating in tight spaces and on multiple levels, eliminating the possibility of slowly rolling a "popper" into position under them, and necessitating Cody's innovative solution of booby-trapping a stock droid to fall inside the force field.  Well-written.

 

In the end, this episode was all about isolation: the isolation of Desix and results, and most especially the increasing isolation of Crosshairs from everyone, showing his choices to be hollow, pointless, and unappreciated.  I love at the end how the rising bell is seen as something to suffer, not an appreciated call to duty.  At the moment, Crosshairs is the Darth Vader of this series, villain by duty, but suffering internally, unable to release his better nature which deep down he knows is the better way.

 

Mina Bonteri is mentioned, and this mention of friend and ally clearly defines the goodness of the true governor.  For those who don't know, Bonteri was a Senator of the Republic who became a Senator of the Separatists government, but who left an open dialog with her good friend Padme Amidala.  The two of them collaborated on a peace treaty method, which we now hear included Gov. Tawni Ames.  Padme unwittingly betrayed her friend by telling Chancellor Palpatine of the effort.  Pretending interest, but really wanting the war to continue to wear down both sides, Palpatine/Sidious contacted Dooku/Tyrannus who had Bonteri executed as a traitor.

 

Edited January 11, 2023 by Techwright

[Techwright]

Side note:  just learned that Tawni Ames (season 2, ep. 3) is voiced by Tasia Valenza, who also voiced Jedi Master Shaak Ti in several episodes of the animated Clone Wars.  She's done several other Star Wars related voices across various media,  I knew her voice sounded familiar.

 

Also just learned (and why didn't I know this sooner?) that Admiral Rampart, the overarching villain of this series, is voiced by Noshir Dalal, who gave, IMHO, an excellent nuanced performance as Kotallo in the game Horizon: Forbidden West.

[Mr. Vee]

Wow even by cartoon standards that was a ridiculously pointless filler episode. Unless they think people wanted to see a palette swapped version of phantom menace? Maybe later in the season they can reskin the Chocobo races from Canto Bight.

[biostem]

  On 1/19/2023 at 6:49 PM, Mr. Vee said:

Wow even by cartoon standards that was a ridiculously pointless filler episode. Unless they think people wanted to see a palette swapped version of phantom menace? Maybe later in the season they can reskin the Chocobo races from Canto Bight.

Expand  

I agree that it was filler, but I did like that Tek (Tech?) got a day in the limelight.  I do wish it was a bit better developed, though...

[Mr. Vee]

So i guess 

  Reveal hidden contents

Wanda Sykes is yet another force sensitive in hiding.

 

[Techwright]

  On 1/25/2023 at 5:10 PM, Mr. Vee said:

So i guess 

  Reveal hidden contents

Wanda Sykes is yet another force sensitive in hiding.

 

Expand  

I've seen some of the early reviewers suggest that.  It might make for an interesting side story, we'll see.

 

I hate to say it, but even as a dedicated fan of all things Fett-clone, I have to say this felt like a pointless filler episode.  Some of the dialog was noticeably sub-par, especially when compared to the first three episodes of the season.  I hope they're more careful going forward.  If they don't return to the standard those first three set, they'll likely lose previously-consistent viewers.

That said, I can see some long-term redemption via a few points:

  Reveal hidden contents

1. As @Mr. Vee mentioned, pirate Phee might turn out to be a force-sensitive.  This would be an interesting plot point should the Inquisitors learn of it.  At very least, this episode did give us a little fill-in on who Phee is, though I hesitate to consider it anything more than generic pirate, treasure-hunter types.  We need a bit more to pull her out of a stereotype and make her more distinctive.

2. The control key, aka "the heart of the mountain" and the massive creation it restricts, suggest that Star Wars might finally start investigating a canonical past before the time of the Jedi.  There's a lot out there that's currently "Legends" stuff, and the MMO The Old Republic goes into some of it in detail.  This show acknowledges the existence of a past possibly more powerful technologically than the present, which has some interesting story directions.  It would imply a cataclysmic past where society survived but at a notable loss in development, and might also serve as explanation as to why Star Wars societies seem to have plateaued in their technology for centuries and are only starting to break out again with the development of the Death Star.  In Legends material, there are indeed technologies and force magics that do dreadful things that could reshape or destroy the galaxy, so it would be nice to see this brought into canon.

3.  The monsterous machine was clearly an homage to Kaiju movies, and it burned at the end, but it has the potential to prove troublesome if either Phee uses the event as a launch point to re-examine old pirate legends or if the Empire somehow gets wind of it.  Such technology, ancient as it is, does not exist in a vacuum and the galaxy is a big place.  Just one of these machines could swing the tide of ground and air combat.  Phee would want to acquire one, or at least its tech for power and riches, and the empire would want one to gain further control (and power and riches).  While I suspect this is sadly going to be a one-and-done episode, it would give it some meaning if the lore referenced it again in a bigger picture to the overall story.

 

As a side note, I've begun to wonder if Phee was brought in to replace Cid at some point, either through the character's death, or possible if Rhea Perlman wants to leave at some point.

 

As a final note, to whomever wrote Omega's dialog in this:  shame on you.  You're perpetuating and giving credence to the scathing belief of some that she's a worthless character.  She can be, has been, and should be written better.  Hunter was also mishandled, and the few lines the other clones had were completely stereotypical.