The Bad Batch: Clone Force 99 returns with Season 2 and entertaining episodes!
With two delightful episodes, The Bad Batch's second season premiered with captivating storytelling and polished, lovable characters. With carefully-knitted layers, Clone Force 99's course for the season, as well as the rising antagonist, has been determined.
Date Posted: january 5, 2023
Date Modified: january 5, 2023
It was wonderful to see Clone Force 99 back in action! The Bad Batch's second season premiered yesterday (January 4th), and the only criticism about the episodes, "Spoils of War" and "Ruins of War", is that they fly by. From one season of the Star Wars animated series to the next, the animation gets better and better. However, the Bad Batch stays grounded so as not to detract from the overall art style. The music score is still fantastic, and Dave Filoni and his team continue to captivate us with great storytelling and lovable characters!
The first episode takes place after the events on Kamino. While Omega is still under Tech's unwieldy tutelage (she can only fly a ship if she memorizes its specifications), she has become less of a liability to her brothers by being helpful and in league with their missions. Omega has become quite effective with her energy bow, too!
As seen in the trailers, they secure an unknown package on a tropical island, and the mishaps in the episode's introduction are a fun way for us to reunite with the crew. As they deliver the package to Cid, they are offered a job to steal one of Count Dooku's war chest in Serenno, Dooku's home planet. Hunter quickly turns it down, as Serenno is occupied by the Empire, but Tech, Hunter and Echo convinces him to follow through with the mission. However, as their heist lingers, the Bad Batch are detected by Captain Wilco, an accomplished clone stormtrooper still working for the Empire.
It's difficult to peel back the layers of the episode, but a few things stand out, particularly Echo and Tech's increased presence. When they're trapped inside a cargo ship, it's refreshing to see how effective they are as soldiers, rather than their specialized roles. Tech and Echo are impressing against stormtroopers, and their abilities are given adequate screen time.
Tech has had a profound realization as well! Despite being the group's brain, it never occurred to him that the people of Serenno had a history prior to the war. They are not simply separatists; they are war victims who have become slaves to the Empire. The Bad Batch are rising to be protectors, or liberators as Echo expressed to Hunter early in Episode 1, as they become more of themselves outside of the Clone Wars. It's safe to say that Clone Force 99's course for the season has been determined.
To sum things up. At the end of "Ruins of War," perhaps the most interesting encounter occurs. Captain Wilco is confronted by Vice Admiral Rampart after being defeated by Hunter and Wrecker. While Rampart is unconcerned about the scattered war chest being recovered by Wilco and his men, he does take note of the captain's mention of Clone Force 99. Wilco is adamant about his encounter with the rogue clone unit, despite the Vice Admiral's official confirmation of their death in the bombardment of Kamino.
Rampart orders Wilco to meddle his reports, as the squad's apparent survival would cause him to lose Tarkin's favor, but Wilco rejects him. In response, he's shot dead by the Vice Admiral. What's interesting is that the clone's unwillingness to submit deceptive information suggests that the Empire may have bigger problems with clones whose inhibitor chip effectiveness appears to be fading after Order 66.
Vice Admiral Rampart has evolved into a ruthless and competent antagonist for the series. Rampart, on the other hand, has created the monster that may destroy him by shooting Captain Wilco and actively concealing Clone Force 99's involvement in Serenno, as well as keeping his reports of the Bad Batch's demise on Kamino unaltered. While his immediate superiors, particularly Tarkin, are occasionally lenient on failures, Rampart's tampered and fraudulent reports will result in harsh punishments. It's safe to assume that Rampart and his efforts to climb out of this hole will also consume the majority of the season.