After a one-off episode focused on the people of Ryloth and a young Hera Syndulla (Star Wars: Rebels and Squadrons), The Bad Batch returns to its usual formula of having Clone Force 99 help around everyone they come across who has been misfortunate enough to fall under the Galactic Empire’s iron fist.

If last week’s “Devil’s Deal” was all about giving a glimpse of what life on Ryloth was for Hera and the rest of the Twi'leks before their fall to the Empire, then it’s now time to show the stark contrast between that sunny pre-occupation planet and the gloomy dusk and nighttime scenarios that works perfectly for the Batch to execute their latest Star Wars mission.

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The episode opens up with Admiral Rampart gloating over his success in imprisoning Cham, Eleni, and Gobi through his carefully crafted scheme, however, he still has to hunt down Hera. To his surprise, her family is pretty confident Hera can hold her own on the run, yet the real takeaway here is Howzer’s continued reluctance to follow orders blindly after being commanded to round up remaining rebellious Twi’leks, even if they’re civilians something that does not sit well with this particular clone.

The Bad Batch making plans

Of course, breaking Cham, Eleni, and Gobi out of prison was not anywhere near the top of the Batch’s priorities, but instead, viewers learn that Omega had enough time to give Hera direct patch communication to the Batch’s Havoc Marauder so that she could ask for help in case of an emergency, which she does in a very Princess Leia kind of way. While the Empire taking over the planet, imprisoning its rightful inhabitants, and hunting down a child does not strike Hunter as an emergency that would concern the squad, it definitely does for Omega.

The Batch lands back in Ryloth to meet Hera and do agree to help her in exchange for proper compensation, but things quickly take a turn for the worse when they’re spotted by an Empire drone while doing recon work for the mission. After noticing Crosshair is part of the military occupation that’s taken over the planet, The Batch notice just how hard the Empire is leaning in to establish its absolute dominance everywhere it can set its sights on.

This combined with the fact that the occupation force is now on full alert is enough for Hunter to pull the plug on the mission, much to Hera’s heartbreak. Nevertheless, Omega won’t stand to see her new friend lose her parents this way and she’s the one who again convinces Hunter that they can and should move forward because she’d do the same for him.

Omega and Hera Syndulla on stakeout

This all does wonders to highlight the standout element from this entire “Rescue on Ryloth” episode, that being the chemistry between Omega and Hera which is of utmost importance considering the former hasn’t really found too much time to make friends since she left Kamino with the Batch. After all, Omega is still a kid who doesn’t get to do too many kids’ activities besides a brief play date with Cut Lawquane’s family back in episode two.

The resulting plan is great to showcase that, because Omega, Hera, Wrecker, and Tech are tasked to create a diversion over on the Empire’s refinery complex that would allow Hunter and Echo to move swiftly inside the Capital to rescue Hera’s family. Naturally, once Chopper gets into trouble, Omega and Hera pay little attention to the instructions telling them to stay behind and hijack a ship to kick off what is perhaps the episode’s most enjoyable moment.

Hera has no problems showing her innate talents as a pilot that will one day be regarded among the galaxy's finest, even if Tech is perplexed by her unorthodox style. As Hunter and Echo rescue Hera's family, Crosshair catches on to the Batch's plan and orders a squad to stay back to prevent their escape and he almost succeeds were it not for Howzer.

The new rebellious clone warns Hunter and the rest that they're about to walk into an ambush because this clone soldier is indeed different from the rest. Not only does Howzer recognize the evil nature of the Empire's actions, he tells his brothers in arms to do the same, even convincing some of them to drop their weapons before they're promptly arrested for committing treason.

Crosshair and Admiral Rampart in Star Wars: The Bad Batch

Episode twelve proceeds to end on a very similar note as number ten, Hunter declines the payment promised to him by Hera because he knows the Twi'leks will be needing it a lot more than them now that they've gone rogue. Cham knows he and his family must continue to fight for freedom and what is right, but he knows they can't do it from a fully occupied Ryloth so they depart their home planet just like Senator Singh before them.

Meanwhile, next week's episode is already looking more promising as Crosshair closes this one by getting full permission from Admiral Rampart to pursue and hunt down the Batch, meaning this should set up the confrontation that follows on whichever planet the show is headed next.

The extent to which writer and part-time action figure Dave Filoni has been drawing parallels between The Bad Batch and World War II cannot be overemphasized, as Raxus and Ryloth both echo European nations occupied by Nazi armies, with many of the Twi'leks even speaking with French accents to show that their cause and struggle echoes that of La Résistance that incessantly fought off the foreign invasion during the war. Still, for all of Filoni's talents as a writer, even LEGO Star Wars knows where this story's heading.

New episodes of Star Wars: The Bad Batch are available to stream every Friday on Disney Plus.

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