Review: The Bad Batch S01 Ep. 3 ‘Replacements’
by Olly MacNamee
While the Bad Batch make necessary repairs to a converter, the Empire marches on with preparations for a new breed of Stormtroopers. Troopers who have willingly signed up from around the galaxy. A point which Vice Admiral Rampart – a hungry and ambitious up and coming Imperial Officer we met briefly via hologram in the last episode – think will make these new troops more effective than the Clone Troopers.
The Bad Batch continue to bond with their newest unofficial member, Omega, but for me the more interesting developments came from the Empire in this episode. After all, bonding with a kid is hardly character development and so the Empire’s evolution of its military was always going to be of more interested to this die-hard fan.
What we are obviously witnessing is the transition from an Empire depends on clones to the kind of Troopers we see in Star Wars: A New Hope. Plus, we get the return of Governor Tarkin too. Someone who may need convincing of this new initiative, so he sends the fiercely loyal, and deadly clone, Crosshair, to command the new squad. One vicious son-of-a-bantha as he illustrates in this episode when he and this new elite squad head to Alderaan to hunt down Saw Gerrera.
Meanwhile, the Kaminoans plan to create even more hardcore clones to impress the Empire and keep their business afloat. This is definitely an episode designed to move players into place and push the story along. And one that’s more dark in tone than previous episodes. It certainly feels like the Empire is on the rise. Crosshair shows just how vicious he can be. A man willing to take no prisoners and to follow orders to the letter.
With the troubles the Bad Batch have with an energy-devouring creators called the Ordo Moon Dragon, there are once more echoes of classic Star Wars scenes, and in particular the Millennium Falcon’s dive into a living meteor in The Empire Strikes Back, to escape the Empire and make repairs.
All-in-all, another good episode that recognises the desire by fans for more Imperial action while setting up storylines that can only end badly. Great stuff!
The Bad Batch S01 Episodes 1 – 3 are available now on Disney +
