TV Review: ‘Star Wars: The Bad Batch’ Season 2, Episode 7

After taking a slight detour to go on adventures with members of its titular team, Star Wars: The Bad Batch has returned to its seemingly core story. The clones and their place in the larger Star Wars universe is what makes the show so appealing. Besides the fun sci-fi action, the story is filled with real world consequences for disposable soldiers and their place in a corrupt political system that no longer needs them. And although the Bad Batch are not featured, this episode highlights that dilemma with suspenseful politics in ways few other shows, live action included, can do today.

The plot primarily focuses on Senator Chuchi (Jennifer Hale) as she tries to fight for the rights of clones in the new Imperial Senate. Admiral Rampart (Noshir Dalal), having destroyed the clones’ home on Camino, seeks to replace them with enlisted soldiers who will obviously become the Stormtroopers of the Original Trilogy. In the meantime, the aging clones (Dee Bradley Baker) have to deal with the fact that they will not be able to serve as soldiers their whole lives. Some sort of pension needs to be put in place, and Chuchi is negotiating for it, But the conspiracy to take the clones down from within is already in motion, something any Star Wars fan knows is a losing battle.

There are obviously no clones working for the Empire during the Age of Rebellion. So something happens between this period and that future to cause the clones to be largely replaced. Watching this play out is heartbreaking, especially as fans have grown to root for the clones in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. To make things even more interesting, the assassin charged with taking out the senator is a clone himself. When questioned, he claims to be “a believer,” hinting that the conspiracy is bigger than anyone realizes. It’s unclear where this show is headed this season, but this episode definitely raises intrigue as to how the Bad Batch will react.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch streams Wednesdays on Disney+.