A-List | The Top 5 Moments of ‘The Bad Batch’

A week ago, we heard the news about a spinoff series from Star Wars: The Clone Wars will be coming to Disney Plus in 2021 called Star Wars: The Bad Batch.

• The bad news? It doesn’t center on Ahsoka Tano, continue the story of Ezra Bridger, or give us the additional glimpse of Darth Maul we all want.
• The good news? Dave Filoni is at the helm and there’s absolutely nothing divisive about that (for once). 

The new series will center on a bunch of clone commandos called “The Bad Batch.” This is an elite squad that was first introduced at the start of The Clone Wars, Season 7. They entered the series while trying to recover the Republic’s strategy algorithm from Admiral Trench.

Clone Force 99, informally known as “The Bad Batch,” is led by Sergeant Hunter. In hilarious fashion, Sergeant Hunter to me is a carbon copy of Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo with his red head band.  

The Bad Batch also includes Wrecker, the blunt instrument of the team who tends to do the dirty work. Wrecker had some of my favorite moments during the first arc, but we’ll get to that in a bit.

Tech is the brains of the squad while Crosshair (strikingly similar to Deadshot) provides the team with exceptional marksmanship. Throughout the first arc of Season 7 of The Clone Wars, we see The Bad Batch help rescue a clone trooper known as Echo, who is pretty important to the team. 

Who Is Echo?

Before we discuss the Top 5 Moments of The Bad Batch, let’s discuss who I think would make the greatest addition: Echo.

Echo was a rule follower and a member of Domino Squad (pictured, far left). He was teased by his peers for repeating orders and strictly following clone regulations. Most importantly, Echo was presumed dead during a mission to rescue a number of Republic officers during Season Two of The Clone Wars. At the end of the first arc of Season Seven, we see a part-cyborg Echo join Clone Force 99 and go their separate ways.

Given the genetically enhanced crew of #TheBadBatch, Echo is a perfect addition to the squad. @StarWars, make it happen.

Tweet

Echo’s involvement with The Bad Batch give clues as to which direction the new series on Disney Plus will go. A story centering on the perspective of a clones following Order 66 is very intriguing. How was the Bad Batch able to avoid Order 66? Did Echo’s modifications allow him to foresee Order 66 and help his new brothers remove their inhibitor chips? There are a lot of questions that need answers.

It makes sense to have Echo serve as the central character in the new series coming out in 2021. Contrary to The Bad Batch, Echo was born among a brotherhood of clones. Echo, who followed the rules his entire life, now lives in a world of chaos and without purpose. With the Republic in shambles, Echo and The Bad Batch coming together as a family makes sense moving forward.

---

top 5 moments of the bad batch

5. Episode Two: “A Distant Echo”

The final moments of Episode Two in The Bad Batch delivered the goods. It revealed Echo was alive instead inside a stasis chamber. Echo’s character has been clearly altered, featuring two metal legs eerily similar to what we saw from Darth Maul’s revival. Echo eventually recognizes his brother and the episode ends. That emotional moment gives us our first glimpse at the new Echo who will eventually join The Bad Batch down the road.

4. Episode One: “The Bad Batch”

A retrieval mission behind enemy lines and obtain an algorithm of the Droid Army’s tactics quickly turns awry when the ship of The Bad Batch is shot down by patrolling droids. Wrecker saves Commander Cody just in time before the ship explodes. Not long before, an army of droids moves in on their position. Watching The Bad Batch take down hundreds of droids by tossing strategically placed electromagnetic grenades over the droids’ battle formations was pure bliss. This established the crew as a force to be reckoned with throughout the entire first season.

3. Episode Four: “Unfinished Business”

Echo has always been an outsider, just like each member of The Bad Batch. Watching Rex say his goodbye as he salutes Echo for the final time was an emotional rush. This marked the end of the first arc of Season Seven. You can literally feel the emotions coming from Echo’s face. Such a beautiful end to an amazing arc.

2. Episode Three: “On the Wings of Keeradaks”

Episode Three solidified Wrecker as my favorite member of Clone Force 99 (aka. The Bad Batch). Wrecker was the star of the episode’s first act. After ripping off a droid’s face and throwing each member of his team into an above escape shaft to safety, I couldn’t help but laugh hysterically after learning he was deathly afraid of heights. For a character who has many memorable moments during the first arc, this was by far my favorite.

1. Episode Four, “Unfinished Business”

The most epic moment of The Bad Batch came during Episode Four when Crosshair takes down more than a dozen droids with a single shot. Crosshair’s partner, Wrecker, takes pride in taking down the most droids among his crew. In fact, Wrecker and Crosshair share some similarities between Legolas and Gimli from The Lord of the Rings. They are both competitive in that respect. Watching Wrecker’s reaction to Crosshair was laugh out loud hilarious, which cemented this as my favorite moment of The Bad Batch.