Hello and welcome to Laughing Place’s weekly recap of the new Disney+ series Star Wars: The Bad Batch from Lucasfilm Animation.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch episode 2, entitled “Cut and Run,” opens with the Havoc Marauder traveling through hyperspace while Omega (Michelle Ang) sleeps after “inspecting every corner of the ship.” Hunter and Echo (both voiced by Dee Bradley Baker, as are all the members of Clone Force 99) discuss what they’re going to do with her when Tech announces they’re coming up on the planet Saleucami. The ship lands, and Omega is fascinated by the fresh air around her and dirt beneath her. The team walks until they come across a booby trap made of recycled Trade Federation battle droids, which takes Wrecker by surprise. They’re approached by the married couple Suu Lawquane (Cara Pifko) and Republic army deserter clone Cut (also Baker), who both recognize the squad as having visited previously.
Cut and Suu are introduced to Echo and Omega, who they had not met before, and ask where Crosshair is. “It’s complicated,” responds Hunter. Cut says Captain Rex told him about the clone troopers turning against the Jedi, adding that he had passed through the day prior. Omega delivers more exposition about the clones’ inhibitor chips used to modify their behavior and makes fast friends with the Lawquane’s children Shaeeah and Jek (Nika Futterman and Kath Soucie) while Hunter watches over her. Hunter tells Cut that Omega is a defective clone like the Bad Batch, but Cut says the Kaminoans don’t create without a purpose and asks what hers is. “Battling droids was easy compared to raising a child,” says Cut. He tells Hunter that Saleucami isn’t safe anymore and that Rex warned him a storm was coming. Cut plans on heading into town to book a transport off-world, but Hunter offers to take them wherever they need to go.
Cut says it’s too risky for his family to travel with wanted men, as Hunter considers what’s best for Omega’s safety. In town, Hunter and Cut discover “reg” clone troopers securing a post, and Cut comments that it doesn’t feel as though the war is over– apparently the Empire starting seizing all local spaceships and tagging them inside an impound lot. Cut finds a merchant and tries to book passage on the next shuttle, but the alien says his credits aren’t worth anything without a chain code, according to a new galactic policy. They watch a holo-transmission of Vice Admiral Rampart (Noshir Dalal) explaining that citizens must now exchange their currency for Imperial credits, but only after receiving a chain code. “With peace comes opportunity and prosperity for all.” Cut and Hunter watch a Snivvian prevented from boarding a transport because he doesn’t have a chain code, much to their dismay.
“Getting off-planet’s gonna be harder than I thought,” says Cut, while back at his farm the three children play. Omega ventures past the perimeter fence to retrieve the ball and is stalked by a nexu, so the clones as Suu come to the rescue. Hunter berates Omega until Cut reminds him “she’s not a soldier.” Cut consoles Omega while Hunter asks Tech if he can forge chain codes. “I only learned of them moments ago, but yes.” While Omega cries in the Havoc Marauder and looks wistfully at her jewelry, Hunter, Suu, and Cut discuss parenting and Hunter asks them if they’ll take Omega with them when they leave the planet. “You two can give her something that we can’t.” Tech comes up with a plan to tap into the spaceport’s network to replicate the chain codes after voluntarily having the Empire seize their ship, but Hunter is upset to find out that they enact this plan without asking him first.
Tech and Echo are surprised to find Omega still on the ship as they’re towed away. “So much for simple,” says Echo. At the spaceport, clone troopers clamp down the Havoc Marauder, and Echo starts sneaking around. He collects disks from a control center and brings them back to Tech, who begins the process of decrypting them. The rest of the clones arrive with Cut’s family and attempt to avoid detection by the Imperial troops. Back at the ship, Omega swipes the disks and runs off to bring them to the others as Echo tries to remove the clamp. Tech stuns a snooping clone trooper and a skirmish begins to break out as Omega runs into a black astromech droid, who squeals to alert the troops to her presence until Wrecker enters and knocks it out. He sends Omega to the dock and takes out some more regs.
At the shuttle, Cut is starting to panic when Omega shows up with the disks. Hunter breaks the news to Omega that she’s going with Cut’s family. “They’re good people. They’ll give you the life you deserve.” Omega begrudgingly accepts her fate while Cut submits the disks to the trooper in charge, who scans them to his satisfaction. Tech calls Hunter on his comlink and says they need to leave right away, so he runs for the ship as Omega watches him go. Clone Force 99 battles more troopers, but Echo is having trouble removing the clamp from the Havoc Marauder. Wrecker steps in and removes the boot with brute force, and the team boards the ship. Before they’re fully up the ramp, Omega emerges from the chaos and yells, “Wait for me!” At the shuttle, Cut is seemingly recognized by one of the troopers, but he’s called away before he can confront him and the shuttle successfully takes off.
The Havoc Marauder does the same, and in space Wrecker uses a Gonk droid for weight-lifting exercise. Omega apologizes to Hunter but says he doesn’t have to get rid of her. “I left Kamino with you. This is where I wanna be.” Hunter admits he has a lot to learn as well. “If this is where you want to be, then this is where you’ll stay.”
New episodes of Star Wars: The Bad Batch are released Fridays, exclusively on Disney+.