‘Star Wars: The Bad Batch’ Season 2 Episode 11–What We Noticed
This week The Bad Batch focuses a little more on the rising Empire with an appearance from a creature we haven’t seen since The Clone Wars.
This may have been my favorite Bad Batch episode of the season. It finally feels like they’re moving in a direction and focusing on episodes that will push an overarching plot forward. And one of the things about this episode that worked so well was how it made reference to the bigger galaxy.
We know that the Batch are having their own adventures and missions, but while that’s happening the Empire is rising to power. So when we take a few moments to return to that and the real stakes that the Batch are up against, it helps the whole thing feel focused. And of course, with a more outward eye, there are easily more Easter eggs and references. Here’s what we noticed in this week’s episode of The Bad Batch.
As always, in order to break down everything we saw, we will have to spoil large portions of this week’s episode. If you haven’t watched yet, proceed at your own risk.
Nala Se
We meet up with Nala Se early on in this episode. She is in Imperial custody and refusing to help them “continue her work” in this new setting. She tells Dr. Royce Hemlock that she’s feeling ‘unmotivated after the destruction of her civilization,’ but really it’s more likely that Nala Se suspects what the Emperor wants and why and wants no part of this.
Imperial Cloning Projects
Cloning within the Empire is a long-standing tradition, going back to Legends and continuing through the sequel trilogy. In Legends, Palpatine had numerous clones just in case, and he seems to have at least a few semi-successful clones in the future. Even Grogu seemed to have escaped from some sort of Imperial science facility where cloning was largely being experimented with. It’s hard to say exactly what work they want Nala Se to have a hand in, but considering the inclusion of the Zillo Beast, it can’t be good.
Zillo Beast
The Batch are sent to an abandoned ship by Cid and when they get there they don’t find lootable goods as much as a horror movie set. In a sequence that felt right out of Alien, the crew splits up and checks the ship. Only to be attacked by a Zillo Beast. It starts out small but quickly finds electrical sources to feed on and grows and morphs into larger and scarier versions of itself. Which again, is right out of Alien.
We’ve seen a Zillo Beast before on Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and know how tough they can be. Their nearly indestructible hide is even impervious to lightsabers. And if this is what Nala Se was meant to use her cloning expertise on, it’s fair to assume that Palpatine is looking for even more super soldiers.
The Villagers
Despite a valiant effort, the Batch isn’t able to subdue the Zillo Beast and after it attacks a local village, it is neutralized and captured by Imperial forces. And once the Zillo Beast is taken care of, all of the villagers who may have seen it are arrested.
It’s a really bleak scene that drives home the evil of the Empire, but also the secrecy of this particular project. And considering other secret Imperial projects are including the Death Star, it’s safe to assume this one also has the potential to be very bad news. Luckily the Batch go undetected and plan to send the information they’ve collected to Echo and Rex.
What did you notice in this episode of The Bad Batch? Which episode has been your favorite so far? What do you think the Emporer wants with the Zillo Beast? Let us know in the comments!
May The Force Be With You, Adventurers!
