Bad Batch Season 3 Episode 4 Review

We return to a familiar formula for this episode. Our Heroes go to a strange place. They get in trouble. They have to escape. There is some sort of MacGuffin to retrieve. They make a daring escape. In this case the MacGuffin was 30,000 credits needed to get off world, while the daring escape came with a twist; instead of bribing the station master with said MacGuffin, Omega and Crosshair steal an Imperial cargo vessel.

The Good: Despite the predictable plot arc, there were big positives. The first big takeaway was the connection between Omega and Crosshair. These are two very different characters, but there is a strong connection between them. Omega cares about Crosshair; since the series started she has wanted to save him from himself. In a more subtle way, Crosshair in his own unwitting way of caring, feels the same way about Omega. That’s kind of what happened in the episode; they had to save each other from themselves.

One of the strongest parts of the series remains the world building. They land on this harsh planet with mountains that look like fangs, almost like over the millions of years there’s been a harsh, cold wind blowing in the same direction that has swept the rocks  into the jagged terrain we see. Tucked in a valley is a backwater town run by a corrupt Imperial captain who is taking a cut of all the action in town. The stormtroopers are not entirely in uniform, throwing random cloaks and blankets over their armor to keep warm. The culture seems to be a cross between the wild west and the middle east. This attention to detail gives us an interesting look into this time period, where the Empire is trying to establish its foothold in the galaxy.

The Bad: Some of the plot moments were too forced (no pun intended). For example, they fall out of hyperspace right in front of a habitable, populated planet. Throughout the void of galactic space, the chances of that happening are infinitesimal. Obviously, hyperspace lanes do run by planets, but that coincidence was not at all explained.

Kind of ridiculous that there’s a one button command to open up every single crate in the creature loading dock. Why would that be needed?

The Ugly:

The uniforms were goofy. What was that big metal ring Crosshair was wearing around his chin and the back of his skull? But at least Omega’s high m-count led her to another wide brimmed helmet.  

The reunion between Omega, Crosshair, Hunter and Wrecker. The cinematography for this moment is a cheesily obvious metaphor, as to represent the emotional distance that will need to be bridged to get the crew back together, there’s this wide space between Crosshair and the others as he disembarks his ship. Still “comfort metaphors” are a big part of Star Wars. If we wanted to grind our brains on solving complex, creative, metaphorical puzzles, we would go to an art museum.

We wonder how this gap is going to be bridged. If Tech was there, it would be a lot easier to bridge that gap, as he understood Crosshair’s nature and was not prone to emotional distraction. Of course, Omega will never leave anyone behind; so, she will simply not accept Crosshair being rejected. But obviously it will take a lot of time.