Hunter is healed and has a new uniform. He blends in with the elite stormtroopers. They are on Ryloth to help overlook the shift on Ryloth as the Empire takes control of the planet and its people. Clone Captain Ballast is making his appearance; he had gained some popularity after being revealed as one of the clones in The Vintage Collection Bad Batch three-pack. It appears that he fought alongside General Syndulla in the Clone Wars.
He was a fearless leader that everyone on the planet respected. He had defended Ryloth against the CIS, and in his speech, he used that, and the fact that the clones had helped save Ryloth in comforting the people in the shift. Although General Syndulla believes he can still trust the clones, he is gravely mistaken.
Chopper and Hera
Two of the heroes from the beloved cartoon Rebels have made an appearance in this episode. Hera Syndulla is from Ryloth, and it appeared that she was spying on what is going on. The Empire is taking the Twi’lek’s weapons away. They are forcing them to turn over any sort of means for an uprising, and it shows how terrifying that can be. The overbearing government is taking away its weapons to solidify its control over the people.
The Ryloth government is split. Half of them are willing to work with the Empire, while the other half don’t trust a single thing they do. The senator has shown that he only cares about himself. Those who are skeptical should be. The clones shouldn’t be there post-war, and as we see, more are arriving each day. There is a real threat to Ryloth.
A Seed Planted
Hera, as we know her in Rebels, is a fantastic pilot. She flies the Ghost and takes the crew wherever they need to go, evading tie fighters and pirates along the way. The Hera we are getting to know in The Bad Batch hasn’t even flown a ship yet. The supply run that Glie takes Hera is her first time flying a ship. It is interesting to see that Glie has such an influence on Hera.
The supply run is getting what the Twi’leks desperately need, weapons. The best part? The Bad Batch is running the weapons to them. Now, this was hilarious. I am so glad that this is how the team meets the Ryloth freedom fighters. And to top it off, the interaction between Hera and Omega was just as funny as watching Wrecker unload the weapons off the ship.
“No Funny Business”
Omega and Hera will hopefully become friends as this show develops because that was a great addition to this episode. Tech’s rule for Omega to start flying was perfect, too. It is exactly what Tech would do. Hera’s insight on flying and the “feeling” was great because it shows her natural ability to fly.
As seen in Rebels, Hera can fly better than just about anyone in the Resistance.
Omega was very excited to show her around the ship. Omega and Hera come from serious worlds. Omega is wanted by the Kaminoans, and Hera belongs to a political family. Their meeting and becoming friends was probably a nice relief for both of them. Their meeting allowed them to be kids and just be excited about the ship and making a new friend.
It’s Treason Then
Hera and Glie were caught smuggling weapons back on the planet. Senator Taa is a bit psychotic and won’t allow Syndulla to get away with this. He saw an opportunity to ruin the Syndulla name and remove them out of the public’s favor. The scariest part about all of this is Hera doesn’t even receive a trial before she is found guilty of treason.
The Empire is taking absolute control over everything, and the people’s freedom and rights have been taken away from them. The general and his wife went to save their daughter, Hera, from the clutches of the Empire. They had bravely stormed the Empire’s convoy and freed Hera. Unfortunately, the Empire is two steps ahead, and although Hera escaped, they were able to charge the General and his wife with attempting to assassinate Senator Orn Free Taa.
Hera’s Influence
To see what happened to Hera’s parents helps us understand why she had so much fire in her when fighting the Empire. Her planet was stolen from her at a young age, and it has made an impact on her. As she barely escaped the clutches of the Empire, we can only hope that her parents will be spared.
The Bad Batch is showing us another planet that has fallen to the Empire’s control. The narrative of the story will follow the Empire as it rises and seizes control, so we may have to get used to watching the ones who want freedom fall victim to the Empire’s grasp.
The good news is that we get to see the Rebellion begin. It will be an inspiring thing to see the galaxy rise together and prepare to fight the Empire. As the Empire’s grasp tightens on the galaxy more planets and populations will begin to slip out.
Hopefully, we will see a shift in Captain Ballast. He was weary of the things the Empire was doing, and he tried his best to stay loyal to his friends on Ryloth. It seemed as though the chip was affecting him too much or even at all.
Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed the breakdown and review, and please check out the YouTube channel to help the Sandcrawler reach one thousand subscribers!
Oh, and remember, utinni.
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