Review: Star Wars: The Bad Batch “Rampage”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

On the run from the bounty hunter who’s hot on their trail, the Bad Batch heads to Ord Mantell to try and meet up with an informant named Cid who previously worked with the Jedi. With a little assistance from Omega, they find Cid and she agrees to supply them with information — if they complete a job for her.

They wind up having to rescue a young rancor from Zygerrian slavers, but it’s not as easy as they expect. The team is quickly captured by the slavers, and it’s up to Omega to save them. She unleashes the rancor from its cage and creates the distraction necessary for the team to escape. Later on, the Bad Batch is paid for their mission with intel and credits, and Cid offers them more work.

Our Take:

We may be well past the initial intrigue and action from the first few weeks, but Rampage feels like a definite improvement from the past several weeks of episodes. It introduces a few new characters along with bringing back some familiar faces. It gives the gang an interesting task with a few twists. And most of all, it provides Omega with another chance to show her stuff.

By now it feels like the show has settled into a planet of the week type format, and that’s fine with me. The previous few animated Star Wars properties usually stuck to a main home base, so it’s neat to get to visit new worlds every episode. This time, Ord Mantell is the one of choice. It’s sparse and dusty and filled with ne’er-do-wells, which makes it perfect for the Bad Batch since they’re perpetually on the run.

Cid is an intriguing new character with a tough exterior that hides a softer side underneath. She’s always helped the Jedi, but now that they’re gone she’s looking for new friends, and the Bad Batch might just fit the ticket to a tee. It’s a little silly how Cid doesn’t tell the clones that the victim they’re after is a rancor. It’s almost like she didn’t want them to succeed, which isn’t true since we see Jabba’s people are pressing her for the creature ASAP. There’s really no good in-universe explanation for this. It’s also a little suspect how quickly Cid ‘fessed up to being the informant. If I was previously affiliated with the Jedi, and a gang of clones showed up at my door, I’d be a whole lot less friendly.

Luckily, Omega seems to identity the woman’s true identity super speedily, and that’s not the only thing she does this episode. Whereas in the past she usually causes the trouble by disobeying orders, this time she’s the one who ends up helping to save the day. There’s a fine line between adorable and annoying, and this episode definitely helps push Omega into the first camp, which is good. Her having fun with the comm link was sweet as heck, as well as modifying her doll to be a member of the Bad Batch.

Rampage was a step up from the last few weeks. It didn’t get around to introducing Omega’s special skills or why Fennec is after her specifically, but it did present an exciting challenge that still made time for character development, especially with Cid and Omega. I’m anxious to find out more about who Fennec is working for, plus Wrecker’s head is getting more screen time than practically anyone else these days, so that’s gonna come up sooner rather than later, too. As we move forward, hopefully the show can keep up this pace and quality as we get more answers.