Review: Star Wars The Bad Batch “Reunion”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

The Batch find themselves cornered by Crosshair, whom the Empire sends to eliminate them. Lama Su hires a second bounty hunter to retrieve Omega.

Our Take:

Reunions are a great way to get back together with our old friends. This reunion, however, is anything but superb. After getting their inhibitor chips off their skulls, the Batch immediately winds up in even more hot water while attempting to escape the planet. In last week’s episode, the Scrapper Guild informs the Empire that they’re in Bracca. After receiving word of their location, the Empire sent Crosshair and his team to kill them rather than bring them back alive.

The episode featured another encounter between the Batch and their former member, who is still under the influence of the chip, which we haven’t seen since the series premiere. While the fight between them was very brief, their escape from Crosshair’s team had enough tension to make this chapter another enjoyable treat. Not only that, but it also continued to provide some decent comedy from Wrecker, who’s easily satisfied with the cruiser’s proton torpedoes.  

However, it’s a bit of a step down from last week’s episode because of its constant guest-of-the-week formula. Yes, the show is still bringing in some familiar Star Wars characters to fill our nostalgic heads. It’s still a joy to see some memorable characters encounter the Bad Batch, but after the last two episodes, it can become tiresome for viewers who want to see more original characters take the spotlight. This week’s guest star is none other than notorious bounty hunter Cad Bane (voiced by Corey Burton), who was hired by Lama Su from the Empire to bring Omega back.  

Cad Bane proved to be one of the more formidable foes in the Star Wars saga regarding his cunning personality, most notably in The Clone Wars. His appearance here is no different. He only appears near the end of the episode, but his successful attempt in capturing Omega and Burton’s performance makes his small role a pleasant surprise for Clone Wars fans. Although, it would be even nicer if the bounty hunter is an original character created exclusively for the show. They only have eight episodes left to figure this issue out, so they got plenty of time.

Overall, the “Reunion” episode wasn’t as fun or endearing as our regular reunions, but that doesn’t mean it’s also not entertaining. The guest-of-the-week formula still proved to be a thorn on the show’s foot, but its engaging plot and cliffhanger ending helped it shoot its way past this predicament. It’s another suitable chapter that sees the Batch going from one problem to another as they lost another member to the Empire in the form of Omega.