REVIEW: ‘Star Wars: The Bad Batch,’ Episode 6 – “Decommissioned”

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 6 features the return of another pair of characters from Star Wars: The Clone Wars, as the Bad Batch goes on their next mission. “Decommissioned” sees the Batch once again being hired by Cid (Rhea Perlman) to retrieve a tactical droid, which the Separatists used during the Clone Wars. However, they are beaten to the punch by Trace and Rafa Martez-who first appeared in the final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Meanwhile, Omega trains with her new weapon, and Wrecker’s mysterious condition takes a turn for the worse.

In the same vein as Fennec Shand’s appearance in “Cornered,” Trace and Rafa’s appearance both calls back to a previous Star Wars project and inches the narrative a little further. The sisters are revealed to be working for a mysterious figure who wants the droid, and they also reveal the existence of the Batch to said figure. Their status post-Clone Wars is also revealed: they are working against the Empire, which raises the question about the Batch’s allegiances. “In the end, we all choose sides,” Trace says toward the end of the episode, and with the Empire tightening its grip on the galaxy that statement couldn’t be more on point.

However, the introduction of a new plot element comes out of left field. The series is already juggling enough plot with Crosshair’s defection to the Empire, Wrecker’s malfunctioning inhibitor chip, and the mystery behind Omega’s connection. Introducing ANOTHER mysterious figure-especially when the mystery behind who hired Shand to find Omega remains unresolved-feels like stacking increasingly heavy things on top of a tower of Jenga blocks. There should always be enough plot threads in a series to keep it going throughout the season without overwhelming the series or more importantly, the audience. This might be due to the series having a larger episode order than most Star Wars projects under Disney+; The Bad Batch hasn’t even hit its halfway point yet.

That being said, the fact that Wrecker’s inhibitor chip is slowly malfunctioning is a sense of worry. Wrecker has endeared himself as the gruff yet lovable member of the Batch and it’s clear that Crosshair’s defection is still affecting them. The idea of losing another member would be immensely tragic, to put it mildly. I also like that this plot point has been touched upon in every episode, making it a perfectly executed slow burn. It also raises the question of whether the other clones will undergo the same trial.

Despite this new narrative wrinkle, the episode remains a great source of action. The Batch have settled into their new role as mercenaries and even adapt to their mission going south by teaming up with the Martez sisters. An action sequence also features the return of multiple battle droids, once again voiced by Matthew Wood. Wood’s performance as the droids is a key source of humor, especially when one of the droids asks “Did we win?” The MVP of the episode is Omega, who quickly learns how to use the new energy bow that she picked up in “Rampage.” Not only does this weapon provide a contrast to the blasters and other weapons that the rest of the Batch uses, but it also serves as a way for Omega to learn how to operate in combat. And since it would be boring if Omega was stuck on the ship all the time, this is a welcome development.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 6 reintroduces a pair of characters from The Clone Wars and throws a few new narrative wrinkles into the mix. Though I wouldn’t call it my favorite episode of the series, it manages to be a solid action-adventure that continues to make use of its ties to the Star Wars universe.

New episodes of Star Wars: The Bad Batch will be available to stream Fridays on Disney+.