REVIEW: ‘Star Wars: The Bad Batch,’ Episode 11 – “Devil’s Deal”

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 11 was a welcome surprise this week, as it features strong connections and even characters from another Star Wars animated series. “Devil’s Deal” takes place on the planet of Ryloth, where the Empire has taken up military occupation. At the urging of Vice Admiral Rampart, Cham Syndulla (Robin Atkin Downes) urges the population to surrender their weapons. This doesn’t sit well with Gobie Glie (Corey Burton), who decides to smuggle weapons onto the planet to battle Imperial forces. However, this ends up drawing the attention of Crosshair and his squadron—and putting Cham’s daughter Hera (Vanessa Marshall) in danger.

The Syndulla family has played a role in various Star Wars animated series, with Hera being a major character in Star Wars Rebels and Cham appearing in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. And even though Hera’s fellow Rebel and love interest Kanan Jarrus briefly appeared in “Aftermath” this marks the first major appearance from a Rebels character-two if you count Hera’s trusty droid Chopper. Writer Tamara Becher-Wilkinson, who’s worked on other genre shows including Daredevil and Doom Patrol, slowly builds up tension between Ryloth’s inhabitants and the Empire, which builds to a fever pitch when Hera is arrested for treason.

This leads to the episode’s major action sequence, where Cham and his fellow Twilek warriors ambush the convoy where Hera is being held. Director Steward Lee showcases the various elements of the ambush, with one Twilek slicing into the transport’s systems while others act as snipers and pick off the Stormtrooper escort. Cham himself wields a spearlike weapon with deadly efficiency, even nailing an incoming stormtrooper from a mile away. Cham’s martial prowess isn’t the only weapon he wields though—he is able to convince Ryloth’s population to give up its weaponry and continuously tries to work with the Empire until Hera is captured. Even though Rebels shows that Hera and her father are estranged, fans can see that a strong sense of justice runs in the family.

Hera herself is still fairly young at this point, but she still possesses the character traits that made her a fan favorite character-including a love of flying. Marshall slips back into the role with ease, this time adopting the accent that most of Ryloth’s citizens use. She also shows off a genuine sense of fear whenever she’s approached by Stormtroopers; it’s a reminder that this Hera is far from the seasoned pilot and Rebel fighter we all know and love. And when the Batch arrives to deliver a crate of weapons to Glie, Hera and Omega (Michelle Ang) immediately hit it off, with Omega even showing Hera around the Batch’s shuttle. Granted, nearly everyone Omega meets takes a shine to her but this meeting resonates even more since both girls often find themselves in dangerous situations. And work their way around said situations.

The Batch themselves only appear in one scene but unlike previous episodes, it actually didn’t bother me that much. The episode is showcasing that the Empire’s shadow is continuing to grow over the galaxy, and the Batch has already had discussions about whether or not to join the growing rebellion. Sooner or later that choice will be made, and it looks like the situation on Ryloth along with the lingering emotional scars from Crosshair’s defection to the Empire will serve as a tipping point.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 11 shifts the focus to a major character from Star Wars Rebels, and hints at the eventual birth of the Rebel Alliance. Fans of Rebels will definitely enjoy it, as it looks to explore the story that made Hera Syndulla the woman she is.

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