REVIEW: ‘Star Wars: The Bad Batch,’ Episode 12-“Rescue on Ryloth”

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 12 acts as the second half of an action-packed story that pushes the titular team further into the conflict brewing across the galaxy. “Rescue on Ryloth” picks up immediately after the end of “Devil’s Deal,” with the Batch (Dee Bradley Baker) and Omega (Michelle Ang) being contacted by Hera (Vanessa Marshall). Hera seeks the Batch’s help in liberating her parents from Imperial prison, which garners the attention of Crosshair.

Series showrunner Jennifer Corbett pens the episode, which finally sees the Batch making a choice to stand against the Empire. While they have fought Imperial forces before in previous episodes, this conflict feels different due to the Batch’s differing views on the conflict. Hunter is only concerned with keeping the Batch alive via mercenary work, but Omega is adamant that they should help Hera, saying she’d rescue him if he was in trouble. While I liked that there was some conflict, it would have made better sense if it was another member of the Batch arguing with Omega-particularly Tech, whose hyper-analytical nature would fit that mindset better. Hunter’s attempts to stay out of others’ business, especially when he raced to rescue Omega after she was kidnapped by Cad Bane, feels a little hypocritical.

A better ideological conflict is presented between Clone Captain Howzer, who comes into conflict over Imperial Vice Admiral Rampart over how to deal with the population of Ryloth following the Syndullas’ arrest. Howzer grows visibly uncomfortable over the methods Rampart deploys to track down Hera, which includes imprisoning innocent civilians, and his not-so-subtle hints about killing her. The idea of clones fighting back against their initial programming has been explored in The Bad Batch and its predecessor Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Howzer’s defiance of orders show that he is more than willing to defy orders. I wouldn’t mind seeing him in future episodes, or even joining the Batch for a potential Season 2. Howzer’s actions also serve as a contrast to Crosshair, whose dedication to the Empire seems rather unwavering.

Perhaps the best emotional moment comes from Hera and Omega’s interactions, as the two wind up stealing a shuttle in order to disable the Imperial prison’s cannons. Both Marshall and Ang have a great rapport with each other, as Hera is desperate to rescue her parents and Omega says she has a similar bond with the Batch. As any good writer would tell you, a great way to build character dynamics is to give two or more characters a common goal or desire and Corbett finds that in the bonds that Hera and Omega have with their respective families. Also seeing Hera struggle to pilot an Imperial shuttle is a reminder that she’s yet to grow into the fearless pilot and leader audiences see in Star Wars Rebels.

Director Nathaniel Villanueva delivers plenty of action as well as emotional moments, evenly distributing the big beats among characters. While Hera and Omega hijack the shuttle, Hunter and Echo infiltrate the prison to rescue the Syndullas while Tech and Wrecker provide covering fire. Even though the Batch is used to more unorthodox methods by now, they still manage to work together and achieve their goals; it’s a form of controlled chaos and it works especially well with these characters.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 12 is an action-packed episode that solidifies the Batch’s role in fighting the Empire, and sets the stage for the final block of episodes. With Crosshair on their tail, I have no doubt that Season 1 will end on an emotionally charged note.

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