The Bad Batch Ties This Season's Threads Together, Setting The Stage For The Final Showdown

Spoilers for "The Bad Batch" Season 2 Episode 14 – "Tipping Point" follow.

As the Bad Batch (Dee Bradley Baker) continues to hide out on Pabu — both from the Empire and from Cid (Rhea Perlman) — the rest of the galaxy moves on. This episode begins with a number of arrested clones, including one named Howzer, being transported by the Empire to parts unknown. Captain Rex, Echo, and their crew of renegade clones have a different idea and liberate them by force. In the process, they get a fragment of data from the ship's computer that could lead them in the right direction, but they need someone incredibly talented to decode the information, so Echo makes arrangements to meet with Tech and the rest of the Bad Batch on Pabu.

Meanwhile, at the Imperial Advanced Science Division facility at Mount Tantiss, Dr. Royce Hemlock (Jimmi Simpson) begins torturing Crosshair, hoping to get information out of him that might lead to the capture of Omega. Crosshair isn't talking, though, and he makes a bid to escape. Unfortunately, the torture has made him weak and he can't effect a proper getawa. He's captured after getting a fragment of a message out to his old brothers, but then he's taken back into custody and the cycle starts all over again.

Back on Pabu, Tech is able to get some of the data retrieved and discovers quite a lot about the Advanced Science Division, but not why they're abducting clones are where they're located.

This episode starts to bring all of the threads of the season together, as we head into next week's two-part finale.

The captured clone that Rex and Echo intend to rescue is named Howzer, and it's not the first time we've seen him on "The Bad Batch." He appeared in the first season as one of the Clones in charge of the Empire's response to Ryloth. Even then, he was already questioning orders and acting skeptical of the Empire. Eventually, he turned against Crosshair and his troops, giving an opening for the Bad Batch to win the day on Ryloth. He was promptly arrested and it seems like this might be his final removal from a facility on Balmorra to Mount Tantiss.

It makes a lot of sense that these disgruntled clones that are turning against the Empire would be perfect fodder for the experiments of the Advanced Science Division of the Empire. Thankfully, Rex, Echo, Gregor, and others were on hand to rescue them from the clutches of the Empire, which is becoming more ruthless by the day. In fact, we even learn that Dr. Royce Hemlock, the man doing something to reeducate these clones was kicked out of the Republic science division for being too extreme.

There were a few things in this episode that tied back to things we talked about in previous episodes. Senator Chuchi made another appearance — the first since the mid-season two-part episode. She first appeared on "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" and now appears to be financing (or at least supporting) Captain Rex's mission to rescue the mistreated Clones scattered across the galaxy.

Another is Governor Tarkin, known best for his role in "A New Hope," coming back to the show, albeit briefly. Tarkin seems to be the chief architect pulling the strings to ensure that the Clones are no longer a part of the Imperial military and are replaced by much cheaper conscripts and he doubles down on that in this episode.

A planet that got name-dropped — the site of the rescue mission that kicked the episode off — was Balmorra. It's been mentioned here and there in the current canon, although it had a lot of backstory in the Legends of "Star Wars." It was a factory world out in the Colonies region of the galaxy. In a tie-in book, Maz Kanata noted that it was home to an outlaw garage. In the old canon, it featured prominently in everything from the "Knights of the Old Republic" all the way to the "Fate of the Jedi" series at the end of the Legends timeline.

It's interesting to see how Kevin Kiner and his team are working to make this show feel like "Star Wars", but still far enough from the classic themes of the original movies to make it feel like we're still marching in that direction but we aren't there yet. This felt particularly up front with hints of the Imperial themes used at the beginning of the episode, giving you a subtle hint of the future.

My favorite nod in this episode to other aspects of "Star Wars" comes in the form of Omega's training as a pilot. There's a moment when Tech is training her and tells her to go into a dive, but she gets a bit gleeful as Tech chides her to pull up. It felt very much like that moment on Coruscant with Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi in "Attack of the Clones".

Little nods like this are perfect reminders that the makers of these shows are fans of "Star Wars" and keep all of this continuity consistent in order to give us the most exciting experience possible.

One thing I can say about "The Bad Batch" is that this show is becoming more and more brutal. This is not the first time we've seen an officer or other devoted Imperial die via tooth explosives in order to keep their secrets safe. The common denominator is that they've all been working to keep the secrets of the Advanced Science Division secret. What is it they're hiding with such zeal?

We have a guess, as we look far to the future, and where the cloning programs eventually took us in "The Rise of Skywalker," but it's almost too early for characters outside of those working on it to know about it.

The thing I liked about this episode, though, is that it started to thread all of the disparate storylines we've seen this season into one common thread and leaves us with a lot of questions.

Will the Bad Batch leave Pabu in search of the Imperials that are hunting clones? Or will the Advanced Science Division, on the hunt for Omega, arrive on Pabu in order to confront them? Will both sides be ships passing in the night and each loses something as they make those moves at the same time?

This is good "Star Wars" and it's tying into the broader universe with high stakes. It feels like understanding this storyline with the Advanced Science Division will be as vital as having watched "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" when you watch all of the live-action material. I would be shocked if this doesn't have at least some tie to future live-action storytelling.

But even if it doesn't, it's great "Star Wars" all on its own. Between this and today's episode of "The Mandalorian" it feels like "Star Wars" fans are spoiled. 

And I'm here for it.

The season finale of "The Bad Batch" airs on Wednesday March 29, 2023 on Disney+.