Skip to main content

THE BAD BATCH SEASON 1 FINALE: KAMINO LOST RECAP

"They escaped."

That's the cynic's version of recapping what happened in Friday's Season 1 finale of Star Wars: The Bad Batch. And, well, it's not a meritless summary. But as there typically is with Star Wars, the cynic's point of view often ignores subtle nuance that gives the story and characters the guts required to resonate with an audience.

The season's penultimate episode, airing last week, left our heroes running for their lives as Imperial Star Destroyers were brutally laying waste to Kamino's Tipoca City, birthplace of all Clonetroopers over the past 13 years.

Omega, the helpful hovering droid AZ-3 and all five original members of the batch escape one perilous situation only to get into a worse one as Tipoca City crumbles under the Empire's orbital bombardment. They eventually find temporary relief in the lab they were created in. They climb into tall cylinder tubes in hopes they can bob up to the planet's watery surface. 

Much of the sequences showing the destruction of the city reminded me of Titanic. Even the sounds of the sinking city structures sounded very similar to me of the broken ship, dying in agony in that 1997 film.

Throughout their escape from their home, Crosshair notably lags behind the rest of the group in their pace of movement. He's clearly reluctant but also conflicted about joining his comrades. It almost felt to me like he'd rather die at times. But he plays catch up with them. He and Omega take turns rescuing the other from near-certain death - Crosshair in a sealed room and Omega from near drowning trying to save AZ on their way to the surface.

On the hidden Kamino platform, housing the group's ship and only means of escape, Hunter and Crosshair have another pivotal conversation. Hunter still wants Crosshair to rejoin the group while Crosshair is clearly still bitter over being left behind back in the season's second episode. "To the Empire, you'll never be anything but a number," Hunter declares to Crosshair. Crosshair believes he has a future with the Empire. We're left with the powerful image of the Havoc Marauder taking off with Crosshair standing on the hidden platform, literally the last clone standing on Kamino, now a deserted planet.

The episode concludes with Nala Se, the Kaminoan medical specialist, being escorted into an Imperial base embedded within a mountain. Clone Commandos (think Delta squad) escort the reluctant Kaminoan onto a platform where they are greeted by an Imperial scientist dressed very similar to Doctor Parshing from The Mandalorian. That doctor states the Empire has big plans for the Kaminoan scientist.

A popular take on this episode is that it might have been better served acting as the second part of one big episode rather than its own, and I tend to agree. We opened the season with an incredible 72-minute episode that saw the absolute end to The Clone Wars as we begin to follow the story of these men without a country. I would have loved to see the bookend to that be a 55-minute classic that featured death-defying chases, escapes, deep character examinations and reunions, with uncertain futures facing our heroes. 

Early next week I will write up a full season summary of The Bad Batch where I will go a bit deeper on the overall themes and character movements from the newest entry by the Lucasfilm Animation Department. Kamino Lost ends on a tense and uncertain note, but effectively paves the way for a much-anticipated second season.

Brad Monastiere
I live in Michigan and have been an unconditional fan of Star Wars and Indiana Jones for decades. Follow me on twitter @bmonastiere

The Bearded Trio - The Site For Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, John Williams and a whole lot more.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Did Paul Freeman Accidentally Eat A Fly In Raiders of the Lost Ark?

The Famous Indiana Jones Fly In Belloq's Mouth Scene.  Did It Really Happen? I've always wondered if Paul Freeman unintentionally consumed a fly in this scene in  Raiders of the Lost Ark ?  It's the scene where Indiana Jones shouts down to Bellosh...I mean Belloq and threatens to blow up the ark.  Did a fly go in his mouth? I remember watching this scene back in the early eighties and my ten year old mind thought he definitely had a snack while filming.  I recall talking about 'flygate' in my school playground at the time and the general consensus with my friends was that Freeman definitely had a sneaky snack. Paul Freeman talks about the famous 'fly' scene in an interview with TheIndyExperience.com  and settled 'flygate:' This is a bit of a dicey question so don’t get too upset. (Laughs) A movie’s always got bloopers in it, some have a lot, and some only have three or four. And the most remarkable blooper was right before the opening of th

Star Wars VII Movie Poster - Every End Is A New Beginning

Star Wars VII Movie Poster Just saw this Star Wars VII movie poster on Kyle Newman's Facebook fee d.  The poster is by  Lyndon Berresford and Paul Bateman.  I am loving this.  Who do you think the two characters are?  Lando and Leia?  Han and Leia's children? Have you seen other Star Wars VII movie posters?  Let me know. Rob Wainfur @welshslider

Explaining That "Weird" Cut In Poltergeist. Read The Missing Scene

Why Is There A Strange Cut In The 1982 Horror Classic, Poltergeist? If you're a fan of the 1982 Horror classic, Poltergeist then you will be very familiar with that "weird" cut in the movie.  It's 32 minutes and 47 seconds in to the movie and the scene is where Diane is explaining the strange phenomenon that is happening in the kitchen.  First, she shows to Steve a chair scraping across the floor all on its own then she does the same with Carol Anne.  Steve leans up against the kitchen wall and is completely shocked at what just happened.  It's at this point Diane starts to explain the sensation of being pulled and then...A very abrupt cut.  One moment we are listening to Diane and suddenly it cuts to Diane and Steve at their next door neighbours door.  Why the sudden cut?  It's on the VHS, DVD, Blu-Ray and even the streaming versions.  Why does this awful and weird cut exist in the movie, Poltergeist?  Watch the clip below to see the cut: Well, the ans