Episodes 7 and 8 of Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 2 finally advanced the Clone Force 99’s main quest, fighting against the Empire. It resulted in a solid midseason that leaves the doors open for a more entertaining second part of the season.
What Happened in the Bad Batch Season 2 Midseason Finale
“The Clone Conspiracy” and “Truth and Consequences” are a delightful two-part political thriller that follows the Clones’ fate and place in the Empire in the wake of Order 66. Emperor Palpatine, who was part of the midseason finale, attempted to get rid of all the Clones involved in the Great Jedi Purge by all means. After Vice-Admiral Rampart failed to convince the Senate to pass the bill that would replace the Clones with conscripted soldiers, Palpatine took the matter into his own hands, helped by the unaware Senator Riyo Chuchi. Once more, the Clone Force 99 joined forces with Captain Rex to provide Chuchi the evidence about Rampart’s involvement with the destruction of Kamino.
With his usual political cunningness, the Emperor made the most out of Chuchi’s open accusation in front of the Senate against Rampart for having destroyed Kamino. Pretending he was shocked by the news, Palpatine ordered Rampart’s arrest before finally convincing the Senate to act against the Clones — who sided with Rampart during the destruction of Kamino — and pass the conscription bill, inaugurating the Imperial stormtroopers age. After seeing with his own eyes what was at stake for the Clones, Echo decided to join Rex in his fight for the Clones’ rights, leaving the team.
What to Expect from the Second Part of The Bad Batch Season 2
So far, The Bad Batch sophomore season has followed pretty much a “mission of the week” structure. After the Bad Batch failed to retrieve part of Count Dooku‘s massive war chest on Serenno in the Season 2 premiere, they were busy either with podracing or fighting mysterious technology that dates back to the Ancients. As much as the Skara Nal episode looked cool, it didn’t really further the main storyline by an inch. Things started to change with Episode 6, where the main heroes saved a Wookiee Jedi and helped him protect Kashyyyk from Imperial forces. Even though the Empire returned to a certain degree in The Bad Batch Season 2 Episode 6, the installment still felt a bit like a side quest that helped remind fans Jedi are still a force to reckon with even after Order 66.
The Bad Batch Season 2 midseason finale showed the series is at its best when it pitches the Bad Batch against the Empire. Even though the titular characters’ plan to make the Senate aware of what went down on Kamino didn’t provide the expected outcomes, fans could actually see Hunter and the others actively doing something to fight back against the Empire. Hopefully, the second part of The Bad Batch Season 2 will follow the same path in the future. It’s OK to have some side quests from time to time, but the risk is losing the fans’ interest, especially with The Mandalorian Season 3 debuting on March 1.