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Continuity & Analysis

Star Wars: The Bad Batch - The Return (2024) [S3E5]
Tensions rise as our heroes navigate new dynamics on a dangerous mission.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch - Infiltration (2024) [S3E6]
The Batch reunites with an ally in need.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch - Extraction (2024) [S3E7]
As enemies close in, the Batch must evacuate a stronghold.




CONTINUITY
These three episodes are about the Batch's reunification. Infiltration and Extraction are a two-part story
about Rex and the clone resistance. Five worlds are seen in these episodes:


- Echo has been fighting with Rex's movement for the better part of a year now.

- The Empire has abandoned their base on Barton 4 seen in 'The Outpost' (S2E12), some time in the few months since that episode.

- Ice wyrms are giant predatory creatures found on Barton 4. The existence of a creature of this size on this planet is basically impossible.
The ice vultures seen in 'The Outpost' (S2E12) raised the question as to what other organisms on this planet could provide
the prerequisite food chain that sustains their existence. The only possibility is that the wyrms, like the ice vultures and perhaps
a few other species, could be the last remains of an ecosystem which once prevailed over millennia when this world was much
warmer. Although this might explain how carnivorous birds and whatever small meat creatures they eat exist on this world in
isolation, there seems to be no plant-like creatures to form the basis of a food chain, so what do the small creatures eat? All energy
in food ultimately comes from a planet's star which is gathered by plants or similar analogs in some alien evolution, which are
consumed by microorganisms, animals, and fungi. In rare instances the heat of a planet's core feeds creatures around deep
undersea fissures or near volcanic places, however it would be difficult to imagine extremophiles existing in sufficient quantity
on an icy world like this to provide the basis for the food chain. If it is hard to imagine how vultures could live here, it is impossible
to imagine how a huge creature with a massive calorie requirement could possibly survive on this planet. Wrecker asks rhetorically
"why is there always a huge monster?" The answer is that disney-Lucasfilm thinks SW must include large creatures in situations
where they could not possibly be sustaining themselves with food, and where it is unlikely or impossible they could have evolved
there in the first place. This was already an issue in SW pre-disney, but they have since taken this absurdity to a new level.
Main Article: Planetology


- Raxus' former Senator Singh secretly meets Senator Chuchi on Pantora, to discuss the future of Separatist politics.

- The CX troopers, which Rex calls the 'Shadows', were first seen in 'The Clone Conspiracy' (S2E7). These Clone X assassins were conditioned
Hemlock for fanatical devotion to the Empire. Their clone army identities were erased, and they were implanted with advanced
tracking technology which could not be detected by ordinary scanning methods. They were provided with an electro-capsule tooth
in order that they might commit suicide in the event of capture. They had formerly been seen in use by Admiral Rampart. They are
now seen taking orders from Commander Scorch at Tantiss.

- Rex's base camp is on Teth, in a former Ba'omar monk monastery. Rex was here at a hidden Separatist base in The Clone Wars film,
set four and a half years prior to these events.

- CX Dagger starships are a previously unseen class of vessel currently being used by a CX clone trooper. This suggests this is some fancy,
advanced starship designed for top-secret missions and personnel.


- Wolffe was last seen about two years earlier in The Clone Wars 'The Lost One'. He is still operating as commander of a clone unit,
now as part of the Imperial Naval Infantry.

ANALYSIS
The coming together of the best-intentioned factions of the Republic and the Separatists has already begun after only one year of Imperial
rule. The Separatists were the rebels of the Republic era, but they were backed by greedy economic interests and led by the Sith, just as
the Republic was. The Republic loyalists who opposed the militarization of society were overpowered by greedy economic interests, and
the government they served was led by the Sith. Now, the Rebels against the Empire are on the same side as the Separatists, but they stand
against they powerful establishment led by this Sith. This means that they finally have righteousness on their side, but lack powerful allies
with huge resources. Senator Singh suggests that the problem is there are no strong unifying leaders to galvanize political support, which
may be true, but even if there were, they would not be safe to emerge this close to the end of the Clone Wars, and under the new Imperial
security regime. The only leverage that resistance has at this point is that the Emperor is concerned that public opinion can turn on him
quickly. Singh laments that this has not prevented Imperial occupations, such as that on Raxus. This suggests that the Empire's targeted
policy of occupying only former Separatist worlds, and those Republic worlds of particular concern, has allowed much of the galaxy not
to yet feel the jackboot of the Empire on its throat. Developing new forces and politics to counter the Empire will require time.

Hunter suggests that "nobody really understood what was happening" a year prior when the Empire first emerged. It seemed to many that
it was a simple matter of loyalty to the Empire or disloyalty based on some kind of greater loyalty to the Republic, or the Jedi, or to both.
This would lead the vast majority of troopers to choose to obey orders like good soldiers, and with the immediate effects of the obedience
chips having been activated this was all the more true. Crosshair was effected by this, but also truly felt the Empire would logically reward
obedience and loyalty with support and favor. He came to realize what many clones already have, that the Empire intends to use them up
and spit them out, and that they have no place in the long-term Imperial military structure. At the same time, the larger part of the Imperial
military are still the Naval Infantry clone forces, such as those led to Teth by Wolffe. These forces are largely unaware of the changes that other
clones have observed, and are kept busy putting down the many resistance movements encountered during the reconquest of the Rim and
the reorganization period of Imperial rule. Rex presents his rebellion as not against the Empire itself, but against those who are abusing their
clone brothers. This allows a way for a loyalist like Wolffe to permit their escape, seeing Rex as a loyal officer who must have good reasons for
what he is doing. The risk Palpatine is running by abusing some of the clones is that his soldier clones will not be pleased if they find out.


FURTHER ANALYSIS
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