This week we were treated to a double dose of Star Wars content as episodes six and seven of The Bad Batch were released together, bringing us close to the halfway point of the show.

In many ways, these two episodes felt a lot like The Clone Wars. They featured a large cast of clones living and fighting together under the command of Captain Rex, and also returned to Teth, a planet that first showed up in The Clone Wars movie.

There are several established characters making a return this week, but Rex and Howzer are, beyond doubt, the most important characters. It’s interesting to see the operation they’d built up from clones who either deserted the Empire or else were rescued after the war ended. We’ve had hints before of the work Rex was doing but never got to see the level of organisation in his operation. It all shows how difficult it is for the clones to escape conflict, even though the war is over.

Another big face to show up was Commander Wolffe, another character from The Clone Wars. It’s odd that he’s still fighting for the Empire when so many clones have long since deserted, or else were discarded by the new Imperial military when their purpose was served. This now leaves the question of what happens to him in future episodes. In Rebels, Rex, Gregor and Wolffe have given up the fight and are living together in an old AT-TE tank. Something big must happen to make Wolffe change sides.

One thing that doesn’t seem likely is that they’ll join the Rebellion. In episode six, we see Riyo Chuchi meeting with a former Separatist senator, hinting at the early rebellion that’s beginning to form. Rex is helping set up the meeting and providing security, but in Rebels it seems that he’s been out of the fight for a long time.

We get to see more of the enhanced clones, or Shadows, which are similar to Clone X from season one. We’re being teased that the mysterious clone might be someone special, and naturally theories are abounding, with a lot of focus on whether it could be Tech, which would undo his sacrifice at the end of season two and add yet another character to the list of impossible survival. Considering all the hype around Marrok in the Ahsoka show, it’s possible he’s no one at all.

All in all, these were two good episodes which worked hard on the two central story points this season: Omega being tracked down by the Empire, and the clones looking to rescue their brothers from Tantiss, both of which should remain front and centre as the season enters its second half.

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