Summary
“Replacements” takes some dark turns, as the Empire develops a new fighting force while Clone Force 99 are dangerously stranded.
This recap of Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 1, episode 3, “Replacements”, contains spoilers.
“Replacements” is built on a classic setup — a crash landing on a desolate moon and a missing ship part (it’s a capacitor) that’s required for escape. But as soon as The Bad Batch episode 3 mentions Crosshair and inhibitor chips, it’s obvious that the latest installment has more on its mind than simply getting Clone Force 99 off-world. On Kamino, we learn that Tarkin is developing the Empire’s fighting forces, with Crosshair himself at the forefront of another elite unit not unlike the titular Bad Batch. Are we seeing the origins of the Imperial Stormtroopers here?
Needless to say, the moon Clone Force 99 is marooned on features pesky native fauna that makes off with ship parts and does that sci-fi-horror thing of slithering across the ship’s windows. Tech figures it’s probably a moon dragon that feeds on pure energy, since what else would it be? Omega, somewhat excited by her first crash-landing and being part of the squad now, is eager to participate, and it’s hard to argue with her logic. Is Disney’s new Star Wars strategy to have one hopelessly cute supporting character per show? Seems that way.
From that initial setup Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 1, episode 3 takes two branches; one concerning Clone Force 99 and the other Crosshair’s new, morally forthright squad, tasked with tracking down bothersome rebel Saw Gerrera. There’s a dark tinge to that latter plot, especially once the new recruits — notably not clones, which doesn’t go unremarked upon — take issue with Crosshairs gunning down civilians. “Good soldiers follow orders,” he intones, as he executes one of his own men to prove a point. And people think this is a kids’ show!
There’s even a horror slant to Clone Force 99’s adventure, especially when it’s framed in Omega’s perspective. The stuff with the Empire is meatier, though, especially in its connection to the broader mythology. Between Tarkin’s ambition and Kaminoan scheming, this transitional period from Republic to Empire, so poorly fleshed out in the current canon, is clearly one of the main storytelling objectives of The Bad Batch, which still manages to pack an emotional punch on a character level in its ending.
