Summary
“The Crossing” is a low stakes episode about working through some family matters, which is a bit of a step down after last week’s politically complex double-bill.
This recap of Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 2 Episode 9, “The Crossing”, contains spoilers.
After last week’s pretty heavy double-bill, The Bad Batch settles into a more familiar rhythm in “The Crossing”, ditching all the political shenanigans in favor of another, rather mundane mission from Cid that is really just an excuse for the remains of Clone Force 99 to work through some issues.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 2 Episode 9 Recap
The mission, for what it’s worth, is a mining operation on a seemingly deserted planet. The mineral being mined is Ipsium, which is very valuable once refined but dangerously combustible in its raw state, which is an accident waiting to happen right out of the gate. The issues are twofold. One is the group – though particularly Omega – struggling to adapt after Echo’s departure, and the other is Tech’s complete lack of social awareness and interpersonal skills, which is making the situation worse.
You can feel Echo’s absence in a few ways, including logistically, since Wrecker is left behind to be a lookout with Omega even though he’s needed in the mine, since Hunter doesn’t want to leave Echo alone. But it’s mainly an emotional thing. Having already lost Crosshair, and now Echo, the Bad Batch feels incomplete, and Omega feels as if her family is being torn apart.
The group has more time to ruminate on this since their ship is stolen, leaving them stranded on the planet, and then thanks to a stampede of native animals and a storm, they’re trapped inside the mine. Losing the ship is just another blow to the already fragile status quo, and it just about tips Omega over the edge, with Tech’s lack of sympathy not doing her any favors either.
When Omega sulks off deeper into the mine, Tech eventually follows, and they both end up isolated for long enough to bond and come to more of an understanding. Tech’s very specific way of processing situations and feelings is explicitly addressed, which I’m thankful for since it has been a longstanding character quirk that could run the risk of feeling a bit gimmicky.
The obvious downside of this episode is that it’s pretty low stakes, even though the team is legitimately stranded and, even after an emergency call to Cid, they’re still going to be stuck on the planet with its hostile weather for at least a few days. Will the next episode pick up from here, or simply move on to other things with the assumption that all went well eventually? We’ll have to wait and see.
