Rex sends the Bad Batch to rescue a fellow clone on Daro, but the mission turns out to be much more than it appears.
Tropes:
- Ambiguous Situation: Was Lama Su killed at the end of the episode?
- Action Prologue: The episode opens on Gregor trying and failing to flee from the base on Daro.
- Air Vent Escape: The Batch and Gregor flee through a reactor exhaust port when they're unable to find a safe path through conventional corridors.
- Badass in Distress: Gregor, and later Hunter by the end of the episode.
- Blade Brake: Attempted by Hunter when he jumps to the ship, misses and lands on a rocky slope, with very limited success. He ends up barely slowing down and just goes right off a cliff into another drop.
- The Bus Came Back:
- CC-5576, Rex's contact is revealed to be Clone Commando Gregor, previously seen on Abafar during the Clone Wars and in the future in Rebels. It is revealed that the explosion that rendered him presumably KIA on Abafar caused him brain damage, and it is assumed that this included rendering his inhibitor chip inoperable, given his decision to run from the training base.
- One of the Clone Commandos instructing the Stormtroopers is Scorch, a member of Delta Squad. Delta Squad retained their canonicity due to a cameo in The Clone Wars.
- Call-Back:
- Rex calls in the favor the Bad Batch owes him from "Battle Scars". Namely, rescuing Gregor from an Imperial base.
- Gregor mentions getting blown up in the Clone Wars episode "Missing in Action" and surviving.
- Echo reminds Hunter of his own captivity and rescue by the Bad Batch on Skako Minor during the episode "A Distant Echo", encouraging him to continue the mission despite the odds against them.
- Call-Forward:
- Gregor is sane here but his mentality occasionally slips, foreshadowing his behaviour in Star Wars Rebels where he goes quite looney in his old age. His voice is also starting to sound raspier than the other Regs.
- Gregor is hit in the armor chest by a blaster shot and clearly clutching in pain, but he laughs it off, saying he survived far worse. This is how he'll eventually die in Rebels series finale, where a blaster shot fatally hits him in the chest because he had no armor on him at the time.
- Chekhov's Gunman: Gonky the power droid, who Omega has been tinkering with for the last few episodes, waddles into the cockpit at just the right moment to repower the Havoc Marauder's systems after it takes battle damage.
- Cliffhanger: Hunter is captured and the rescue mission is revealed to have been a trap set by Crosshair, who personally pays him a visit in his cell.
- Defector from Decadence: Gregor decided he didn't want to train his own replacements, so he attempted to desert from the Empire.
- Description Cut: When Omega notes that Hunter and the others should have checked in with them by now, Wrecker assures her that they're probably doing fine. Cut to Hunter and the others fleeing from the Stormtroopers.
- Elaborate Underground Base: The Empire has hollowed out a mountain on the planet Daro, and are using it as a training facility for the first generation of natural born Stormtroopers.
- Elite Mooks: While still hard-pressed against the Bad Batch, the Clone Commandos continue to prove themselves over the new rank-and-file troops they're commanding. They're consistently shown to be quicker, tougher, more aggressive, and smarter, as befitting of elite commandos.
- Eviler than Thou: By the end of the episode, Rampart has edged out as the greater threat between him and Lama Su, officially canceling all contracts with the Kaminoans and discarding those he has no use for, such as Lama Su.
- Eye Lights Out: After Hunter chokes out a clone commando, his glowing blue visor flickers and goes out.
- Fanservice: A non-sexual example, for Republic Commando's fans. Scorch, or at least the clone commando wearing armor that refers to him, must be hit by many non-lethal shots to be brought down. Unlike the other generic clone commandos and stormtroopers, neutralized after only one.
- Faux Affably Evil: Rampart's politeness here (and in the previous episodes) is revealed to be a mask. In truth, he has no real respect for the clones the Kaminoans created for the Republic (later the Empire), and makes it clear that the Empire will pick and choose which Kaminoans will live to serve the Empire, while discarding the rest as trash.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Lama Su wryly notes that the clone army the Kaminoans created, trained, and even programmed to put Palpatine in power is now being used against them.Lama Su: We have empowered them, to our own detriment.
- I Will Only Slow You Down: When Hunter falls from the ship as it's being fired upon, he orders Tech to flee since they won't be able to extract him under heavy fire.
- Laser-Guided Karma:
- The Kaminoans had long treated the Clone Troopers as nothing more than property (albeit expensive and valuable property) in their past appearances. Now they get a taste of their own medicine when the Empire begin to treat Kamino as their personal property, even going as far as selecting which Kaminoans to keep as tools and which to be disposed of.
- Lama Su orders Nala Se to gather Kaminoans who are essential to restarting their cloning business, so they can flee the planet and rebuild their operation elsewhere, presumably leaving the rest of his people to whatever fate the Empire has in store for them. Unfortunately, he learns at the end of the episode that Admiral Rampart already made a list of "essential" Kaminoans who will serve the Empire...and Lama Su isn't one of them. Even more pointed, as Lama Su seemed ready to cast the blame on Nala Se for the attempted evacuation.
- Made of Iron: Scorch takes four stun blasts to incapacitate. For reference, his Expy, Wrecker was taken down by a single blast half a season ago when his Inhibitor Chip activated.
- Mythology Gag:
- One of the new armor designs is based on early concept art for the Stormtroopers, when they wielded lightsabers and shields.
- The interior of the base is identical with the imperial facilities we saw in the original trilogy.
- The Bad Batch notes that there are clone commandos and a new "TK unit". This refers to the new stormtrooper units brought in to replace the clones. This goes back to New Hope, with the Stormtrooper guarding the Millennium Falcon's ramp in the Death Star being TK-421.
- Gregor wryly notes that he didn't teach the stormtroopers everything he knew, because "that wouldn't be very smart, would it?" It's hard not to think of Darth Plagueis, who did teach Darth Sidious everything he knew, and was killed by Sidious very soon afterwards.
- Oh, Crap!: While the shot doesn't linger for long, Lama Su is noticeably fearful as Rampart leaves him at the hands of the Elite Squad with the implication that he'll be executed.
- Quality vs. Quantity: The Empire has begun replacing Clone Troopers with natural born Stormtroopers on a mass scale, having the surviving Clone Commandos train them. Gregor notes that their skills may be inferior, but the Empire can source them in much greater numbers from all over the galaxy. Also, their loyalty is certain as they were recruited after the foundation of the Empire, unlike the clones.
- Reference Overdosed: A lot of this episode is a love letter to A New Hope. In addition to the Stormtrooper Armor being reused from concept arts, the plot is kicked off by a mysterious hologram and centers around a rescue from a secret base whose interior is the spitting image of that of the Death Star; the score features the original timpani-heavy Imperial music heard in that film; a V-Wing crashes into another just as Darth Vader’s TIE fighter was taken out; the elevator opening to a squad of troopers is reminiscent of Han Solo encountering a hangar full of them; and of course there’s the prominence of a thermal exhaust port.
- Saved by Canon: Since Gregor appears later in Rebels, he will survive his blaster wound, although it is in the same spot as the fatal wound he eventually receives in the Rebels series finale.
- Screw This, I'm Out of Here!:
- After the Empire cancels all their cloning contracts with Kamino, Lama Su and Nala Se gather their essential staff to get out of dodge before they're subjected to You Have Outlived Your Usefulness. Unfortunately, Admiral Rampart already anticipated their attempt and had them under surveillance.
- Gregor decided to flee the Imperial base on Daro and desert, but is recaptured and locked up in the Action Prologue.
- Shout-Out: The episode appears to be one to the Rambo films (fittingly enough, given the pre-established visual similarities between Hunter and "Sly" Stallone's character). The scenery on Daro resembles the environs of Hope, Washington in First Blood (with Hunter jumping from a cliff to make an escape and Gregor's attempted flight from Imperial forces seeming to homage particular scenes from that film). Meanwhile, the premise of rescuing Gregor, a captured POW who also happens to be a familiar face from previous installments, alongside Hunter himself being captured by the enemy, is similar to the plot of its first two sequels.
- Tempting Fate: While in the elevator, Gregor informs the Batch that the Stormtroopers, though inferior soldiers, are greater in number than the clones. When Hunter remarks that numbers aren't everything, the elevator doors open and they're staring down an entire squad of Stormtroopers backed up by Scorch. Tech then asks "You were saying?".
- They Call Me MISTER Tibbs!: Gregor half-jokingly insists that the prison guard address him by his proper rank.Gregor: Hey newbie. How about you be useful, and get me some food.Stormtrooper: Quiet, traitor!Gregor: That's captain traitor! Heh, insubordinate plebe...
- Uncertain Doom: Lama Su is last seen surrounded by Crosshair's squad, none of whom are clones, with Rampart making a not-so-subtle execution order on him. The door closes before we can see what happens next, and no blaster fire is heard.
- Unfriendly Fire: During the fight on the ledge outside the exhaust port, one of the Clone Commandos gets shot by his own Stormtroopers and falls to his death.
- We Meet Again: Hunter isn't surprised to see Crosshair standing outside his cell in the final scene:Hunter: I figured you'd show up.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Lama Su fears this will happen to the Kaminoans now that the Empire has formally cancelled their contracts, being unlikely to allow their services to be contracted by others. He orders Nala Se to begin gathering personnel so they can evacuate, but she is caught. Rampart decides to keep her around, as a scientist is useful, but the same cannot be said of a politician like Lama Su. He is last seen cornered by Crosshair's squad as the doors close on them.Rampart: A scientist, I have use for. A politician, I do not. I'm afraid your services are no longer needed.
- Zerg Rush: The new Stromtroopers may be inferior to clones by a wide margin, but there's a thousand of them at the facility and their sheer number is too much for the Batch to overcome. Couple that with generous air support from Imperial V-Wings and it quickly becomes untenable for the Batch to stay, leading to Hunter being left behind when he falls out of the ship.
