Every time an episode of Star Wars: The Bad Batch lands, Fantha Tracks will be giving their responses, and here are our initial gut feelings, deep dives and thoughts on episode six of season two, ‘Tribe’. Beware of spoilerific elements in here.
Matt Bell
A very rich episode this week that sees us return to Kashyyyk in what was one of my most anticipated episodes from the trailer. This episode revisits lots of elements from the unfinished Kashyyyk arc of The Clone Wars, that unsurprisingly written by Matt Michnovetz, as was this episode of The Bad Batch. Nice to see Gungi return from The Clone Wars series, with the episode opening with his rescue from a new criminal organisation called Vanguard Axis seemingly made up of droids that had a striking resemblance to Alpha 5 from Power Rangers. The Bad Batch then takes on the task of returning Gungi to his people on his home world.
Upon arriving on Kashyyyk they have an encounter with some insect like creatures called Netcasters, that are based on Kinraths from the Knights of the Old Republic video game. These Netcasters were going to be featured in the unfinished Kashyyyk arc of the TCW, so it’s not the first time the Bad Batch have encountered them. They then have a skirmish with some Trandoshan raiders led by Babwa Venimorm, who was also going to be leading the Separate forces in the unfinished Kashyyyk TCW arc, so it is great to finally see him on screen.
The Bad Batch later take refuge with a group of Wookiees riding giant monkey like creatures call Mylaya, that were also from the unfinished Kashyyyk arc of the TCW and described in the past by Dave Filoni has as “tree spirits”. The rivalry between Wookiees and Trandoshans goes back to the early West End Games material so it’s always great to see more of this play out on screen.
Also pulling from the unfinished Kashyyyk arc of the TCW, were scenes of the Wookiees communing with the giant Wroshyr trees, which comes from George’s early notes about the Wookiee’s ability to communicate with nature and the trees in an almost force like ability.
All over a good episode that shows the standalone side-mission type episodes can offer depth without connecting to the bigger picture story or having huge revelations.
Jen Sopchockchai
I don’t want to be premature, but I think this episode may be the pivot point we’ve been waiting for, or at least the precursor for it. It starts out like most of the ones before it. The squad find themselves on another job. They’re about to close the deal. But then, in a way that has not happened before, a moral dilemma emerges. Omega sees a captive young wookiee, Gungi, captive and taking abuse from the mobster droids, otherwise known as the Vanguard Axis. She immediately comes to his aid. And you know what? The rest of The Bad Batch didn’t hesitate for a second. There was no initial refusal to help. They just did the right thing and sprang to the help of those in need. It barely took a nudge to do what Echo asked of Hunter at the start of the season. For them to do good and to do more. This gives both the audience and The Batch a taste of what a more heroic and less self-interested lifestyle might look like. Suddenly their largely unsuccessful romps after treasure just to make money don’t seem to suit them as well as this. I see “Tribe” as enough of a key change from the speed racer episode, “Faster,” and the Indiana Jones episode, “Entombed,” that I think this is the beginning of the story avalanche. I could be wrong, but that’s the gut feeling I get from watching this episode.
And did I mention there’s also an adorable Jedi Wookiee, Gungi? For those who have never seen the animated series The Clone Wars, Gungi was a Padawan we first meet in a multi-episode story arc in which a group of younglings go through a ritual to determine if they are ready to be Padawans. Between Gungi’s acrobatics and Krrsantan’s imposing appearance in The Book of Boba Fett, I’d say Wookiees are just crushing it right now.
Going back to Kashyyyk, in my opinion, is always a good time because the Wookiees are fierce and intimidating, but with a warmth and kindness that makes them endearing, so seeing Trandoshans and The Empire decimate such a beautiful planet brought back all the pain of The Battle of Kashyyyk while adding new trauma and tragedy through Gungi’s perspective. I also felt like the use of Trandoshans here was very significant because they have a sordid history of enslaving and hunting Wookiees. That’s why, in The Book of Boba Fett Krrsantan ultimately decides to ignore Garsa Fwip’s generous offer and rip off that Trandoshan’s arm anyway.
We’ve seen this kind of environmental imperialism in Andor as well. In Episode 11, “Daughter of Ferrix,” we meet Dewi and Freedi Pamular who say “Scob the Empire” because the Empire has polluted Narkina 5’s waters and destroyed the fishing industry there. I’d say the interesting wrinkle that “Tribe” adds to all of these past iterations is the agency it gives the planet of Kashyyyk itself. As a fan of the Ents in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, I was completely on board with the sentient trees who “have a plan.” So it’s not just that Wookiees have some inexplicably deeper connection to nature because they’re the other; it’s that the trees are actually in charge.
Gungi has an innate sense that Kashyyyk is his home, and yet has an unfamiliarity and detachment from it and Wookiee traditions. He wears what appears to be traditional Wookiee armor/accessories, and other Jedi would have certainly viewed him as a Wookiee. And when speaking with the other Wookiees, Hunter makes a comment along the lines of, “Jedi or no, he’s still a child. He needs his people.” So everyone’s in agreement that Wookiees are his people.
But when Gungi arrives on Kashyyyk, he doesn’t know where to go. He doesn’t even know what village he’s originally from. Omega says that Yanna agreed to let Gungi stay with them. That implies that she didn’t just automatically welcome him with open arms; they had to discuss it and Yanna had to decide whether or not he should stay. When Yanna tilts her head down towards Gungi, he doesn’t immediately know what to do. He hesitates before he follows her lead and puts his head down too. In a post-Order 66 world, he belongs neither with the Jedi nor with the Wookiees. This isn’t a return home. It’s a potential new home at a time when he has no where else to go. Yanna says as much to Hunter: “As this child has found his new home, perhaps, one day, we all will find a new path.” Gungi doesn’t really belong anywhere.
I think that in the next few episodes, we’re going to see them realize that the new path they thought they were on isn’t actually the right one.
(This is condensed and edited – with permission – from Jen’s The Long Take review, which you can subscribe to here)
Mark Newbold
You can’t go wrong when heading to Kashyyyk and the towering wroshyr trees that cover the land, and the sixth (sixth, already) episode of the second season of The Bad Batch steers true to that as it delivers another enjoyable episode that is perhaps deeper and more layered than it may appear. After two enjoyable side-mission romps in Faster and Entombed, Tribe would appear to not only deliver a lost Jedi back into the arms of his people, but also give Clone Force 99 the sense of purpose that Echo clearly feels they’ve lost.
While season 2 has indeed been enjoyable, and the batch are undoubtedly still a tight unit, there have been signs all is not well. The aforementioned unease of Echo, the subdued Hunter – far quieter less prominent within the group than before – and the lingering shadow of Crosshair. Hardly mentioned by the group, it’s clear he is on their mind, even the filterless Wrecker who along with Tech is now the team-within-the-team that hangs with Omega, growing episode by epsiode and learning the ways of the galaxy as she goes.
Here, quite apart from the welcome return of Gungi from season 5 of The Clone Wars a decade ago, to see the Batch fight so hard for his liberty, spurred on initially by Omega but ultimately by their own sense of good, is inspiring to see. Not on a fundraising mission for Cid, or relic hunting with Phee Genoa, this underlines their freedom from the mind-altering power of the chip and shows them at their best, working alongside the wookiees and respecting their culture and ways while fighting for a freedom they may never have, and as we leave Gungi for now (hey, maybe we’ll see a seven foot tall Gungi in 2032?) you have to wonder where our heroes and their kid sister will end up. We know the wookiees have a tough road ahead with the Empire and their neighbours the Trandoshans, but what does the galaxy hold in store for clones like the Bad Batch?
Eric Onkenhout
Season 2 of The Bad Batch is really hitting its stride now with the 6th episode of the season, ‘Tribe.’ Lucasfilm announced that Gungi, the Wookiee youngling seen in The Clone Wars, would appear in this season of The Bad Batch, and the time has come. Gungi has become a fan favorite over the years, so it’s nice to see he is still hanging around. Vanguard Axis: a droid gang
When the episode begins, the Bad Batch delivery chain codes Tech made himself for Cid to a droid gang known as Vanguard Axis. Echo and Omega stay back on the Marauder. While the others are inside, Omega hears a faint roar and investigates. Soon, she sees two Vanguard droids torturing a young Wookiee for unknown reasons, and decides to stop them, shooting them with her electric bow and arrow.
Inside their base, the Vanguard is alerted to the trouble and realizes something is afoot then a fight breaks out. Seems like the Vanguard Axis is getting paid to smuggle the Wookiee to a customer. During the battle, the Wookiee brandishes a green lightsaber! The Bad Batch, Omega, and the Wookiee escape on The Marauder. Aboard the ship, the Wookiee doesn’t trust the clones because of what happened during Order 66, but everyone ensures no one will harm him. Turns out the Wookiee is Gungi, who first appeared in The Clone Wars season 5, episode 6: ‘The Gathering’ (2012). Gungi really wants to return to Kashyyyk, so they agree to bring him. The problem is the Empire is there too.
They land on the forest floor of Kashyyyk, which is known to be extremely dangerous. As a padawan, Gungi would have left Kashyyyk as a child and has only faint memories of his home planet. Kashyyyk is covered in spidery webs and is teeming with strange creatures. The cinematography in Tribe is absolutely stunning. The detail in the webs and the sunlight peeking through the trees are very pretty.
As they trek through the forest, they spy on a group of Trandoshans hunting Wookiees. Trandoshans and Wookiees have a long-standing feud, with Trandoshans hunting Wookiees for their pelt. The Empire and Trandoshans are one Kashyyyk working together to capture the Wookiees. The Bad Batch defeats the Trandoshans and is greeted by another Wookiee tribe led by Yanna. Gungi is finally reunited with his people. Being away from Kashyyyk and a Jedi on the run, Gungi is likely not to encounter many Wookiees, so it must’ve been exciting for him to be a part of a tribe again.
Yanna’s tribe communes with the giant wroshyr tree for help. Trees in Star Wars are becoming more prominent in the last several years. For example, the Great Tree at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant was recently featured in Tales of the Jedi, and the uneti tree on Acho-to in The Last Jedi. ‘Tribe’ felt very much like a Clone Wars episode with the clone troopers, Trandoshans, and battle tanks exchanging laser fire. It was a beautiful episode, but I also wonder where this is all leading? Will Gungi remain on Kashyyyk? The Empire is all over that planet, so it wouldn’t be a good idea for an exiled Jedi to stay there.
Next week two episodes will air, which will hopefully shed some light on the direction of Clone Force 99. What is their mission? Crosshair has only appeared in one episode, and Cid is apparently a backstabber. So, a lot is coming in the remaining ten episodes.
- Hardcover Book
- Horton, Cole (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 160 Pages - 03/21/2023 (Publication Date) - Insight Editions (Publisher)
