Every time an episode of The Bad Batch lands, Fantha Tracks will be giving their responses, and here are our initial gut feelings, deep dives and thoughts on the fourteenth episode of season 1 of The Bad Batch – War-Mantle. Beware of spoilerific elements in here.
Becca Benjamin
“The Bad Batch,” episode 14, “War-Mantle,” begins, as they say, with a bang. The opening sequence hit the ground running, and if I am, to be honest, it felt and looked more like live-action rather than animation. We are now nearing the finish line with this series, and with only two episodes left, there are still some loose ends to tie up before we reach the finale. That said, this episode raises the bar for what’s to come.
Episode 14 opens up strong visually, as the wildlife on Daro sprawls out before our eyes in a very realistic, live-action way. It’s the on-world opening companion to the space battle opening we see in Revenge of the Sith. Yes, it’s that good.
On Daro, we see a clone commando, Gregor, running AWOL from an Imperial base. In the meantime, Rex sends a distress call to the Bad Batch regarding the clone on Daro, along with the coordinates to rescue him because, unfortunately, he is unable to tend to it himself. There’s a bit of back-and-forth among the batch when receiving this message. After all, it is a matter of bad timing, seeing as they’re already on a mission for Cid, but, Omega, our moral compass of the group, speaks up and urges her brothers (to once again) do the right thing.
Meanwhile, back on Kamino, Prime Minister Lama Su and Chief Scientist Nala Se realize their situation has gone dire as they discover the Empire has canceled all their cloning projects for the foreseeable future. Quickly, they hash a plan to flee the planet as they assume the Empire would most likely dispose of them rather than let them continue their work.
Speaking of fleeing, the commando deserter at the beginning of the episode, Gregor, reminds Echo of himself, and Echo doesn’t hold back on sharing that reminder with his brothers. Let’s face it, it wasn’t that long ago when Echo was held captive on Skako Minor and rescued by Anakin Skywalker (in season 7 of The Clone Wars). All in all, Echo knows how dire the situation is but knows the risk is worth taking.
Once the Marauder touches down on Daro, the group hashes together a plan. Hunter, Echo, and Tech head out to infiltrate the hidden mountain base leaving Wrecker and Omega behind on the ship as the backup. Omega isn’t a fan of this plan as she tends to worry about her brothers’ welfare when she’s not there to keep an eye on them; especially, Hunter.
Of course, it doesn’t take long before Omega and Wrecker receive a call from Hunter asking them for pickup at the highest point of the mountain base. As usual, their rescue plan doesn’t go as they hoped it would and trouble is brewing and fast. That said, the batch manages to get Gregor off the base onto the Marauder, but not without a hefty cost. As the saying goes, “without sacrifice, there can be no victory,” and that sacrifice is Hunter. No, they’re not happy about it, especially Omega, and it’s heart wrenching to watch, but good soldiers follow orders. And, if you didn’t feel gutted by this scene, you must have the emotional range of a teaspoon.
Back on Kamino, we learn that Lama Su was indeed correct as his execution is imminent. As for Nala Se, she’s safe for the moment, as Rampart explains that the Empire could always use an extra scientist.
The episode comes to a close with Crosshair stopping by Hunter’s holding cell. “I was hoping for the whole squad, ”he tells Hunter. “But you’ll do.” Holy Mother of Mando Moons! Things do not look good right now for Hunter.
Until next week, the mission is over! Pass the Mantell Mix.
Carl Bayliss
As this first season moves closer to its culmination (I’m sure I read somewhere there will be more to come, probably on FanthaTracks.com!), we pick up this latest episode with a ‘reg’ being chased down in a Dagobah-esque boggy, misty forest. And although our clone chum is captured, it’s not before he leaves a tracking beacon to alert others to his predicament.
That call is duly received by Rex, who contacts Clone Force 99 as he is otherwise engaged elsewhere, and knows he can count on the crew to do what needs to be done. Upon locating the beacon, Hunter lives up to his name, employing the tracking skills he displayed earlier in the series to follow the tracks to a seemingly innocent mountain – although not before sending Wrecker and Omega back to the ship. But of course, this is no ordinary mountain – it is instead hiding a secret Imperial base (very James Bond!!). They manage to gain entrance to the base and quickly locate the missing clone trooper, and attempt to make their escape – only to be outnumbered by some gorgeous looking McQuarrie concept troopers (early TK troopers) and headed up by Commando Troopers, in a nod to the ‘Republic Commando’ game. There is a major acknowledgement that these are no longer clones but conscripted troopers, trained by the best of the clones – but hopefully not too well!!!
Meanwhile back on Kamino, the Empire is making plans to shut down the cloning facility, and take the Kaminoans out too so they can’t offer up their services to anyone trying to build an army to combat the Empire. Although the Prime minister makes plans for them to escape, the chief of science is captured, however Vice Admiral Rampart makes an astute observation “A scientist I can use, a politician I can’t”.
As the team, plus their new found clone chum Gregor, make their way out (of a thermal exhaust port no less), they summon Wrecker and Omega for a pickup and after an encounter with some imperial ships, they manage to get away except for Hunter who falls and is captured after ordering the rest of the team to leave him behind.
Of course the episode closes out with Hunter inside his cell and being greeted by his former comrade, Crosshair, who seems a little disappointed to only have one of the crew captured, but admits it’s better than nothing.
The OT vibes in this episode are front and centre – the base is reminiscent of Star Destroyers and the Death Star hallways, and we even get some musical nods to John Williams’ score in a few places. The animation is again beautiful, and the designs of these early ‘TK’ troopers is nicely executed. As with many of these little easter eggs, it’s nice if you know the origin but if not, they’re just somewhere between a clone and an OT trooper armour.
With only two episodes to go, things are really hotting up, so strap yourselves in while I make the calculations for the jump to lightspeed….
Ross Hollebon
This episode can be described in one word: Desperation.
Filoni cranked up the intensity while building towards the penultimate episode of this (the only?) season of The Bad Batch. The opening sequence made me think back to “Wookiee Hunt” (The Clone Wars – Season 3, Episode 22) and the panic of the hunted beings, relative to that of the new character in “War-Mantle” we come to discover is Clone Commando Gregor. This leads directly into a holo message from Rex, calling for the rescue of an old friend, and fellow clone, CC-5576. Rex’s time is cut short because of his own desperation on whatever mission he is currently dealing with. So the Bad Batch has to give up a paying job of Cid’s to travel to Daro, in the Outer Rim—not knowing what they are facing.
All that happens on the forest planet—hope you had your seatbelts on—is they discover that a mountain is actually an Imperial base, Gregor is the captive, clones are being replaced by the Empire with volunteer humanoids who wear a different white armor and are assigned TK numbers, and there is almost a successful daring escape.
The most desperate, heart-wrenching moment of the episode is when Hunter jumps for the Havoc Marauder and misses. Omega’s eyes and yelp are beautiful torture in the split second she realizes he’s not going to make it—watching him fall as the rest of the crew tries to fend off a non-stop attack. Hunter, resigned to the situation, orders them to flee the planet, pushing Omega to an even greater level of fear and terror. Their leader has been captured and they can’t do anything, currently, about it.
Elsewhere, on Tipoca City, the Kaminoans are dealing with their own volatile situation as the Empire continues to tighten its grip. Prime Minister Lama Su dispatches Nala Se to secretly gather their necessary team for an escape, eventually discovered by Vice Admiral Rampart, who decides Nala Se is valuable, and Lama Su is not.
Much like Lama Su being left behind with two troopers behind closed doors, the final scene, back on Daro, is Hunter trapped in a cell, confronted by Crosshair. The tension never stops building in this episode and it’s fair to assume we’ll get more of the same next week, with only two episodes remaining.
Greig Robertson
After Infested last week, we really needed an episode to drive the story forward as we near the last couple of episodes. War-Mantle delivered that in droves.
Clone Commandos, McQuarrie Troopers and Gregor OH MY! This show is truly a feast for the eyes and ears, the most stunning animation from any show and Kevin Kiner continues to nail the score – this episode was particularly magic with some nice John Williams nods.
With only two episodes to go I’m excited to see how this all wraps up. My theory is that Crosshair’s chip was damaged when his face was burned by the exhaust and we will see him rejoin the crew by end of the season.
Will we see anymore big reveals or guest appearances by end of Season 1. Tune in next week, same Clone Time, same Clone Channel!
Daniel Lo
The Bad Batch as a series is developing into quite the Star Wars melting pot, and the latest episode is a particularly fine example. We have massiffs chasing a clone trooper, Venator-class Star Destroyers hovering next to Kaminoan facilities, Ralph McQuarrie-inspired TK battalions led by clone commandos, a re-introduction of another Rebels character, and a pursuit led by V-wings and Republic Gunships. We even have a lengthy encore of “Rescue of the Princess” from A New Hope, once more punctuated by hallway blaster fire inside an Imperial facility.
The aforementioned Rebels character, of course, is Gregor. Well actually, the first time we see him is in episode 12 of the fifth season of The Clone Wars, titled “Missing in Action“. I did not know this off the top of my head. I looked it up after realizing I had no specific recollection of Gregor prior to his appearances as an older gentleman in Rebels. Upon rewatching his dishwasher-turned-hero debut, I was also struck by just how far Star Wars animation has come. Incredible.
While Gregor’s rescue is certainly a big win, it ultimately gets overshadowed by Hunter’s capture. Unsurprisingly, Crosshair pays him a visit before the credits roll. This is probably the first time that Clone Force 99 has had to operate without their leader, and will be interesting to see how they adapt.
At this point, it would be weird if Wolffe fails to show up within the next two episodes. Right?
Eric Onkenhout
War-Mantle is an appropriate title for the 14th episode of The Bad Batch as War-Mantle is the code name for the Imperial recruitment project as the Empire transfers from clone troopers to volunteers. Jyn Erso comes across the project name in Rogue One when she and Cassian are searching for the correct file name for the Death Star project (War-Mantle, Cluster prism, black saber, Stardust, hyperspace tracking). In addition, War-Mantle was a cinematically beautiful episode that filled in gaps left by The Clone Wars and used a musical connection to the original trilogy.
From the get-go, War-Mantle has an incredible wow factor. A clone is running through a lush forest. The way the moonlight shines through the trees and how the ferns sway—there’s no way this is animated. This has to be live-action. No other animated series remotely touches The Bad Batch in cinematography. The forest reminded me a lot of Endor or maybe somewhere in the pacific northwest. Absolutely gorgeous!.
I also appreciated the use of massiff’s by the team pursuing the clone. Of course, massiff’s were seen initially in Attack of the Clones in 2002 (which was a few years ago, right?). Eventually, the clone gets stunned and captured. So who is this clone? Coincidentally enough, as the squad is traveling through hyperspace, a hailing call comes through—it’s Captain Rex. I love how Omega tries to mimic Hunter flipping a blade between his fingers with the tool she’s using to fix Gonky. We copy the ones we admire the most, for better or worse.
Rex, tied up elsewhere, cuts to the chase and says that a friend is in dire straits and needs immediate help. Rex relays the distress signal and exits stage left. The distress signal comes from CC-5576, originating from Daro. Clone trooper experts will recognize CC-5576 as the designation for Gregor. Daro is a new planet located in the outer rim. In a humorous moment, as each member makes a case for or against, Wrecker agrees with their point.
Meanwhile, on Kamino, the always agreeable Admiral Rampart and Crosshair discuss their next moves. Lama Su tells Nala Se that the Empire has canceled all of the previous contracts. Lama Su says the Kaminoans have empowered them [the Empire] to our own detriment. Nice to see someone take responsibility for empowering an evil dictatorship. Social comment that was. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge.
I love how, when arriving on Daro, Hunter picks up a random piece of wood and knows they’re too late to help Gregor. I wish I had that kind of intuition when getting in my car every morning before work. I want to know why Hunter thought there was something inside a mountain by touching the ground. Vibration? Hunter, Tech, and Echo do some recon while Wrecker and Omega stay back if backup is needed. Which it always is. The trio climbs the mountain, hollowed out to make room for a new imperial base, in another case of the Empire destroying nature and replacing it with something technological, similar to Starkiller base but on a smaller scale.
From the rim of the base, Echo sees that the Empire has updated its clone armor. On closer inspection, the clone armor looks like stormtrooper armor with an extra layer of armor on the helmet. The armor design looks very similar to the Ralph McQuarrie stormtrooper concept art. Escorting the new troopers are clone commandos. It’s interesting how Echo tells Hunter that they rescued him from Skako minor without knowing if he was there. Even with the bucket on, you can see Hunter is contemplating Echo’s feelings. Or are we playing a part in the story? Are we interpreting it ourselves?
While descending on top of an elevator, Hunter tells them to jump. No direction where or when. Keep in mind echo only has one hand to grab onto something. But, of course, it works perfectly, which supports my theory that acrophobia and vertigo do not exist in Star Wars. Even Wrecker gets over heights pretty quickly.
Now inside the base, we hear some music from the original Star Wars. It’s fitting that it’s the same music we hear as Luke, Han, Leia, and Chewie are running through the Death Star, evading imperial stormtroopers. Then we hear Tech mention TK troopers. He may not be familiar with that designation, but we certainly are; TK-421 breaks over! Or something like that.
Echo locates Gregor in cellblock 25. It would’ve been cool if it was cellblock AA-22 or cellblock1977. Something to remind us of Cell 2187 or callbacks to an important year or reference to George as George did in his movies.
Shortly after that, the squad breaks Gregor out and makes their way through the base looking for a way out. Gregor notices their armor and assumes they’re CC’s like him, but Hunter tells him that they’re CT-99’s. This is where we finally get some backstory on Gregor who was an instructor.
In The Clone Wars Season 5 Episode 12: Missing in Action, Gregor was designated CC-5576-39. He was a captain and part of an elite squad, a Clone Commando. Considering we see Clone Commandos escorting new stormtroopers and how Gregor was an instructor, it’s safe to say commandos were in charge of training new recruits.
Gregor was reported MIA during the Battle of Sarrish. One of the Republic’s most devastating losses. Gregor was left traumatized. The last time we see Gregor, he sacrificed himself and is thought dead. Apparently, after Abafar, Gregor made his way back to the Republic. However, when he was sent to Daro to train recruits, that’s when he decided to go AWOL. Whatever happens over the next two episodes, Gregor will eventually reunite with Rex.
Gregor informs the squad that skilled clones are being replaced by an endless supply of recruits. Which is par for the course for the Empire. Numbers over skill or quality. They would rather utilize numerous cheap TIEs instead of paying for a sturdier ship that can take a hit. I also loved the classic empire computer terminals. And what of the commandos. I’m pretty sure they’re the same commandos from the 2005 Republic Commando game, which featured Delta squad: Fixer, Torch, and Sev.
It was great that Gonky got to contribute at least temporarily. Like the season finale of Rebels, when Kanan got captured by Tarkin, Hunter is left behind and apprehended by Crosshair. Hunter orders Tech to go, and good soldiers follow orders.
Back on Kamino, Rampart decides that Lama Su’s services are no longer required. I thought for sure I’d hear blaster fire when the doors closed behind Rampart. But, instead, Nala Se is forced to keep her position as a scientist.
The list of clones with removed or malfunctioning chips grows Rex, Hunter, Tech, Echo, Wrecker, Gregor, and maybe Howzer. And somewhere, Wolffe is still out there.
War-Mantle is setting up for a blockbuster last two episodes. Will Hunter escape? What will happen to Gregor, and what happened to his chip? Will Hunter try to talk some sense into Crosshair? So many questions and so little time! One wonders if the last episodes will be longer. I have a point. Is it Friday yet?
Paul Naylor
Throughout history, mankind has discovered on many occasions ‘the missing link’ – that evolutionary jigsaw piece in the chain that connects us to our Stone Age heritage. It could be argued that this was referenced twice in this fantastic episode.
Firstly, on the planet Daro we are introduced to a lone clone trooper as he endeavours to escape from what are now Imperial troops. For me, it conjured the early chase scene from the original Planet of the Apes epic, where evolution is thrown on its head and apes rule the Earth. Perhaps that was intentional, preparing us for a second reference, a ‘new’ iteration of stormtrooper when the clone has been captured and taken to a secret mountain base.
These TKs are quite different to those we are familiar with, yet somewhat true to the concept designs of Ralph McQuarrie. It’s only a shame they weren’t wielding shields and lightsabers. More about TKs in a bit.
Prior to his capture, the clone had the initiative to trigger a tracking beacon, asking Captain Rex for assistance. In scenes reminiscent of Obi-Wan in Attack of the Clones, and indeed Maz Kanata in The Last Jedi, we see Rex is otherwise engaged, deferring to Clone Force 99.
Sidestepping their mission for Cid, our heroes head for Daro in a rescue attempt of the clone. Leaving Wrecker and Omega on the ship as back up, Hunter heads to the mountain base with Echo and Tech to locate the clone – who it transpires is Gregor, a clone commando familiar to fans of animated series’ The Clone Wars and Rebels. Gregor had been seconded to the base to train new recruits, but like he said, the Empire doesn’t take too kindly to deserters.
And while we’re talking familiar names, it turns out that clone commando Scorch – how good was it seeing these commandos in action? – also has a new job – heading up a squad of TKs. Yep, the stormtrooper is introduced in a familiar guise and it is swiftly explained that these are not clones, but instead enlisted recruits for the fledgling Empire. Apparently not as skilled as clones, but plentiful in supply. When it was quipped that numbers don’t match abilities, this was swiftly tested as the escape party makes its way off the base.
Most of the crew narrowly escapes, but alas, Hunter plummets to the ground from a great height, his fall broken on several occasions, with his survival ensured, but capture inevitable. Captured indeed and who else better to interrogate his old ally than Crosshair.
With the main plot necessitating Hunter’s rescue and a sub-plot that focussed on the potential demise of Kamino and the Kaminoans – this episode packed a weighty storyline into a short space of time.
I can’t wait to see where the closing episodes go. I am sure we are heading for more twists and turns in what has to be my favourite of the Star Wars animated series. Not only is it beautiful to watch, but the way it pulls on references from The Clone Wars, Rebels and saga films is subtle, yet intriguing. The use of Kamino has been spot on. It was always one of my favourite locations from Attack of the Clones – a film that does not get enough love.
Great work from all concerned.
Mark Mulcaster and Mark Newbold discuss War-Mantle on Episode 102 of Making Tracks