Star Wars: The Bad Batch Fans Are Thrilled To Finally See Echo's Character Growth In Season 2
"Star Wars: The Bad Batch" Season 2 has finally arrived, and the two-part premiere focuses a fair share of the spotlight on fan-favorite clone trooper Echo (Dee Bradley Baker). Picking up several months after the fall of Kamino at the end of Season 1, the show's sophomore outing sees the Batch still taking mercenary jobs from small-time underworld figure Cid (Rhea Perlman). However, their desire for a bigger payday takes them to Count Dooku's home planet of Serenno, where they battle with Imperial forces for a share of the late Sith's expansive war chest.
While "The Bad Batch" Season 1 garnered high praise from fans and critics alike, it struggled to fully break each central character out into their own arcs. Instead, much of the season was spent setting up the state of early Imperial rule and dealing with the aftermath of the Clone Wars. And though every member of Clone Force 99 got moments to shine, most of the actual character development was spent on Hunter and Omega (Michelle Ang).
Fortunately, "The Bad Batch" Season 2 already seems to spend more time on the other main characters, with Tech and Echo particularly getting some great moments in the two-part season opener. Echo has been a popular character since his first appearance in "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" Season 1, and fans seem excited to see him finally getting some proper growth.
Echo finally gets some character development
For most of "The Bad Batch" Season 1, Echo is more of a background figure. He's quiet, calculated, and often serves as de facto second-in-command to Hunter. But near the start of Season 2, fans learn that the two clones don't see eye-to-eye on everything. When Hunter refuses the mission to Serenno out of concern for Omega's safety, Echo speaks up in opposition. He says that they have an obligation to fight the Empire no matter the risks and that the resources in Dooku's war chest would help them immensely. Of course, Omega overhears the conversation and begins to feel guilty, believing that Echo is blaming her presence for the squad's current situation.
As the two-parter continues, we see this tension between Echo and Omega. He assures her by the end that he has no regrets about them saving her, but he also stands firm on his desire to fight the Empire. Given how unified the Batch was for most of Season 1, it's interesting to see them have some disagreements. In the Clone Wars, Echo was an ARC Trooper — part of an elite sector of the Grand Army of the Republic tasked with top-secret missions. So it makes sense that he would feel particularly enlivened to fight Imperial oppression. It also fits that he's less concerned with personal safety than the rest of the squad. After all, most of his friends from the war are long gone, and he's already "died" once.
Viewers are loving Echo's new arc
Suffice it to say, "Bad Batch" viewers seem happy with Echo's new Season 2 spotlight. "Finally some character development for Echo," Reddit user tr_bando wrote in a thread discussing the season premiere. "Love the direction they're taking his character." Many others agreed, with swrpggm, calling Echo "the conscience of the group." Fans on Twitter responded positively as well, with spideydovah writing, "i love how they're giving more spotlight and characterization to echo, my bby deserves it."
Though he's never been as central in "The Bad Batch" as Hunter or Omega, Echo has much more history in the "Star Wars" canon. It's always fun to see an older character get some new life breathed into him, which is exactly what Season 2 seems to be doing so far. Though Echo joined Clone Force 99 before the end of the Clone Wars, he spent most of his life as a "reg," or regular clone. As such, it makes sense for him to differ more in his passions and worldview, and it's nice to see the "Bad Batch" writing team treating him accordingly.