Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 8 Ending Explained
Contains spoilers for "Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Season 1, Episode 8: "Reunion"
After setting up a handful of storylines and points of concern, "Star Wars: The Bad Batch" is slowly beginning to provide us with some resolutions. First and foremost, last week's episode, "Battle Scars," finally addresses the elephant in the room of Wrecker's (Dee Bradley Baker) constant headaches, supposedly caused by this inhibitor chip. This hunch turns out to be true, and with the help of Captain Rex (Baker), he and the rest of his squad are able to have theirs removed safely, narrowly avoiding a major disaster when Wrecker's chip activates.
While this allows us to breathe a little easier, another lingering plot point is about to rear its ugly head: the presence of the Empire. After a handful of episodes detailing former Clone Force 99 member Crosshair's (Baker) ascension through the Imperial ranks, he and the new regime he now serves have been missing in action, outside of passing mentions. However, thanks to the Scrapper Guild's snooping on Bracca, the group of chip-free rogue clones have been ratted out to the Empire and their brother — setting up a showdown we've all been waiting for, and one we didn't expect.
Let's explain what happened at the end of "The Bad Batch" Episode 8, "Reunion," explained.
Getting out of the hole
When we revisit the Bad Batch this week, the crew is still on Bracca, taking shelter under the less than comforting roof of a broken down Venator-class star destroyer. They're not looking to make a permanent residence out of it, but they want to strip it for parts and assets to hopefully repay their debt to their employer, Cid (Rhea Perlman). For those who don't recall, she's charging them for staying at her place, using her supplies, etc., even though they continually take increasingly risky assignments for her.
This scene at the start of "Reunion" is hardly the focus, but it speaks to a larger element of the story that has grown stagnant in recent weeks. After the fall of the Republic and the rise of the Empire, the Batch hasn't had a choice but to find their place in the galaxy, now that they're no longer soldiers. They've since fallen into mercenary work out of pure necessity, but Hunter (Baker) specifically has never felt right about this way of life. He seems determined to repay Cid and move on with their lives, no matter what.
Perhaps he and his squad-mates will find a way to wrap up their business arrangement with Cid, but for now, they have more pressing matters to address.
Crosshair's inner conflict
As teased in the previous episode, the Empire has tracked down Clone Force 99 on Bracca and sent Crosshair, as well as a group of Elite Squad troopers, to hunt them down and kill them if necessary. Given Crosshair's experience with the clones in question for years, he knows every trick in their playbook and manages to stop them dead in their tracks every time they attempt to escape. This makes for a wild goose chase of an installment that takes the characters all over the Venator — even the ion engine itself.
Crosshair is introduced in "Reunion" as a cold-blooded Imperial loyalist with no regard for the lives of his brothers — acting nonchalant about nearly incinerating them in the engine of the star destroyer and antagonizing Hunter by threatening to kill Omega (Michelle Ang). However, it's clear that there's still a part of him that's conflicted over his duties. He has the chance to shoot the entire Bad Batch on a couple of occasions but doesn't, and he sends one of his underlings to turn the engine on as he watches from a distance. Furthermore, he only targets Omega because deep down, he knows she's right about his chip controlling him, and it hurts to know that he cannot resist.
At the end of the day, "Star Wars" is and always has been about redemption, meaning Crosshair could definitely come back to his senses in due time. We'll just have to wait and see where his journey goes.
Cad Bane is back in business
Thanks to Hunter's quick thinking, just before the Venator's ion engine activates, the Bad Batch uses detonators to destroy a portion of the ship around it, allowing them to escape certain death. The result is a badly burned Crosshair having no choice but to admit defeat, and the remainder of his clone trooper forces set out to track their targets down once and for all. However, they're unsuccessful, because the chaos gives Clone Force 99 the perfect distraction to slip away to their waiting ship, the Havoc Marauder.
It seems like they're in the clear until Hunter and Omega reach the landing platform. All of the Imperial soldiers sent to guard it are dead, and standing in the middle of the carnage is famed Duros bounty hunter, Cad Bane (Corey Burton), and his droid companion, Todo 360 (Seth Green). For reference, his last television appearance aired back in 2012 for the "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" episode, "Crisis on Naboo," and he never got a proper end to his story. Suffice to say, his reemergence was worth the wait, and his tale is about to take a surprising turn.
Bane engages in a Western-style shootout with Hunter and wins, severely wounding him and kidnapping Omega to send her back to the Kaminoans that hired him.
It's time for a rescue mission
For the first time in quite a few weeks, "The Bad Batch" does not wrap up with a happy ending. Omega is long gone, and Hunter wakes up from his unsuccessful duel with Cad Bane, severely injured and in the middle of a firefight between the rest of his crew and Crosshair's Imperial forces. Through his point of view, we see him board the Havoc Marauder with the aid of his brothers, who are curious as to where Omega went. Disappointed, Hunter admits the bounty hunter swooped in and took her as the credits roll.
Hunter has every reason to be frantic and unhappy with himself, but it's clear he's as motivated as ever to get Omega back. Now possibly able to clear their debt to Cid, the entirety of the Bad Batch can focus on hatching a plan to find out who hired Bane, where he's taking Omega, and save her from an uncertain fate. Bearing in mind that the season is only half over, it's fair to assume all of this won't happen in the coming episode and will likely be resolved down the line. This would give time for Crosshair to heal up, Clone Force 99 to come up with a plan, and for us to gain more information about the Kaminoans' desire to experiment on Omega.
"Reunion" was certainly a downer of an episode, but don't forget, things can only get better for our heroes from here.