“Rescue on Ryloth” is a great continuation of last week’s Star Wars: The Bad Batch

“Rescue on Ryloth” is another terrific installment of Star Wars: The Bad Batch packed with exciting action and great character development.

Not only is Star Wars: The Bad Batch back with a brand new episode, but the actual Bad Batch is back after sitting on the bench for most of last week. The previous episode was spent mostly on Ryloth and the Syndulla clan plotline, but now Clone Force 99 is returning to Ryloth after receiving a distress call from Hera. With Hera and Chopper’s help, the Batch plans to rescue Cham Syndulla from the Empire’s clutches. Along the way, they receive help from an unexpected ally while Crosshair tracks them down.

While the first part of this arc was boring because it was mostly focused on setting up the second half, this episode makes it worth it. The Batch and Hera’s plan to rescue Cham, Eleni, and Glie is fun to watch unfold, and once again reminiscent of Star Wars Rebels.

The action was classic Star Wars: our main characters have a plan that goes wrong, but with improvisation, they shoot their way out of a sticky situation. Watching Hera and Tech flying over the Imperial refinery while Hunter and Echo scale the walls was a lot of fun.

The characters are at the center of the plot as Hunter and Omega find a way to help Hera rescue her parents. “Rescue on Ryloth” mostly focuses on Hera, like last week; this time, she forms a strong friendship with Omega that becomes the heart of the episode. It was great to watch Omega encourage her new friend while Hera does her best to pilot the shuttle at the Imperial refinery. Rebels fans are aware of Hera’s impressive piloting skills, but this pivotal moment is still exciting.

Omega shines in this episode as she displays more of her tactical skills. After a probe droid finds the Bad Batch sneaking around, Hunter and the others give up and decide Ryloth is a lost cause. However, Omega doesn’t want to throw in the towel as easily and devises a plan with Hera, with Hunter eventually joining in. Omega has shown her intelligence throughout the series, but is finally organizing a mission. Hopefully she’ll continue to showcase more of her abilities.

But while Omega stepped up, the other characters stepped back. Clone Force 99 giving up on the mission that easily was out of character. The Bad Batch is known for their creative strategies and solutions, so their resignation was strange. Also, Hunter had to learn how to fight for the vulnerable in this episode, when he already learned this lesson earlier in the show. He was also a soldier during the Clone Wars, where he must’ve seen the devastating effects of war on civilians. Hunter’s arc here felt off.

There was also a bit of world-building in this episode. Possibly. Howzer, a clone introduced last week, stood up to the Empire and was apprehended for betraying the regime. Most fans started theorizing that either Howzer’s chip was malfunctioning or that Order 66 was “wearing off.” While there wasn’t confirmation of either theory, it would be interesting to see where Howzer’s story goes if he shows up again.

But for the most part, “Rescue on Ryloth” was another fun, light-hearted episode of Star Wars: The Bad Batch. There was some interesting development for some characters and regression for others, but it was still a great installment.

Grade: B+

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