The Bad Batch The Bad Batch 2.08 - Truth and Consequences - Discussion Thread (Spoilers Allowed)

Do you mean that it was obvious and they didn't need Rex to explain it to the other clones, much less the viewers watching the show?

 

I think explaining is clumsy in any show (as you suggest) but more substantially, it felt really clumsy that Rex concluded they were knowingly outplayed by Palpatine so directly, in order to get the Stortrooper Act (or whatever it's called) through the Senate.

I might need to watch it again in case I've gotten that wrong, but Rex does suggest Palpatine was manipulating Rex and TBB, and was not just making the most of Rampart's exposure and making himself look beneficent.

 

Yeah Rex seems to think that Palpatine is omniscient, which...needless to say, isn’t the case.

 

Palpatine did manipulate things. It's up to the viewer's interpretation of how far. I think more than anything Rex is letting his emotions on everything that's happened to him get the better of him and he's expressing a personal grudge against Palpatine when he says they were played. It could be argued Palpatine killed his son Fives through manipulation so it makes sense Rex would feel this way. Throw in Echo. What Maul Said. Being manipulated two possibly three times by other evil force users if we include Barriss. And all those men he buried after The Clone Wars finale and it's a big wound. That's Rex's real motivation. He made the decision to call in The Bad Batch instead of Rafa and Trace or Gregor because he wanted to do some damage. Really Palpatine could give a damn who the insurgents actually are. He probably didn't even know about The Bad Batch. Palpatine may actually have been surprised by how capable the insurgents were thanks to The Bad Batch. He really did get pissed at Bail and Chuchi. They forced him into Plan B.

Palpatine loves the Xanatos Gambit trope but he doesn't go into Speed Chess territory in my opinion. Palpatine just has contingency after contingency after contingency to always come out on top. Either the Senate was going to vote for the Storm Trooper bill on their own or he had a plan B (and probably more). I think Chuchi getting the info she did and starting to dig around forced Plan B.

Plan B was throwing Rampart under the bus. Why the hell would Rampart, the same dude who shot a clone for refusing to alter a report decide to make a backup video recording of Kamino's destruction and then store it on his Venator? That is the top four for worst ideas in the long history of bad ideas in the GFFA. Right up there with Clovis trolling Anakin to fight him like a man. Reva deciding to try and take on Vador. Remember when Ahsoka took that conveniently placed key card and busted out of her jail cell? Most likely Rampart was following orders and told to do it. How did the info on the exact location of the backup of the video of Kamino's destruction leak to Rex? That sounds like an intentional leak to me.

 

Very good couple of episodes. It remains amazing just how great Ian McDiarmid is.

And yes, I too loved the All the President's Men homage.

 

You know I love my bonkers Reddit theories and I've read one surmising Palpatine looks really pissed at the end because he is entertaining the idea that there is a Jedi that fell through the cracks working with the insurgence because of how well The Bad Batch tore up the Venator and we're able to steal the data. So, Ord Mantell should be issued an Inquisitor watch.

 

"Boy that Sheev sure is crafty one! He's up to his dastardly tricks!"
"By the way, did you guys know he's responsible for the ENTIRE Clone Wars, billions of deaths, and why almost you and your brothers shot your Jedi commanders dead?"

 

8/10, very good episode. Senate scenes were 10/10, especially Palpatine’s speech. Excited about the shows prospects with Echo splitting off with Rex. Only docked points for the mild silliness of how easily they broke into the ship and pulled off their heist.

I wonder what happens to Rampart. I seem to remember that in season 1 there were some mild insinuations that his and Tarkin’s relationship goes a touch past professional limitations, wonder if we see anything from that coming into play

 

Quite a good episode. I didn't rate it quite as highly as Ep. 7 but that's because I'm one of those grumpy "Bad Batch is better without the Bad Batch" types. Still, I liked it.

Real talk here: How or why did Kamino get a senator? Three/four years before this episode the place was so obscure that the Jedi didn't know it existed, much less that it was outfitting an entire clone army (consistent with the Dexxxxxster diner scene suggesting it was some off-the-grid place known only to unsavory types). Then, poof! They've got a senator! Clearly I missed something, but I'm not sure I did!

 

What? There’s no indication whatsoever that he wasn’t totally on board with Palpatine’s fascist Empire. Why should he be rewarded for that? This is your weirdest take yet, Fred. Explain yourself!

 

I was mostly being sarcastic, lol. Didnt think people take it too seriously. Mas Amedda from ATOC is all in. But between TPM and ATOC 10 years he has to deal with Palpatine. Maybe like Dooku and Anakin, he turns Amedda to be on his side. Maybe he once was a decent alien.

 

I think TCW made it clear Burtoni was sent to be more the Kamino sales rep than a Senator. That probably worked in Palpatine's favor and it makes sense to have someone there who is an expert in a very specialized, expensive, and important product. I don't think that's over. Season one made it seem like the Kaminoans had colonies else where and still may. I was trying to decide if Burtoni was looking at Omega like she had three heads or a lightbulb was going off. I think it's the later. She is going to try to sell Omega to the Empire for her sake.

 

It had been suggested that while Kamino was destroyed, there were rogue survivors out there scattered around. I could be wrong, but I don't recall seeing any of their race in a live action and/or animated venture since ROTS. Maybe the rogue Kaminoans are hanging out with the rogue Togrutans in the Outer Rim somewhere.

 

Not a fan of their design, so though I feel for them and their plight, I hope we don’t see much of them.

 

Didn’t they explain that it was the clone Slip? (Terrible name by the way) who made the back up without Rampart’s knowledge?

Plus I imagine that after AOTC, the Kaminoans were out there now and so Palps gave them a senate seat to use as a guise for legitimacy and to regulate them, etc. That’s if my own timeline is right and they were on the senate post-clone army reveal.

 

I know, for a moment there I thought he said Slick. I'll have to go back and watch this again. Could have sworn he said he was told to do it. Even if that's the case with these believers in the ranks any clone could be a spy.

 

I enjoyed this one. Conspiracy-themed episodes are always fun. And the random clone assassin at the end intrigues me.

 

I finally caught up with The Bad Batch. Got a new job which prevents me from staying up until 3 am to watch it. In fact, I now have to wake up at 6 am to go to work, so the last thing I would do is wake up earlier just so that I can watch a new show. Which means, I watched the latest 4 episodes back to back. And they reminded me why everything that is good in Star Wars right now, owes its existence and the reason why it's so good, to the Prequels and the Clone Wars.

This one got a 10/10 from me. I would have given a 9.5 but the Big Guy gave his perfect speech and I had to make it a 10/10.

 

Congrats on the new job: hope it works out well.

Glad these new episodes are so highly rated for you! I don't agree with your scoring but hey, it's all relative.

Actually, I hope everyone's job is working out well too, but that's probably a different SW thread. Lol. Stay cool, calm and collective! One way out!).

 

Thanks, I got a teacher position at a fancy private K-12 school, which is pretty much for rich people.

So far the positives outweigh the negatives:

• I am making 20-30% more than I was making before
• Lots of bonuses based on extracurricular activities, student performance and attendance
• Minimum of 3% raise every summer
• Personal and professional growth, with great chance to evolve and go up the ranks in a few years
• Out of my 172 middle school students (I teach Physics to all of the 7th and 8th grades) there are at least 20-30 that I already have a soft spot for

And the negatives:

• I now have to be at the school for a full schedule of 40 hours every week even when I have nothing to do
• Out of those 172 kids, there are 10-15 entitled, disrespectful little ********* that make me feel like Anakin at the Jedi Temple.

On topic, I don't know man.... to me all these animated shows are quintessential Star Wars at this point. I care a lot more about all the intricacies of the Republic, the war, the Empire, the Clones, and all the various species across multiple planets, than I do about blockbuster movies with impressive visuals that have cool space battles and saber fights, but suffer a lot with the narrative and the plot. I am 100% fine right now with never getting any other Star Wars movie in the future. The storytelling is just so much better with all these animated and live action shows, that I am sure with the next SW movie it will feel to me like a huge drop in quality, no matter how impressive it can be visually.

 

A really good couple of episodes that were a return to form in the style that I like with this show, a bit darker and tied it to the other films in showing the progression from clones to stormtroopers. I guess this could lead to a mass genocide of the clones in time? The arrival of Palpatine was brilliant, like it was unexpected and the hush that fell over the senate with the foreboding music was brilliant. McDiarmid (I am assuming he voiced him here) was perfect. I thinks theres a lot to like in The Bad Batch and its set in an interesting time period for me.

 

I gave this a 10/10.

Another great follow-up with the same cast of characters so there isn't a whole lot to add. Again, Senator Churchi was great here. Pantora always interested me. It was kinda baked into the cake what'd happen but it still is interesting to see the genesis of the stormtroopers. I will say though, that moment when Palpatine rises up...man it was done so well in making the full menace of him as Emperor felt. It was too bad Echo left as well.

 

I mean he has no reason to really doubt it much. Palpatine played Rampart and the senate perfectly. He took control of a democratic body that spans much of the galaxy in just 13 years. Turned it into a fascist state. Sheer isn’t of course but he makes it seem like he is.