Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 7 recap: An Old Friend

In Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 7, “Battle Scars,” Clone Force 99 meet a familiar face and rectify a problem they don’t realize is plaguing them. But could they have walked into the Empire’s trap?

So far, the Disney Plus show has been dropping major hints that it’s tied into the larger Star Wars live-action and the animated universe. Following Trace and Rafa Martez’s hijinks in the last episode, another familiar face appears to meet the clones.

Fans were wondering who the Martez sisters were speaking to at the end of the previous episode, and it looks like we finally have an answer. It wasn’t Bail Organa, as we had surmised, or Ahsoka Tano. But it is someone the clone troopers would know.

If only for one episode, the addition of this familiar character opens up the possibilities for the Bad Batch’s future. But will they take a chance on a new way of life?

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 7 – Another Stray

As always with Clone Force 99, they begin Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 7 by trying to escape yet another heist gone wrong. But, at least this time, they managed to nab their target—a strange lizard.

Taking it back to Cid, the team commence after-heist duties. For Wrecker and Omega, it’s celebrating by eating their body weight in some type of Ord Mantell nuts. For Hunter, Echo, and Tech, it’s being dressed down by Cid about their exorbitant expenses.

The squad are spending more than they’re earning, which means they need to score big next time. But first, they’ve got an unexpected visitor.

Fans of The Clone Wars will have long wondered what happened to Captain Rex, leader of the clones and friend to Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano. Barely an episode went by where Captain Rex wasn’t a part of the story.

In Star Wars Rebels, Rex and two clone friends, liberated from their inhibitor chips, were in hiding. They eventually returned to the Rebellion and were instrumental in ending Imperial rule.

In Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 7, we learn that Rex’s passion for fighting the Empire was struck a long time ago. Having been saved by Ahsoka in the finale of The Clone Wars, Rex still had to fight and kill his compatriots following Order 66.

The scars from those battles may not be visible, but they’re very much there. As happy as Rex is to meet Clone Force 99—having been informed of their hideout by the Martez sisters—Rex is far less happy to learn that the team has not removed their inhibitor chips. This is going to be a problem.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 7 – Good Soldiers

Wrecker has been struggling with a headache for a few too many episodes. But being on the run means the Bad Batch has very little medical recourse. Wrecker is surviving on med packs, but they’ve already run out.

When his headache flares up in front of Rex in Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 7, it’s obvious that the pain Wrecker is feeling isn’t just a result of too many blows to the head—the inhibitor chip is trying to activate.

Though Tech insists the squad is immune, he has no basis for that hypothesis other than the fact that the team hasn’t become Imperial lackeys. Unfortunately, Crosshair having turned should have been evidence enough that the Bad Batch weren’t immune.

That’s exactly what Rex picks up on, and he offers a solution. The planet Bracca, as seen in the videogame Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order, is little more than a junkyard for dead ships, but it does house an old Jedi cruiser with a medical facility the team can use to remove the chip.

The planet is safe except for the patrolling Scrapper Guild employees, who the team wants to avoid. It’s an easy enough task but a long hike to the actual cruiser.

Inside, the cruiser is a mess—there are huge chasms in the bulkheads, making navigation a nightmare. But eventually, they reach the medical bay and start their scans.

Wrecker’s chip takes this moment to activate. He’s always been the strongest on the team, and he makes short work of his compatriots. While Omega tries to bring Wrecker back, she is very little, and the chip’s influence is too strong. It takes a knockout blast from Rex’s blaster to take Wrecker down.

But once the chip is removed, all is better. Wrecker takes a while to come to, but the others handle the operation a lot better. In the end, the family is intact—minus Crosshair, of course—and Rex goes on his merry way back to the Rebellion.

Of course, Rex hints that the squad would be a great asset to the Rebels. But Hunter still isn’t sure what the team’s place in the galaxy is. They’ve also got Omega to take care of. Maybe the mercenary life is safer for them now? We’ll have to wait to see how that works out.

Clone Force 99’s new livelihood may be in jeopardy sooner than they expect, however. Unbeknownst to Rex and Hunter, the Scrapper Guild agents spot them and immediately inform the Empire. The team had better watch their backs from here on out.

Final Thoughts – Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 7 is a Necessary Waypoint

Not much happens in Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 7—it’s action-heavy but still manages to include important plot points that will hold relevance for the remainder of the series.

It’s going to be interesting to see what decision Clone Force 99 comes to about their future. That’s if they can escape the Empire, of course.

Anybody else feel like the Empire’s interest in this team is a bit excessive? What do Tarkin and the Emperor want with them? Is it even them they want, or is it just Omega? We’re almost at the halfway point and we have so many questions!

What did you think of Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 7? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch is streaming on Disney Plus.