Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 13 recap: A matter of spice

In Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 13, Clone Force 99 returns home to find that things have changed, and not for the better. Nobody’s getting paid today.

The Disney Plus show has had a few intense episodes with the Bad Batch helping the Syndullas, and it takes a moment to lighten things up.

This is very much a bottle episode, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. We get some character moments that make it memorable.

With a first season like this one, which has taken the time to set up situations and character dynamics, a quiet, albeit suspenseful, episode is hardly anything to scoff at. So, what happens to our titular team this time around?

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 13 – New management

Back in Episode 7 of the show, Clone Force 99 rescued a lizard named Ruby. Omega, in typical fashion, had grown attached to the creature, who reciprocated the affection. In Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 13, Clone Force 99 returns to Ord Mantell to find Ruby’s real owner has arrived.

Roland Durand (Tom Taylorson), a young Devaronian with grand designs on a criminal empire, isn’t just here to reclaim Ruby. He’s planning a hostile takeover of Cid’s business. Cid is out. Her bar has been overtaken to serve as a cover for shady practices. And there’s no place for the Bad Batch.

But Cid isn’t going to take this treatment lying down. She’s already got a plan to get her enterprise back. Cid knows that Roland has agreed to an exchange with the notorious Pyke Syndicate—he’s promised them six crates of spice.

It just so happens that Cid knows exactly where those crates are kept in her office, and she has a way to get to them without being noticed.

Ord Mantell has an entire underground network of tunnels, now lying unused and infested with creatures called irlings. Cid and the Bad Batch can traverse these tunnels to Cid’s office, steal the spice and make an escape, all without Roland finding out.

To keep Roland occupied, Cid has her minions kidnap Ruby. Roland is so preoccupied with getting Ruby back that he abandons his office and the precious spice contained within.

Of course, this is Star Wars, so the plan doesn’t quite work out. Cid’s minions can’t hang on to the rambunctious Ruby for long. Even though the Bad Batch gets the spice, Roland finds their escape route and sends his troops after Clone Force 99 in the tunnels.

A firefight ensues and wakes up the swarm of irlings. The Bad Batch and Cid manage to get to safety, but the spice crates fall into the nest. But that’s not a problem. They never needed the spice—it was a ploy to get Roland in trouble with the Pykes.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 13 – Fighting the swarm

Yeah, it turns out it is a problem. The Pykes don’t take kindly to Roland not showing up with their spice. But he’s not the only one they’re annoyed with—they want the people behind this mess to pay, as well.

In an unusual move from Cid, she decides to celebrate her victory prematurely by returning to her bar while the Pykes are still there in Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 13.

The Pykes have Roland captive, and now they want Cid to hand over their spice. Cid pretends she knows nothing about the spice but the Pykes aren’t stupid. They insist that Cid and the Bad Batch get the spice—and they’ll keep Omega captive until they do.

This is a disaster. The Bad Batch doesn’t want to leave Omega with the Pykes, but they have no choice—a blaster fight with the Pykes will leave them all dead.

With Omega and Roland in the Pykes’ hands, the Bad Batch and Cid take the Marauder to a nearby opening so they can search for the crates. They’ve headed there during daytime when the irlings are dormant.

But there are six crates scattered to who knows where in this massive cavern—this isn’t going to be easy. Cid and Wrecker rappel down to find the crates while Hunter mans the pulley to bring the crates up. Echo keeps watch while Tech works on a device that will emit light if this process takes until dark.

And that’s exactly what happens. Just as Cid and Wrecker have found the last crates, night begins to fall. An errant bump into some machinery in the cave leads to it crashing down and awakening the irlings. Without Tech’s device, Wrecker and Cid would never have escaped.

The Pykes are pleased to get their spice back and release Omega. Roland, however, is still to be punished according to their rules. Omega surprisingly stands up for Roland, and Cid backs her up. In the end, the Pykes lop off one of Roland’s horns, but they spare his life.

Roland is relieved, and he seems to have made a new friend in Omega. Hunter is surprised by Omega’s generosity—Roland wasn’t very nice at the start. But Omega believes the best in people—plus, Ruby liked them both, so he can’t be all bad.

With all that fuss behind them, Cid treats the Bad Batch to a round. They deserve a lot more, but this will do for now.

Final Thoughts – Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 13 was a fun interlude

I enjoyed Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 13. This is the kind of episode that you watch after a long hard week at work. Kick back with a cold one and put your feet up for some simple yet suspenseful storytelling.

The theme of this season has been Omega being more understanding of people than they deserve. She also makes friends very quickly and becomes a bit too attached. The Bad Batch wasn’t even planning to help Cid had it not been for Omega.

The dynamic between the Bad Batch family continues to be a joy to watch, and it’s going to be interesting to see where they go next.

What did you think of Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 13? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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