Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 15 recap: Unhappy reunion

In Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 15, Clone Force 99 returns to their home, Kamino, to rescue Hunter, who was captured by Crosshair, their former teammate and brother. They’re in for some shocking revelations along the way.

This season of the show is coming to a close, and the writers are tying up all the loose ends, while bridging the gap between the events of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and the original Star Wars film trilogy.

In this episode we discover the fate of Kamino, but we still don’t know what happened to the regs—the regular clones—who have been systematically replaced by the TK troopers.

Balancing action and character beats, this penultimate episode of the season does a lot of heavy lifting.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 15 – Return to Kamino

When Clone Force 99 escaped Kamino and the clutches of the Empire at the start of the Disney Plus show, Hunter had promised Omega that she would never have to return to the aquatic planet.

Unfortunately, Hunter is unable to keep his promise when Crosshair activates Hunter’s beacon to lure the rest of the Bad Batch to Kamino. It’s strange to see Hunter so passive, but he has little choice. Hunter has to play the long game if he’s to ensure his and his team’s survival.

Hunter arrives with Crosshair and his squad to an unrecognisable Kamino in Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 15. They are greeted by Admiral Rampart who trusts Crosshair’s instincts that the remaining Clone Force 99 members will join them soon enough.

Hunter can’t help but notice that the facility has been all but decommissioned and asks Crosshair where the rest of the regs and the Kaminoans are. Crosshair just informs him that they’ve been taken off-world.

Worryingly, Crosshair seems to be under the impression that he won’t be decommissioned like the rest of the clones. But Hunter’s seen what the Empire has done to the galaxy—they’ll come for Crosshair soon enough.

Crosshair takes Hunter to the training room and awaits his former brothers’ arrival, remarking that the Bad Batch don’t leave their brothers behind, most of the time. Hunter is shocked to hear this—he and the others had assumed that Crosshair was brainwashed by the inhibitor chip, but it’s evident that Crosshair doesn’t see the situation the same way.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 15 – Omega’s plan

The other members of Clone Force 99 complete repairs on their ship when they receive Hunter’s comm signal. They follow it all the way to Kamino. To avoid being captured as soon as they enter the system, Omega has a plan.

She knows about a secret platform that can only be activated by getting close to the water. Once the Marauder is close enough, the platform is activated and emerges from below the surface to allow the ship to land.

But the team have to enter the main city, which looks impossible from this platform. Once again, Omega has an ace up her sleeve in Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 15. She asks them to join her on the tube system, which leads them straight to Nala Se’s quarters.

Of course, the scientist is no longer on Kamino; she was invited by Admiral Rampart to join the Empire’s team of scientists in the previous episode. Omega doesn’t look happy about using the tube system, nor about their eventual destination.

The room that Clone Force 99 enter looks like a lab, but they have never seen it before. According to Omega, this was the lab in which she was created. It was also the place where the team’s mutations were enhanced.

In the lab, they find AZ (Ben Diskin), Omega’s trusty droid who had to be left behind. AZ has been hiding from the troopers but is going to be very useful to the Bad Batch. Together, they hatch a plan to surprise Crosshair and save Hunter.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 15 – “This is who I am”

As plans go, this one is not Clone Force 99’s best. Tech decides to use the lift into the training room, hoping for the element of surprise. He forgets that Crosshair was once part of this team and knows them better than most other people.

Wrecker orders Omega to stay behind with AZ, while Echo, Tech and he enter the training facility. They are immediately surrounded by TK troopers. Crosshair orders them to drop their weapons.

Omega tries to help by activating a host of droids, except she overdoes it, and Clone Force 99 have to fight the droids. To their surprise, Crosshair joins them, even killing the TK troopers so there’s no one standing in their way.

Once the battle is won, Crosshair tries to convince Hunter to join him and become a force of strength for the Empire. He believes that this is their true calling, and the squad went against everything they were made for when they abandoned the Empire. But Hunter reminds him they were loyal to only themselves. Except they weren’t.

We finally understand Crosshair’s real motivations in Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 15. He feels betrayed. He didn’t have a choice when he tried to kill his brothers, but his brothers had the choice to stay and save Crosshair. They didn’t; instead, they abandoned him.

As if this disclosure isn’t enough, Crosshair then reveals that he is acting off his own accord—he apparently had the inhibitor chip removed a long time ago. His desire to kill and hurt in the name of the Empire is real. But is he telling the truth?

Hunter stuns Crosshair and even tries to check for a scar from the chip removal operation. Unfortunately, it may be hidden under the burns that Crosshair suffered on Bracca. Hunter orders Wrecker to carry Crosshair while they try to escape Tipoca City.

Their escape plans are scuppered when Grand Moff Tarkin orders Rampart to fire on the City from his Star Destroyer. The city is no match for an Imperial Destroyer and collapses into the water, with Clone Force 99 still trapped inside.

Final Thoughts – Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 15 is all kinds of unexpected

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 15 sets up the season finale with quite the cliffhanger. Even though we know that the show has been renewed for a second season, we’re still left wondering how the squad will survive. What fate lies ahead for our heroes? Do we even know if they will all make it out alive?

There are a few more questions that this episode leaves us with. The special lab where Omega was created and the Bad Batch were enhanced might have some significance that the finale will need to address. We could be in for another surprise with Omega.

Crosshair’s characterization was another unexpected twist, but it is a conundrum. Why did Crosshair have no choice in attempting to kill his brothers? If it wasn’t the inhibitor chip making him follow the kill order, what was compelling him?

It was so wonderful to see all the members of Clone Force 99 fighting side-by-side, but can Crosshair be redeemed? We’ll need to wait a whole week to find out.

What did you think of Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 15? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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