‘The Bad Batch’ Episode 3 Review: A Descent Into the Dark Side

This is a review of The Bad Batch Episode 3, the following contains spoilers for the episode. You can read the last episode review here.

Following last week’s two-episode launch of The Bad Batch, Disney+ returned to form this week with only releasing one episode. While it doesn’t pack the punch of the almost hour-long premiere, Episode 3 provides us with an interesting look at the building of the Empire. Episode 3 also manages to provide the viewers with some stress and plant some seeds on future plot lines.

The most interesting part of this newest episode of The Bad Batch is the formation of the Empire being shown right before our eyes. While much is known about this time, there is so much we don’t know. The introduction of Admiral Rampart brings along the introduction of regular people joining the Empire’s military. To see how this plays out especially with Crosshair leading this new team will certainly be interesting.

As the Empire progresses in the background, The Bad Batch is still on the run. After crash landing on a dark misty planet, they must patch their ship up. While the crew works the setting of the scenes works perfectly with what we’re seeing from the Empire. Both are dark and mysterious leading us to feel a sense of dread. The setting is very reminiscent of the asteroid scene in Empire. This almost horror-like plot stop serves the darker theme of the episode very well and is something I’d personally like to see more from Star Wars.

READ: ‘The Bad Batch’ Episode 1 Review: Big Action, Bigger Character Moments

An important theme in this episode is family. Star Wars has always been about family and The Bad Batch is no different. The crew lost Crosshair but gained Omega, and she’s filling that role. As we see constant care for Omega, we can’t help but feel as if it stems from the loss of Crosshair. The Bad Batch clearly still misses their partner.

While this episode doesn’t shine like the premiere, the deeper dive into exploring this early rise of the Empire is very interesting. These little nuggets into understanding the formation of the Empire is something true Star Wars fans want to see. The setup of inhibitor chips becoming a problem is certain to bring further conflict for The Bad Batch. Of course, the animation and music in the episode we’re great as always. The Bad Batch is proving itself to be yet another great animated series for Star Wars. –Collin Stetzner

Grade: 8/10

The Bad Batch drops new episodes every Friday on Disney+