We Saw the Empire’s Control Over Clones in This Week’s Star Wars: The Bad Batch

The Empire is an ever-looming presence in the Star Wars franchise, and this week’s episode of The Bad Batch showed us just how much they can get their hooks in someone, even if they’ve fled the Empire’s grasp.

**Spoilers for Star Wars: The Bad Batch episode 7, “Battle Scars,” lie ahead.**

This week’s episode was an interesting look at the clones and the power that the Empire held over them. For so long, our understanding of the clones is that they were dedicated warriors, and those who varied among the clone army were few and far between. But getting to see just how much the inhibitor chip in the clones’ brains led their actions was jarring—especially since, arguably, the most famous of the “clones” is Boba Fett, who got to live his life as a normal child and beyond with Jango Fett, instead of joining the army the Empire was building.

But on this week’s episode of The Bad Batch, it was heartbreaking to watch as the crew dealt with Wrecker slowly being brought down by his inhibitor chip. Wrecker has been having headaches for the last few weeks, but because he kept hitting his head, no one really thought anything of it. This week, when Captain Rex shows up to see the Batch and talk to them about their mission and Omega, what he discovers is that the Batch still has their inhibitor chips and tells them that they have to get rid of them or the Empire could still control them, even though the Bad Batch were not affected by Order 66.

To prove Rex’s point, Wrecker’s chip finally clicks to take over, and he starts to turn on the Bad Batch before they can take the chip out, but with Omega’s bravery and Rex’s quick thinking, they take down Wrecker in enough time to take out his chip before doing the same with the rest of the Bad Batch. (Omega doesn’t have a chip, so she’s fine.)

So while yes, the episode was a point of growth for Wrecker and Omega’s relationship, since she was the one who tried to stop him, it was more about what the Empire did to the clones in order for them to “comply.” We always saw the clone army as beings who would follow willingly with what the Empire wanted, and getting to see how that was not voluntary, that the Empire was forcing them into all this? Something we knew was happening but seeing how much clones like the Bad Batch wanted to be free? It’s heartbreaking.

Luckily, with the help of Rex and Tech’s talent, they managed to free themselves of their inhibitor chips, and Wrecker and omega mended whatever relationship Wrecker thought was ruined because he had tried to attack her. And now with nothing holding the Bad Batch to the Empire, it’s going to be exciting to see what that leads them to next.

(image: Lucasfilm)

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