WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 1, Episode 14, “War-Mantle,” now streaming on Disney+.
As its title implies, The Bad Batch Episode 14, “War-Mantle,” revolves around the Galactic Empire’s Project War-Mantle, an initiative to replace its clone troopers with less effective but cheaper conscripted soldiers. “War-Mantle” also hints at something big going down, revealing that Admiral Rampart is overseeing an operation that requires mobilizing every viable clone on Kamino. Rampart instructs Crosshair to keep an eye on the Kaminoans, knowing all too well Prime Minister Lama Su is not happy about the Empire canceling its contracts with him. Sure enough, Lama Su secretly meets with Chief Scientist Nala Se, saying he fears the Empire will destroy their cloning operations and they must prepare for their departure.
Elsewhere, Captain Rex hails Clone Force 99 aboard the Havoc Marauder, asking for their help. He received a distress signal from clone trooper CC-5576 — better known to fans as Gregor — from Daro, “a terrestrial planet in the Outer Rim with no known settlements or installations,” as Tech informs the gang, and needs their helping retrieving him. Although they’re in the middle of a job for Cid, Echo and Omega are adamant that helping Rex’s friend is more important than being paid. After a bit of back and forth, Hunter consents to go check things out but is visibly uneasy. Then again, when isn’t Clone Force 99’s caring leader wary of prioritizing their ideals over their continued ability to make a living?
Hunter isn’t any more comfortable by the time they enter Daro’s atmosphere, pointing out they’re risking a lot for a clone they don’t know. “Rex trusts him, and I trust Rex,” Echo replies, putting his foot down. That does the trick and Hunter tracks the trail Gregor left after being captured and dragged away during his attempt to flee the planet. His trail leads the squad to a mountain where something is jamming their comms. While Omega and Wrecker stay behind on their ship, Hunter climbs the mountain with Tech and Echo, uncovering a military base hidden within its depths. “The mountain’s natural composition makes this base well-fortified and nearly impenetrable,” as Tech explains.
Realizing this is no longer a simple extraction, Hunter feels they should back out. Echo, on the other hand, is determined to keep going and reminds Hunter of what happened on Skako Minor — the place where the Separatists turned Echo into a cyborg while extracting information from his mind during the Clone Wars. Naturally, the thought of a clone being held captive resonates strongly with Echo, who refuses to give up on rescuing Gregor. Echo then uses his prosthetic appendage to hack into the base’s system after he and the others sneak in, which is another fine example of The Bad Batch‘s ongoing correction of Star Wars’ past ableism.
Confused, Echo notes the base houses 50 clone commandos and 1,000 TK troopers, the latter of which is not a designation Tech is familiar with. Setting that question aside, they press ahead and find Gregor in Cellblock 25, quickly freeing him. As they sneak through the base. Gregor explains the troopers are gathering for an inspection, which will make it near-impossible to sneak past them. He’s also surprised to learn Hunter and the gang are so-called “defective” clones before adding, “If you ask me, it’s the ones who want to stay here who are really defective.” Gregor begins to explain he was an instructor for the Empire’s conscription soldiers when Tech accidentally sets off an alarm after trying to use a clone code to redirect the base’s troops. Fortunately, he and the others have little trouble stunning and taking out the conscripted/TK troopers, who are pretty terrible at their job. “I didn’t teach them everything,” Gregor chuckles.
When Hunter asks about their replacements, Gregor notes the clones are soldiers of a Republic that doesn’t exist, adding that the recruits come from all over the galaxy and swear loyalty to the Empire. “They’re not as skilled, but there’s an endless supply of ‘em,” he adds, which further explains why the Empire stops using clones in favor of Stormtroopers. At the same time, their numbers create a problem for our heroes, allowing them to block all access points to the base’s central ring. Tech suggests using the main reactor’s external exhaust point as a getaway spot, revealing they can signal Wrecker and Omega from there to pick them up (seeing as it’s halfway up the mountain).
Making their way past the TK Troopers, Hunter, Tech, Gregor, and Echo successfully contact the Havoc Marauder from their exit point. Omega even gets to briefly try out her piloting skills before the base’s ships begin firing down upon them, causing the Marauder to lose power. Gonky gets a moment to shine when Omega plugs him into their vessel and revitalizes its failing systems, but Hunter falls off the ship after leaping aboard and only barely manages to survive his tumble down the mountain thanks to his heightened physical abilities. With the Marauder experiencing multiple system failures, Hunter orders the others to leave him as the Empire’s soldiers surround him on the ground.
Hunter’s not the only one in a tight spot by the end of the episode. Back on Kamino, Rampart approaches Lama Su, revealing he caught Nala Se gathering medical personnel to flee the planet. Lama Su tries to talk his way out of it, but Rampart has other plans, saying there’s no need for a politician like Kamino’s Prime Minister and taking Nala Se away. As for Hunter, he’s waiting in a prison cell when he receives a visit from his old pal Crosshair. “I was hoping for the whole squad, but you’ll do,” Crosshair tells him, ending “War-Mantle” on a decidedly ominous note.
Created by Dave Filoni, Star Wars: The Bad Batch premieres new episodes Fridays on Disney+.
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