I always wonder what people are seeing as the difference between these episodes that I'm not.
Spoilers Bad Batch Season 3 - February 21st
- Thread starter Tuskin38
- Start date
Clip from this week's episode.
https://twitter.com/comicbook/status/1769763392816922906?t=gaZLpE-ZGadR023LLAwUTw
https://twitter.com/comicbook/status/1769763392816922906?t=gaZLpE-ZGadR023LLAwUTw
Take this with a grain of salt since it's mostly just coming from the word of some random blogger and other equally rando twitter people; but while at a convention last week Nika Futterman supposedly said when asked about Ventress's upcoming appearance on The Bad Batch: -
If accurate; this seems to confirm what I suspected about why they put her in the Bad Batch trailer at all was because they have more than just this appearance planned for the character in the near future. That of course makes me even more sceptical since one must beware of confirmation bias . . . but it still feels right.
I'd be surprised if we're looking at a straight-up "they're making 'Dark Disciple'" when the much more likely scenario involves her being a part of TotJ season 2.
Indeed my hope is that the two characters they'll focus on this time around is going to be Ventress and Sabine since in the former case, Ventress was a Jedi padawan for a full decade before it all went meiloorun shaped, and even though it was as a Sith Assassin/"secret" apprentice, being trained by Dooku still makes her a part of that same legacy. As is Sabine, and since 'Ahsoka' implied more story than it told, it would be nice if animation could tell at least some of it before we get to 'Ahsoka' season 2. Plus I'm curious what a TCW/BB/TotJ version of Sabine might look like.
Getting off thread topic a bit I know, but for what it's worth the internal Lucasfilm codename for the TotJ was 'enibas', which after season 1 I assumed was just a little bit of a sneaky misdirect for those that can read words backwards (which certainly sounds like a Filloni move), but now it may prove that Filloni was as ever, playing the long game and hiding it is plain sight (which also sounds like a Filloni move.)
I'd be surprised if we're looking at a straight-up "they're making 'Dark Disciple'" when the much more likely scenario involves her being a part of TotJ season 2.
Indeed my hope is that the two characters they'll focus on this time around is going to be Ventress and Sabine since in the former case, Ventress was a Jedi padawan for a full decade before it all went meiloorun shaped, and even though it was as a Sith Assassin/"secret" apprentice, being trained by Dooku still makes her a part of that same legacy. As is Sabine, and since 'Ahsoka' implied more story than it told, it would be nice if animation could tell at least some of it before we get to 'Ahsoka' season 2. Plus I'm curious what a TCW/BB/TotJ version of Sabine might look like.
Getting off thread topic a bit I know, but for what it's worth the internal Lucasfilm codename for the TotJ was 'enibas', which after season 1 I assumed was just a little bit of a sneaky misdirect for those that can read words backwards (which certainly sounds like a Filloni move), but now it may prove that Filloni was as ever, playing the long game and hiding it is plain sight (which also sounds like a Filloni move.)
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I think it's a safe bet that they'll keep Tiya Sircar for animated Sabine, just as they've kept Ashley Eckstein as animated Ahsoka.
I think the only circumstance where LF animation *might* switch over to Natasha Liu Bordizzo (or Rosario Dawson for that matter) is if they show the character at or near the Mandoverse timeframe . . . but even then I wouldn't put money on it.
The (admittedly dubious) precedent being how they've switch back and forth between Andrew Kishino and Forest Whitaker in animation based on whether Saw is closer to 'Clone Wars' or 'Rogue One', chronologically. I guess Rebels using both James Arnold Taylor with his version of Ewan McGregor, and Stephen Stanton doing an Alec Guinness impersonation in the very same episode also counts.
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Well they did it again; another pointless sidemission filler episode with nothing going on . . . well, except for all of this of course 
: -
So let's run through the candidates of who was Shand contacting, because if they're hiding the image and scrambling the voice, it has to be someone we know: -
: -- I think I said as much last year too, but I really like how they've designed Pabu to look like it has some real history behind it. Like the islands has been inhabited, abandoned, and re-inhabited over and over and this is just the latest group to settle in the ruins. Also makes me wonder it there's an actual story behind it's history, or if all ancient crumbling pillars and partially collapsed arcades are just an aesthetic choice by the crew.
- I get why Palpatine used hunters like Bane during the war for "high m-count contracts" but you'd think by this point he'd have the Inquisitorious on the job. I guess he's just casting the net as wide as possible and/or it's the Inquisitorious itself that's posting the bounties as feelers.
- I can't quite articulate why, but I really like how just normal space stations have started showing up in Star Wars more often in recent years. A little surprised this show hasn't gone the The Wheel yet though. Seems like a perfect fit.
- A pit droid bartender with a tall hat and goggle? Could someone please explain why that's so funny to me?
- Speaking of the wheel; I really like the color key design in this scene. The harsh green and magenta fills and sickly yellow ambient almost give it the feel of an old 70's/80's comic book panel.
- These two really should have thought of a good cover story for why they want to know about HMC targets. Fennic isn't stupid; she will put two and two together.
- Sylar Saris, "The Slayer of Ordo Eris"? Do all of his titles rhyme? Does he also go by "Lounger of the Shady terrace?", "Rider of the Wheel of Ferris?", "Suitor of the Verpine Heiress?" (he seems like a player).
- Is that supposed to be a Yam'rii? Of all the cantina aliens to bring back, that has to be one of the most dopey . . . I wholeheartedly approve!
- Incidentally; Ordo Eris was a location in 'Jedi: Fallen Order', and was indeed the stronghold of the Haxion Brood that's also name-dropped here as part of the reason he's on the lamb.
- A Star Wars planet with a non-breathable (for humans) atmosphere? Finally! They really ought to do this kind of thing more often. It's a big galaxy.
- Anyone else feeling reminded of playing 'Snake Eater' with this swamp? I keep expecting The Sorrow to pop up.
- I like how Omega is maturing. They've done a great job of showing her picking up influences from all the various people they've met and places they've been over the last two seasons, and how she's incorporated it into her outlook and personality.
- Space-crocs!? Think they've played Knifey-Spooney before? Either way it's nice to see Wrecker a little more like his old self again.
- I'll say this; they took one of the most awkward looking Cantina Alien designs and made it both agile and terrifying. I mean a giant knife wielding praying mantis that takes half a dozen stunblasts to knock out has to be the stuff of nightmares.
So let's run through the candidates of who was Shand contacting, because if they're hiding the image and scrambling the voice, it has to be someone we know: -
- Cad Bane? Possible. As mentioned above he's been hired by Sidious before, and Shand owes him money; this could be her attempt to settle the debt so he'll stop trying to kill her . . . but that's not what the interaction felt like.
- Ventress? Easily the prime candidate given what we know. No way in seven hell planets is she working for Sidious or the Empire, but there's every chance she's putting it about that she's willing to pay for HMC target intel on the pretext that she is, all while doing the exact opposite and getting the targets out before the real hunters show up.
- Fulcrum? Interesting but since we already know Ventress is in the mix here somewhere, that would feel redundant given her motives and method would be more or less the same . . . unless of course they're working together on this "obfuscated trail".
- Maul? A wildcard as ever. Though he lost Mandalore, the Shadow Collective is still more or less intact, and he'd be very much interested in Project Harvester. Not just to disrupt what Palpatine is up to, but because he always seems to be on the hunt for a new apprentice, and why not steal one from the Empire? We know from is Solo/Rebels saber that he ran into some Inquisitors along the way somewhere. Also: Fennic was working this contract because Sylar Saris took out a couple of "top bosses". Given the percentage of "top bosses" in the underworld ultimately answer to Maul at this point, it's far from impossible that this contract came from one of the Shadow Collective; even Crimson Dawn. So that's a possible connection at least.
- The Grand Inquisitor/Vader? I'd call these VERY remote possibilities at this point, and for fairly obvious reasons.
- Trace and Raffa? Obviously not, but the comedy value after such a sinister build-up might just be worth it!
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I'm not sure the Inquisitors are fully baked by this point in the timeline. The Grand Inquisitor may be onboard by now. Maybe another one or two, but not enough to go galavanting around the universe. I always kinda figured they weren't a fully formed group until maybe 4-5 years post Clone Wars.
Between the Vader comic, and 'Rise of the Red Blades', it's reasonably well established that Palpatine had them up and running almost instantly.* He had an Order-66 exemption list and everything. This show has to be a minimum of 18 months out from that, if not more.
Still, like I said, they're a remote possibility not because of the lore feasibility, but because those characters just aren't a good fit for the story being told. If Vader shows up, then that just eclipses anything else. If The Grand Inquisitor shows up . . .well frankly' who cares? He won't mean much to Omega or the Batch, and as I mentioned last week; Palpatine probably wants to keep Vader as far away from Necromancer as possible.
* One idea floated by one of the Rebel's producers/writers (I forget which, but I don't think he works at LF anymore) was that the GI wasn't just one of the Temple guards that was in the room with both Barris & Ahsoka during that whole thing, but he was the one that betrayed/murdered all the others, deactivated the security systems, and thereby letting Vader and the 501st march right through the front door. Indeed, the Vader comic showed that Palpatine had gotten to him already before the end of the war. So that much tracks.
Maybe Palpatine isn't involving the Inquisitors because he doesn't want Vader to know about it.
As much I enjoyed seeing Fennic again (Phee, too!), my favorite part of the episode was seeing Omega connecting with Crosshair and helping heal from his trauma. He might not see immediate results, but I'm happy he's listening to her and giving peace a chance (sorry, not sorry).
A shame Hunter and Wrecker couldn't actually trust Fennic after all but I can't say I'm not surprised.
But with only seven episodes left, I think the obvious choice might actually be the most likeliest one this time.
A shame Hunter and Wrecker couldn't actually trust Fennic after all but I can't say I'm not surprised.
Yup, I really liked that creativity and effort they've put into designing Pabu for all of those reasons. I'm fine with never knowing anything about the actual history, just having that strong sense of history existing is enough for me.
Pretty good breakdown of the possibilities. Fulcrum was my first thought but I think Ventress is the safe bet here. Of course, that's just what they want us to think!
But with only seven episodes left, I think the obvious choice might actually be the most likeliest one this time.
Why the hell would you trust Fennic?
I see no reason to trust her whatsoever and the fact that Fett has her as an ally was not enjoyable.
It depends what you mean by "trust". One can certainly trust Fennic to complete a contact for the right price. One can trust her to be a professional once the shooting starts.
I think Fennic can be trusted the same way Hondo can be trusted. That is to say; highly conditional trust within prescribed parameters, with is almost indistinguishable from "cannot be trusted at all". Trust isn't a binary state, it's a spectrum. So it's less about whether someone can be trusted and more about what can the specifically be trusted with.
I think the larger point here is that while Fennic is a villain, she's not evil. Her interests orbit around selfish greed, but that's not her sole and all consuming motivating factor. That's Cad Bane, and up until his sarlacc stomach acid baptism; probably Boba Fett too.
That's what so interesting to me about a lot of the best "underworld" characters, from the likes of Han, Lando and Boba, to Sugi, Cad Bane, Hondo, Cid, even the likes of Haja, Trace & Raffa. They are each self interested mercenaries of one stripe or another, but they each have their own unique code of sorts (though Hondo's code seems to be simultaneous multiple-choice, and on flexi-time.)
Of course we can't actually judge WHAT Fennic just did, let alone her trustworthiness until we see who she contacted and to what end. For all we know Fulcrum has her on retainer to keep an ear out for any HMC targets and report in, and she did so because she (possibly) just concluded that Omega is a force sensitive kid and realised her begin with a bunch of clones (kinda notorious for murdering force sensitives to death) seems like an alarmingly unsafe situation. So she called Fulcrum and/of Ventress to come and extract the kid and get her somewhere safe (for a price.)
Yeah, though had she not have been in the trailer; she would have been the absolute lowest candidate on the list, below even Trace & Raffa (because: death.) Which still makes me wonder exactly why they gave that surprise away in the marketing . . . maybe because the Lego solicitations are about to go out or something, and that always spoils these things!
I think Fennic can be trusted the same way Hondo can be trusted. That is to say; highly conditional trust within prescribed parameters, with is almost indistinguishable from "cannot be trusted at all". Trust isn't a binary state, it's a spectrum. So it's less about whether someone can be trusted and more about what can the specifically be trusted with.
I think the larger point here is that while Fennic is a villain, she's not evil. Her interests orbit around selfish greed, but that's not her sole and all consuming motivating factor. That's Cad Bane, and up until his sarlacc stomach acid baptism; probably Boba Fett too.
That's what so interesting to me about a lot of the best "underworld" characters, from the likes of Han, Lando and Boba, to Sugi, Cad Bane, Hondo, Cid, even the likes of Haja, Trace & Raffa. They are each self interested mercenaries of one stripe or another, but they each have their own unique code of sorts (though Hondo's code seems to be simultaneous multiple-choice, and on flexi-time.)
Of course we can't actually judge WHAT Fennic just did, let alone her trustworthiness until we see who she contacted and to what end. For all we know Fulcrum has her on retainer to keep an ear out for any HMC targets and report in, and she did so because she (possibly) just concluded that Omega is a force sensitive kid and realised her begin with a bunch of clones (kinda notorious for murdering force sensitives to death) seems like an alarmingly unsafe situation. So she called Fulcrum and/of Ventress to come and extract the kid and get her somewhere safe (for a price.)
Pretty good breakdown of the possibilities. Fulcrum was my first thought but I think Ventress is the safe bet here. Of course, that's just what they want us to think!
But with only seven episodes left, I think the obvious choice might actually be the most likeliest one this time.
Yeah, though had she not have been in the trailer; she would have been the absolute lowest candidate on the list, below even Trace & Raffa (because: death.) Which still makes me wonder exactly why they gave that surprise away in the marketing . . . maybe because the Lego solicitations are about to go out or something, and that always spoils these things!
Yeah, it's pretty much in the "can't trust at all" for me with such characters. I don't like Hondo, don't care for Fennic, and Fett was rough until post-Sarlacc.
Like them or not, you demonstrably CAN trust them. You can even trust Cad Bane if you pay him enough. Even he has a certain code; as cold and twisted it may be.
Limited trust is no trust at all for me.
Yeah, Ventress seems like the most obvious choice since we obviously know she shows up this season, and it makes sense that she'd want to disrupt any Force related plans Palpatine might have.
This episode was pretty low key, with no realy huge story developments, but it was still good. I've always like Fennic, so seeing he again is alway a plus for me, and the stuff with her, Wrecker and Hunter was pretty good, especially the alien 'gators. We also got some nice character work with Crosshair and Omega, they're really developing a nice relationship for them.
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