As Ryloth settles into rule under the Empire, not everyone is happy with the new arrangements, leading to conflict.

An unusual episode of The Bad Batch this week in that it doesn’t really feature all that much of our heroes at all, focusing as it does on the Imperial occupation of Ryloth, home planet of the Twi’lek people. This does give it the opportunity to introduce us to a familiar face, albeit somewhat earlier in their life than we have seen before.

With unrest still prevalent, even the public assurances of former resistance leader Cham can’t stop the discontented among Ryloth’s population from causing trouble for their new Imperial ‘guests’ whose new refiner on the planet promises peace and prosperity but is still suspiciously well-armed.

Admiral Rampart has the backup of Crosshair and his squad, as well as the usual Imperial firepower, and Senator Orn Free Taa, the planet’s ruler, is also on side. But Cham’s former colleagues are determined not to just let the Empire have its way, and when they get Cham’s daughter caught up in their schemes, things start to go sideways fast.

When the Batch do put in an appearance, running an errand for Syd, it’s nice to see the way in which Omega gets to interact with Cham’s daughter, and it’s clear both come way from the interaction a little better.

Mostly, it’s a quite downbeat, darker episode, involving some deception, dastardly deeds and the slow realisation for some that the Empire is not just something to be wary of, but to be actively distrusted. As the credits roll, the question is whether those lessons are being learned too late.

Verdict: Tense, downbeat and making good use of the wider universe without having to have the main cast front and centre. 8/10

Greg D. Smith