The Bad Batch Finale Still Fails One Clone Force 99 Member

The two-part season 1 finale of Star Wars: The Bad Batch sees the destruction of Kamino and a bitter conflict between Clone Force 99 and their former member Crosshair but leaves one clone out of focus: Echo. A cyborg able to communicate directly with computers, Echo has little to do in the climactic episodes, with most of his dialogue being exposition. This reflects a larger issue that the first season of The Bad Batch had with Echo and balancing its cast of characters as a whole.

The final two episodes of The Bad Batch‘s first season see the clones returning to their home planet of Kamino to rescue their leader, Hunter. Crosshair confronts Hunter and the others but ends up helping the team escape from the Empire’s bombardment of Tipoca City, home to the cloning labs that spawned the Bad Batch and the rest of the clone troopers. The city is destroyed and Crosshair chooses to stay behind on Kamino, but the rest of the Bad Batch escapes.

While all four of Crosshair’s former teammates have a close connection to the clone commando and sniper, the finale focuses their feelings about him through Hunter, who does most of the talking and decision-making. Wrecker and Tech, who have fairly strong personalities, are also able to share the spotlight in the finale as they at least have fun lines in the episode, even if they are not the focus. However, the more subdued Echo fades into the background and is seemingly forgotten. Not only did he not get any significant dialogue, but the finale also provided no opportunity for him to use his technological skills or have a meaningful impact on the plot.

Overall, Echo hasn’t received much focus in The Bad Batch thus far, which reflects a broader issue with the series. In theory, a 16-episode series should provide plenty of time to flesh out the personality of every Clone Force 99 member. But the first season largely focused on the mysterious Star Wars clone, Omega, and various guest stars, with the clone troopers themselves often seeming like more of a plot vehicle to explore the universe of the early Empire. No character has suffered more from this than Echo, who lacks the obvious personality hooks of a character like Wrecker. He isn’t even the crew’s primary tech specialist.

The lack of focus on Echo is a shame, as he is perhaps the most potentially interesting member of the Bad Batch. Echo is originally depicted in Star Wars: The Clone Wars as a rookie cadet in the 501st Legion, and is later captured by Separatists. He joins Clone Force 99 only after it is already established, and his cyborg nature and ability to translate Separatist transmissions make him a valuable addition. Fans of Dave Filoni’s animated Star Wars shows and their characters have been following Echo’s journey all the way since season 1 of The Clone Wars, and his cyborg nature opens up a number of potential stories. So it’s unsatisfying to see him reduced to just another guy holding a gun.

A TV series is under no obligation to give all of its characters equal screen time or development, but Echo’s lackluster role in the season 1 finale of The Bad Batch illustrates an opportunity for the series to grow in season 2. The individual members of Clone Force 99 are still fairly one-note characters, and often the least interesting part of their own show. Hopefully, the already-confirmed second season of Star Wars: The Bad Batch will help to give the clones more depth as characters and, in particular, give Echo more to do.

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