The final season of Star Wars: The Bad Batch is here! In Bad Batch Declassified, we’ll explore our favorite moments from each episode, available only on Disney+. Armor up and join us for the ride.
Spoiler warning: This article discusses details and plot points from the Star Wars: The Bad Batch episode, “Paths Unknown.”
Rounding out our reunion with the members of Clone Force 99, in the second episode of the final season we depart from Mount Tantiss for parts unknown and catch up with Hunter and Wrecker. Their journey is filled with familiar faces, including the criminal Roland Durand from Season 1 and a trio of clone cadets who have been left on their own. But something wicked is lurking on the world of Setron. Here are five highlights from “Paths Unknown.”
1. The return of Roland Durand.
We saw Roland lose one of his precious horns in the episode “Infested” back in the first season, and now we finally meet his mother, Isa Durand, the ruler of their crime family. In a moment that brings his story full circle, the Pyke who shamed him is brought to justice and Durand and his family help Hunter and Wrecker with a clue that may lead them to Omega: intel on Dr. Royce Hemlock’s lab.
2. Heirlooms of the past.
Omega’s tooka, Lula, and Tech’s goggles can be glimpsed briefly in the Marauder, totems of a time when Clone Force 99 felt more complete. For longtime fans, it’s a painful reminder of all that the Batch has lost over the years as well as a poignant cue that they’re more than just a squad. They’re family.
3. Slither vines!
From the moment Wrecker and Hunter step foot on Setron, something feels off. But it isn’t until they infiltrate the abandoned lab that the place starts to give off some major horror movie vibes. The defensive vines found in the jungle are nothing compared to the skittering vine creatures hopping around on three legs. Creepy!
4. The gaping maw.
And then there’s the mother of all slither vines. As the Marauder rescues the Batch, the toothy mouth that rises up out of the murky darkness to try to gobble them up is reminiscent of one of Jabba’s favorite monsters: the Sarlacc.
5. Cadets no more.
Deke, Stak, and Mox have been tossed aside by the Empire, and their distrust of the elite clones is understandable. But after coming to their aid, they’re rewarded with a lift off Setron and the promise of a new life on Pabu. Their lives are just getting started, and Hunter’s advice will hopefully set them off in the right direction. “Make your own path,” he says. “Be something other than a soldier.”
