"A Distant Echo" Episode Guide | The Clone Wars - Season 7, Episode 2

At Fort Anaxes, Anakin meets with Rex and Hunter to plan the mission to Skako Minor. There, they hope to find out how the Separatists have predicted Rex's strategies -- and if Echo is still alive. But before they can leave, Anakin says, they "have that thing to do."

With Rex on watch, Anakin retreats to the now empty clone barracks where he contacts Padmé, his secret wife. She offers some words of wisdom regarding his concerns for Rex, but their talk is cut short by Obi-Wan's arrival (signaled to Anakin by a knock on the door from Rex). Both say "I love you" and bid their farewells; Obi-Wan, however, may know more than Anakin realizes. "I hope you at least told Padmé I said 'Hello,'" he says upon seeing Skywalker.

The mission begins! Rex, Anakin, and the Bad Batch land on the fog-covered Skako Minor. They're quickly greeted by the locals, a race called Poletecs that worship massive reptilian beasts. And they don't seem happy to see the Republic heroes.

Soon, one of the creatures swoops in and grabs Anakin! Crosshair instinctively fires a grappling line onto the beast and trails the aliens back to their village, relaying the location to the rest of the squad.

The clones quickly arrive and disarm the Poletecs without taking any lives. Tech translates the words of the chief, who says he does not want their war on his planet. Anakin reassures him it's the Separatists who brought the conflict here, and the Poletec leader agrees to provide them with guides to the Separatist base.

Meanwhile, Admiral Trench contacts Wat Tambor of the Techno Union on Skako Minor. He warns that an infiltration team of clones has traced the strategic algorithm signal and will soon arrive. "Then we shall be ready for them," Tambor says.

The clones near the Separatist camp...but lose Echo's signal. The weight of the mission taking its toll, Rex grows angry when Hunter suggests that this could all be a trap. Crosshair, however, takes things further. "I don't blame you. I would've left him for dead, too," he says of Echo. "Besides, he's just another 'reg.'" Rex pummels the sharpshooter in response before Anakin sends the Bad Batch away.

Though Anakin understands what Rex is going though, he implores his friend to prepare himself for the possibility that Echo is dead.

Finally, they reach the Separatist tower and regain Echo's signal. Though it's meant to be a stealth mission...the Bad Batch go in blasters blazing.

When the troopers discover the room emitting the signal, Wat Tambor greets them via viewscreen. "Your friend is dead," he says. "His mind is ours." With that, a mass of security droids attack, but they're no match for the Bad Batch and a Jedi. When another wave arrives, Anakin orders Tech to open the door for Rex, and the two clones finally get inside.

They find a stasis chamber, which Tech quickly opens. Echo, or what's left of him, falls forward, a smattering of cables attached to his head and spine.

Rex cradles his friend, now part machine and part man, who has no memory of what has happened to him since the events at the Citadel. "Just sit tight, trooper," Rex says. "You're going home."

The opening of "A Distant Echo" was featured in a special trailer that announced the return of Star Wars: The Clone Wars to an excited San Diego Comic-Con crowd in 2018.

This episode hints that both Captain Rex and Obi-Wan Kenobi know more than they let on about Anakin’s relationship with Padmé.

The battle on Anaxes is part of the “Outer Rim Sieges,” the final campaign of the Clone Wars first seen in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.

Anakin’s holo-call to Padmé was not a part of the original version of this episode. It was added as part of the series revival.

The poster seen in the barracks has the header “Space Battles” and features Y-wings in action.

Padmé is in an early stage of pregnancy during the holo-call. (The oblivious Jedi didn’t seem to notice.)

This episode gives us a glimpse of Wrecker’s workout regimen, which includes lifting a power droid with one hand while snacking with the other.

Techno Union foreman Wat Tambor was first seen in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones as part of the Separatist Council.

Skako Minor is the home of Techno Union and Skakoan people. This is its first appearance in animation, but it appeared before in the Marvel comic book Doctor Aphra #15.

The viewscreen Wat Tambor uses to taunt the Bad Batch is a similar technology to the screen used by the Trade Federation when contacted by Queen Amidala in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.

"It is interesting to learn that Obi-Wan, who has his own romantic issues as well, by the way, that's he's kind of aware of something else going on with Anakin. It's very funny. But it's also kind of sweet, and it's a nice insight into the connection of these friends." - Dee Bradley Baker ("Rex" and all clones)

"We went through this a lot of different ways, a lot of different times. Back to the studio, back and forth, and Dave [Filoni] really finessing [the dialogue]...He wanted to get that scene right for everybody. He wanted all of us to feel the feelings that Anakin was feeling, that Padmé was feeling, that Rex was feeling, that Obi-Wan [was feeling]." - James Arnold Taylor ("Obi-Wan Kenobi")

"I get to do the cherry on top in that scene. 'I hope you at least said hello to Padmé.'...It's such a nice little tip of that to, 'I know what's going on here.'" - James Arnold Taylor ("Obi-Wan Kenobi")

"It's a really important scene to the story of Clone Wars, but it's also an important scene to the story of Star Wars, and it's a really important scene to the fans that love that storyline between Anakin and Padmé." - James Arnold Taylor ("Obi-Wan Kenobi")

"When I was coming up with Tech's translation of the native language that he was working with...my idea was to try to speak backwards. So it sounds like language, but it's flipped in a way that makes it sound really odd." - Dee Bradley Baker ("Rex" and all clones)

"The simplest way to keep clones, or even the Bad Batch, separate, is to attach an adjective, maybe two adjectives, with that clone. I will go through [the script] and write out that adjective. With the Bad Batch, I made a symbol for each one that would indicate which of the Bad Batch it was." (1/2) - Dee Bradley Baker ("Rex" and all clones)

"A circle with a dot is Echo, because the circle echoed the dot. There's a jagged line for Wrecker, because he likes to smash things and there's just an energy to that. Tech would just have a single line. He's simple and direct and linear. Hunter, I would just kind of 'scoop' around his lines, to make it like a cave, because he's like a cave animal -- like a wolf or a canine of some kind. I think Crosshair was probably just a cross or an X." - Dee Bradley Baker ("Rex" and all clones)

"It's always very emotional to me to bring back a clone who I thought was dead, who I thought was gone and we'd never see again. It's beautiful to see him revived." - Dee Bradley Baker ("Rex" and all clones)

Clone trooper Echo by Killian Plunkett

Obi-Wan Kenobi by Tara Rueping

Poletec leader by Darren Marshall

Skako Minor landscape by Tara Rueping

Skako Minor Poletec village by David Le Merder

Skako Minor citizen by Killian Plunkett

Skako Minor Purkoll city exterior by Tara Rueping

Skako Minor Purkoll city exterior by Tara Rueping

Skako Minor Purkoll City tower echo room interior by Will Nichols

Skako Minor rocky exterior by Tara Rueping

The Bad Batch landing on Skakor Minor lighting concept by Jason Boesch

Echo reveal lighting concept by Jason Boesch