This article contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 2, episode 9.Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 2, episode 9 sees Echo leave Clone Force 99, completing the Domino Squad arc from Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The ill-fated Domino Squad served as major heroes in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. When viewed in chronological order rather than release order, their stories begin in the fourth episode with the introduction of a small group of clones - notably including Echo. The squad's name became something of a dark pun, as each domino fell as the Clone Wars continued.
Fives was technically the last domino to fall in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, but the trope was subverted when it was revealed Echo was still alive. Rescued by the Bad Batch, he chose to join Clone Force 99, and remained with them after Order 66 and the rise of the Empire. The Domino Squad theme has reared its head again in Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 2, in yet another subversion.
Echo Is The Last Domino Squad Clone To Fall (With A Twist)
At the end of Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 2, episode 8, Echo left the group to work with Rex and do more to help the galaxy against the Empire. In doing so, Echo became the last member of Domino Squad to fall - not by dying, but by leaving his squad. The impact can be seen inThe Bad Batch season 2, episode 9, which proves Echo's absence will be important to the other character arcs. This was shown by the effect Echo's departure had on the other members of the team, primarily the younger clone Omega.
While the show and its characters keep hinting Echo will eventually return to the fold, The Bad Batch season 2, episode 9 gives his departure a sense of finality. He isn't even available to help Clone Force 99 when they are stranded, because he's on a sensitive mission with his communicator turned off. This evokes the same feeling viewers experienced watching Domino Squad fall in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, a smart callback.
Echo Leaving Highlights The Strength Of The Bad Batch’s Characters
Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 2, episode 9 places an intense focus on how Echo's departure affects Omega, using her sense of loss to create profound character conflict. With the majority of the episodes revolving around small, self-contained adventures, In Star Wars, clones do not only look different; each clone has their own experiences and character traits, and this is particularly true of Clone Force 99. The Bad Batch rarely gets a chance to explore the team's mental state or their different ways of dealing with emotional situations. It is pleasing to see this change in episode 9, which deliberately contrasts the responses of Omega and Tech.
The Bad Batch’s newest clone Omega is again the heart of the episode, portrayed as glum and depressed since Echo's departure. This leads to a confrontation with Tech, whose logical, facts-based way of thinking makes him seem unaffected by Echo leaving. This allows The Bad Batch to explore Clone Force 99's different processing; specifically Tech's state of mind, offering him some much-needed depth and a chance to connect with Omega. With the episode providing little in the way of action spectacle, Star Wars: The Bad Batch has proven why these characters deserved a spin-off, and why each one works as an emotional, investable character.
New episodes of Star Wars: The Bad Batch release every Wednesday on Disney+.