Warning: SPOILERS ahead for The Clone Wars season 7 premiere.
The first episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 7 was actually a follow up to one of season 3’s finest. There are a lot of loose ends left to tie up in the conclusion of The Clone Wars. With only 12 episodes to do so, most believed that the final ones would act as a prologue of sorts to Star Wars: Episode 3 - Revenge of the Sith. However, the season premiere actually focused on characters who aren’t in that film - the genetically modified Bad Batch - while also continuing a story from the Clone Wars season 3 episode “The Citadel.”
The original episode featured a Jedi jail break, as Republic forces sought to aid in the escape of Master Even Piell and his troops from the high security prison called the Citadel. This story in particular was rough on the protagonists, as there were heavy casualties in their multiple attempts to leave the station. The most notable of these deaths was the ARC trooper, Echo, who was very close with Captain Rex. During the battle Rex witnessed his comrade’s death at the hands of the Separatists - something that would come to haunt him in subsequent years. This was a well executed story that showcased significantly improved animation.
Kicking off The Clone Wars season 7, “The Bad Batch” was a clone-centered adventure which introduced the titular team of specialist heroes. They, alongside Captain Rex and Commander Cody, were tasked with infiltrating a Separatist Cyber Center in order to interrupt the successful battle strategies of the series’ original villain, Admiral Trench. Meanwhile, Rex is dealing with an internal conflict regarding such war plans that he can’t bring himself to share with the Republic leaders, aside from Cody. The combat formations were eerily similar to the ones designed by he and Echo, and it is later revealed that Echo may actually still be alive.
Once the clone forces infiltrated the compound successfully, Rex and Bad Batch member Tech hacked into the Separatist’s computer systems. It turned out that the battle algorithm they were in search of was not a program at all, but rather a living being, feeding the droid army strategic plans in real time. When pressed for a name, the voices simply responded with “CT-1409”, which was Echo’s “name” before he found his own unique personality. Suffice to say, this shook Rex to his core, confirming his suspicions that Echo is still alive.
It is interesting that a plot point from so long ago would be picked up this late in the game - especially given how important this season will be to Revenge of the Sith. Echo was not really on anyone’s mind - with the obvious exception of Captain Rex, who had never quite gotten over his “death.” If nothing else, this added element of mystery will enhance the remainder of the Bad Batch arc as a whole. The Clone Wars has 11 episodes remaining, meaning 11 more weeks of new content, and at this stage nothing seems off the table in terms of story. There is a lot of expectation, but there is now plenty of added excitement in regards to which other characters might unexpectedly make their presence known yet again.
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