This episode was intense and heartwarming, but simultaneously heartbreaking. It ends on that note that’s been a common theme with Omega throughout this season that she’s not allowed to be a kid because of the war. Neither is Gungi. And the childhood of kids like them is the cost of a war that just keeps going on and on and on.
It’s a gentle reminder of why we should avoid wars, even ones in the stars, but especially those at home.
As far as the technical aspects of this episode, this might be the best-looking episode of animation they have done. At night, in the jungles of Kashyyyk, with the light of the raging fire brightening everything, it’s stunning. The artistry of this show is spectacular.
I’m reminded of Guillermo Del Toro’s recent admonition that animation isn’t a genre but a medium, and I think these Lucasfilm animation shows exemplify that. The folks making them are just craft-laborers at the top of their game, creating rich, densely layered stories that serve to provoke thought. As Hunter watches on, lamenting the childhood he can’t give Omega, we’re all left to wonder how we can prevent that in our own world.
I don’t know the answer any more than Hunter does, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.
New episodes of “The Bad Batch” air on Wednesdays on Disney+.