Last week’s episode was dedicated to Crosshair and what happened to him after Kamino. In “Faster”, the team is split on two missions and Tech takes center stage in a racing episode. The recap from last week episode is available here.
Warning: spoilers for “Faster” below!
A new mission
At Cid’s parlor, Wrecker and Omega are playing a game of Dejarik while Tech is watching them. The young girl wins and Wrecker is asking for a rematch when they are interrupted by Cid. With Hunter and Echo on a different mission, which Tech thinks is beneath them, for the time being, she has a new job for the three of them.
Later, they arrive on Safa Toma. After seeing the place, Tech remarks he now understands why Cid needs them as added security. The Trandoshan woman leads them to a race circuit for the Riot Racing. Cid has a new racer named TAY-O and she expects to make a lot of money thanks to him. TAY-O takes the lead in the race and wins.
After the race, Cid and the clones meet up with the racer. Tech is surprised to learn that TAY-O is a droid.
A risky bet
Tech watches the droid repairing the speeder when a local gangster, Grini Millegi, arrives. The Dowutan hints at his past history with Cid and the Trandoshan is hostile. They place a ‘standard side wager’ on the next race since Millegi also have a racer named Jet Venim.
Cid and the clones watch the race and Tech can’t predict the winner since the its specifics are making the issue too uncertain. The Riot Racing is a very dangerous race since the speeders are armed. One of the racers even shoots a spectator by accident and kills him. During the race, Cid advises TAY-O to not take the left tunnel because it’s a death trap. The racer answers, cockily that he knows what he is doing and chooses the middle tunnel.
When the racers are in the tunnel, Millegi orders Venim to use a maneuver called the Crunch. TAY-O is stuck between two speeders when the racer behind him catches TAY-O’s racer with a clamp while Venim attacks him from the front with a circular saw. The droid crashes and loses the race.
Millegi arrives to gloat while the team to salvage the speeder and to find all of Tay-O’s parts. The Dowutan wants his money, but Cid needs more time to pay him. The clones step in to protect the Trandoshan when Millegi refuses. Omega, trying to help Cid, proposes to double the bet on the next race. Millegi finally accepts and takes Cid with him as guarantee until the next day.
Tech becomes a racer
The team tries to repair the speeder and TAY-O. Tech is hopeful that they will be able to race tomorrow. The droid is trying to order around Tech during his repairs, but the clone is not listening to him. Wrecker proposes to simply attack and free Cid. Tech admits they can’t use their usual tactics because Millegi will just come back for Cid later. The clone also remarks the Trandoshan seems to always need their help with problematic individuals. Meanwhile, Millegi is sitting with Cid and proposes to toast to old times. Cid insists she has changed, but Millegi doesn’t believe her and says her team will soon see the real Cid.
At the race track, TAY-O is preparing to race. Tech is studying the track and the patterns of the racers. The droid tells him it’s of no use and the race is about skills and strategy. Tech is not convinced and tell him he should divert from the weapons to the shields. TAY-O is telling him offense is the best option and that he needs the weapons when he is struck down by another racer. Millegi is jubilant and tells Cid that the race is forfeit. Tech tells them he will race instead of the droid.
The race starts and Tech is at the last place. He is taking time to analyze the racing style of his opponents. Omega reminds him to not take the left tunnel and Tech asks her to download the schematics of the tunnel. Then, the clone decides he needs more speed and ditches his weapons. The plan shows that part of the track is missing in this tunnel and that’s why the racers avoid it. Tech goes into it and is followed by Brix, one of the racers. They are both able to pass the first hole in the track, but Brix falls into the second. With this tunnel being shorter, Tech is able to catch up and is just behind Venim. Millegi’s racer decides to try the same trick on Tech that he used on TAY-O, but Tech is able to avoid the maneuver. Venim and his accomplice crash and Tech wins the race.
Later, the team goes to Millegi who frees Cid. The Trandoshan tells the clones she owes them a favor. After stopping Venim from shooting them, Millegi gives a final advice to the clones: their loyalty is admirable, but they should watch their back.
At the end of the episode, we can’t help but wonder if the clones’s trust in Cid is well placed. What happened in the past between Cid and Millegi? In a previous episode, Echo was thinking about fighting the Empire and now Tech is also questioning if Cid’s missions are not beneath the clones. Will the clones take a more aggressive stance in the future against the Empire?
A new episode of The Bad Batch is released each week on Disney+. Stay tuned for more recaps on Nerds and Beyond!
