“Tribe” is bringing back a familiar face from The Clone Wars who was teased in the official trailer, and The Bad Batch visits the Wookie native home-world. Last week’s episode recap is available here.
Warning: Spoilers for “Tribe” below!
Encounter with a Jedi
The Bad Batch arrives at a Vanguard Axis smuggling operation to deliver forged chain codes to the smuggler droids. Echo and Omega are staying behind to guard the ship. A Wookie can be heard growling, and Omega decides to investigate. She sees droids trying to capture a familiar young Wookie. Omega tries to help and convince him to follow her to the ship. Echo joins them, and the Wookie is afraid when he sees the clone. He calls the rest of the team for backup.
The droids want the Wookie back, and advise the clones to stay away, but Omega refuses. The young girl notices that the Wookie is using the Force to retrieve his saber from the droid leader. He is able to get it and starts to fight against the droids with the help of the clones and Omega. They make it back to the ship and urge the Wookie to follow them. He is indecisive about trusting the clones, but seeing the droids behind him, he enters the ship, and they all escape.
On the ship, Omega is wondering why the Wookie is staying away from them. Hunter tells her he is scared. She goes to give him food, but he doesn’t trust any of them. Tech remarks it’s not surprising with what happened after Order 66. Hunter tells the young Jedi they didn’t participate in the killing and are not working for the Empire. Omega confirms it. The Wookie reveals that his name is Gungi. Fans of The Clone Wars will remember him as a young Padawan on the show. He explains he ran after the Order was given and that he was trying to return to Kashyyyk when he was captured. Omega says they have to bring him home. Echo warns them about the possibility of outposts and that it may not be safe for him. But Jedi are not safe anywhere.
Arrival of Kashyyyk
Arriving on the planet, they notice smoke and deforestation. The Empire has laid waste on the planet. They start looking for a village and stumble upon spider webs from an animal called Kinrath. Gingu uses the Force and calms the spiders. He says to the clones they will not attack if left alone.
At the village, they find it devastated by Imperial tanks. Omega is trying to make a distraught Gingu feel better. It is revealed the destruction is from Trandoshans working for the Empire. They start blasting lasers at what looks like sacred stones, which prompts the young Jedi into action. Gingu runs towards them, soon followed by the clones. Omega and Gungi fight side by side in unison, and ultimately the team and Gingu win the battle. After their victory, they all work to smother the flames and save the forest around them.
Wookies arrive and lead the clones and the young Jedi to a village where they meet the leader Yanna. Hunter explains their presence and what happened to Gungi.
Meanwhile, more Trandoshans and clones discover the tanks destroyed. One of the clones notices saber marks and realizes a Jedi is on Kashyyyk. The leader of the Trandoshans orders to raze the forest and offers a great recompense for the capture of the Jedi.
Fighting the Trandoshans
At the village, Yanna says Gungi can stay. The Trandoshans are spotted, and Echo says that they should help the Wookies. Hunter agrees with him. Meanwhile, Yanna and the other Wookies, followed by Gungi, go to the trees to ask for help. The clones are looking out for the Trandoshans and finally spot them. Gungi comes to them, saying the trees have a plan.
The plan is to draw the enemy to the Kinraths. Gungi is able to neutralize the tanks. After the Kinraths kill the Trandoshans and the Imperial troopers, the Wookies and the clones work on neutralizing the fires.
Later, Hunter watches Omega and Gungi praying to the trees when he is joined by Yanna, and they talk about the fact that both of them are kids, but they don’t get to just kids.
Bringing back Gungi, a fan-favorite from The Clone Wars, was a clever way to show the aftermath of Order 66, and seeing the young Jedi reconnects with a birth planet and culture was moving. Once again, Omega’s compassion leads the team to do the right thing. It’s another hint that the clones may, in the near future, take a greater part in the fight against the Empire.
Two episodes of The Bad Batch will be released next week. Stay tuned for more recaps on Nerds and Beyond!
