In the last two episodes, we saw the aftermath of Order 66 for the clones and the Emperor’s plan for a new army of stormtroopers coming to fruition. You can read the recap of the last episode here.
Warning: Spoilers for “The Crossing” below!
A mining mission
After fighting to give the clones a better life and the departure of Echo in the last episode, the squad is back to doing missions for Cid. This time, the Trandoshan sent them on a barren planet to extract ipsium from a mine she had recently bought. The absence of Echo is throwing the whole team off, especially Omega, who misses the clone a lot. Due to the team being reduced, Hunter decides that Tech and him will go extract the ipsium while Wrecker and Omega will look out for the poachers Cid warned them about. Tech and Hunter enter the mine, not knowing someone is already watching them from afar.
In the mine, Tech doesn’t detect a lot of ipsium, and it seems that Cid bought a depleted mine. They finally get a reading of the substance in the ceiling, which will make it hard to reach. At first, Hunter wants to make a bigger opening in the rock, but Tech tells him it’s not a good idea. With the ipsium being so volatile, it could cause a destructive chain reaction.
Outside, Omega is looking sad, and Wrecker wants to know why. The young girl is thinking about Echo and how it is weird to be without him. Wrecker is telling her she will get used to it when Omega is called by Tech because they need her help inside the mine.
Omega starts drilling to reach the ipsium. She is able to extract several vials of the substance. Meanwhile, Wrecker is the only one looking out for poachers outside and doesn’t see one of them approaching the Marauder. Wrecker is worried about the storm changing courses when he is joined outside by the others. Hunter hears someone starting the Marauder’s engines, and they can’t stop the thief from stealing their ship.
Fleeing the storm
With the ship gone, the squad is left unprotected from the rapidly arriving storm. Omega is distraught, while Wrecker and Tech are bickering. Hunter says they need to move and asks where the nearest town is. Tech finds a spaceport 40 clicks away, and they all start to move in that direction. Since they don’t have long-range communication anymore, they don’t have a choice.
The squad is walking into a canyon. Omega tries to contact Echo, but Hunter tells her it will not work. Tech adds that Echo disabled his communication device. Hunter hears a noise and orders them to run. They are chased by antelopes fleeing from the storm. They are able to jump to safety, but Wrecker lost the case with the ipsium. Tech asks Wrecker to retrieve it because if it explodes, they will all die. The clone jumps on the case and protects it until the antelopes are gone. With Wrecker’s back injured, Tech takes the case, and they start to run from the storm. They run in the direction of a mine; Tech drops the case with the ipsium. They make it inside the mine. A lightning bolt hits the case, and the ipsium explodes, trapping the clones inside. Tech and Wrecker start bickering again about Wrecker not noticing the ship being stolen until Hunter stops them.
The clones start to move rocks to free the entry while Omega tries to contact the ship. It seems like the Marauder’s transponder is not relaying a signal, and Tech says it’s probably because the thief disabled it. Omega is worried about how they are going to find it again, but the clones seem unconcerned. Hunter says freeing themselves from the mine is the priority, and Echo adds they will probably never recover the ship. Omega is distraught over the news because she considers it their home, and they can’t lose it after losing Echo. Hunter tries to console her, saying Echo is on a different mission, but she tells him they are a squad and should be together. Insensitively, Tech tells her they were a squad before Echo came, and they will still be after. He doesn’t seem to understand Omega’s pain. She leaves to go deeper into the mine, and Hunter and Wrecker are displeased with how Tech talked to her.
A needed conversation
Omega is exploring the mine when she finds traces of ipsium. She decides to drill and finds a big vein of the substance. Meanwhile, Hunter, Tech, and Wrecker are still trying to clear away the entrance. Tech says they could do it faster with a small explosion, and he goes deeper into the mine to find ipsium. When he departs, Hunter and Wrecker urge him to make peace with Omega.
Tech follows a signal and finds Omega drilling to access the ipsium. She gives him a vial, which seems purer than the one in Cid’s mine. While trying to fill the last vial, Omega loses her balance and nearly falls into the hole. She is gripping a rock, and Tech tries to get her to safety without success. She falls, and he jumps after her immediately. Thankfully, their fall is broken by an underground river. Omega is struggling until Tech reaches her, and they are pulled underwater by the current.
At the entrance, Hunter stops moving boulders and looks out, worried. He tries to reach Tech without success. Wrecker and he go to check on Tech and Omega. Meanwhile, both clones emerge from their trip underwater in a cavern. Hunter finally reaches them. Omega looks around and finds a way to exit the cavern. They just need to get the ipsium to make the fissure bigger. Tech explains how to reach them and that they need to get the ipsium Omega mined.
While waiting for Hunter and Wrecker, Omega and Tech finally have a real conversation about Echo’s departure. Omega doesn’t understand why he doesn’t care about the recent changes in the team. He tells her they need to adapt and move on because that’s what soldiers do. Omega doesn’t agree with him. They are a family. Tech agrees, prompting Omega to ask why he doesn’t like they are a family. Tech seems touched by Omega’s reproach. He tells her Crosshair and Echo chose different paths and that they must respect their decision. He adds that he may process thoughts and moments differently but still feels as much as Omega.
They are interrupted by Hunter and Wrecker. Tech shows at the ipsium carefully placed near the fissure. It explodes and opens their way outside. The squad starts to walk to the spaceport. When they arrive, they see it has been abandoned for a while. Tech is able to use an array to send a transmission to Cid. The Trandoshan tells them she can’t help them at the moment. Tech reminds her they helped her to regain her parlor from Roland Durand and with Millegi. Finally, she asks for a few days. Hunter tries to tell her they don’t have enough rations, but she ends the call abruptly.
“The Crossing” shows us that the team is struggling to find a new balance without Echo. It may be a tipping point for the clones to join the fight against the Empire, especially since it seems like their arrangement with Cid may end soon due to the attitude of the Trandoshan.
Stay tuned for more recaps of The Bad Batch on Nerds and Beyond!
