Because I’m always behind on these sorts of things, I was driving to the grocery store and catching up on podcasts from a few weeks ago. It was The Bad Batch season two finale episode of Gold Squadron Gays, where hosts Charles and Bradley had guest Chris from Dark Side Divas on their show. They were discussing the betrayal of Cid and how she turned over the Batch to the Empire.
During the discussion, Charles brought up a point that I never considered about Cid: She is the Lando Calrissian of this story.
The Bad Batch: Lando Calrissian and Cid similarities
In The Empire Strikes Back, Lando is the very definition of a Scoundrel character. The Empire arrives at Cloud City and occupies it before Han, Leia, and the crew ever arrive. Lando is in a no-win situation from the get-go and needs to look out for himself. Keeping himself on the Empire’s good side long enough allows him to save Leia and Chewbacca despite the loss of Han.
Charles, Chris, and Bradley discuss how Cid is also in Lando’s position. From season one of The Bad Batch, Cid repeatedly warns Hunter that they will bring unwanted attention onto themselves if they attack the Empire, and she can only offer them so much protection before she has to leave them on their own. Chris mentions the jobs Cid gives the Batch in season one and two keeps them under the radar, but the Batch keeps attacking the Empire, putting everyone in danger. Chris says, “ doesn’t attack just any Imperial. They attack THE Imperial,” meaning Tarkin at his base in the finale.
Charles adds that this leaves Cid with no choice. The Empire swoops in and occupies Ord Mantell, leaving Cid in a similar no-win situation that Lando was in, and she had to either turn in the Batch or get incarcerated with them. The podcasters point out that Lando and probably Han Solo would have done the same thing in Cid’s position. They even toss in Hondo Ohnaka, pointing out that Hondo wouldn’t hesitate to throw the Batch to the Empire to save his own skin.
“It’s a Scoundrel thing,” Charles says. “Han just leaves in A New Hope. And yeah, he comes back to help them but then spends three years trying to get out of . At the beginning of Empire, he’s still trying to leave.”
I love this context for Cid because it’s a side of the character I hadn’t considered before. It also could be setting up her potential story arc for season three.
Cid clearly is not okay with turning in the Batch. As she accepts the case of money from Doctor Hemlock, she is visibly upset, looking like she’s regretting it. If Cid is following the Lando path of the Scoundrel, as we see in The Empire Strikes Back, then we could see her possibly find a way to help the Batch later in the series. She’s maneuvered away from the Empire’s view, again giving her an advantage outside their grasp. With resources like Phee Genoa and season one’s Roland Durand owing her an I.O.U., Cid can pull together help to assist the Batch in finding Omega again.
If Cid had tried to help the Batch with the Empire there, she would have been captured too. Or worse, maybe she would have been killed. Acting in her Scoundrel role allowed her to escape and fight another day. I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Cid, especially if she follows Lando’s path and returns to help out the heroes.
This is the fun of listening to podcasts. Shows like Gold Squadron Gays and Dark Side Divas always give me new perspectives on stories and characters that I might not have considered yet. It’s one of the joys of fandom.