The Bad Batch: 3 major questions after season 3, episode 4 "A Different Approach"
This contains spoilers for The Bad Bad Season 3 episode 4 "A Different Approach."
The Bad Batch Season 3 continues with episode 4, "A Different Approach." It was an episode that showed Crosshair and Omega bonding and learning to work as a team. It ended on quite the cliffhanger as Clone Force 99 was reunited, but there's still clearly a lot to work out with Crosshair's return to the group.
Here are 3 burning questions we had after "A Different Approach."
1. Does Crosshair know about Tech's death?
I brought up this question in my episode 4 review. We've covered it after last week's 3-episode premiere. And it's a question we're going to keep on asking until we get an answer. Because Crosshair knowing about Tech's death in the Season 2 finale is a big deal. It's something that can massively impact his character arc going forward. Just as I mentioned in the review, if this is something that is glossed over or handled off-screen, it will be one of the show's biggest letdowns.
Here's hoping the next episode opened with Crosshair asking, "Wait... Where's Tech?" and then it's all out in the open after that.
2. How will Hunter and Wrecker react to Crosshair's return?
Honestly, this is the biggest question mark coming out of the episode. Omega might be willing to forgive, but not Hunter and Wrecker, who have known Crosshair even longer. One thing Star Wars has always struggled with regarding redemption arcs is the atonement part. It's all fine and dandy for Darth Vader to return to the light side, but when he dies afterward, there is no atonement. There's no facing the consequences of his actions. We see in books like Bloodline and in series like Ahsoka other people like Leia and Ahsoka Tano picking up the pieces of the mess he left behind and facing the consequences of his actions. Even in Star Wars Rebels, which has a better-written redemption arc like Agent Kallus, there is still no atonement after he joins the Rebellion other than once Rex sasses at him. He spent 2 seasons trying to murder all of these people, and everyone just sort of accepts him being there with little to no consequences.
Being so early in Season 3 of The Bad Batch is the perfect opportunity to write an amazing redemption story full of Crosshair busting his butt to atone and actually work at winning back his brothers' trust. He has always been the best-written character in the show, and this is the creators' best chance at writing one of the best arcs in all of Star Wars.
3. When will Echo show up?
Four episodes in, and we're missing our last main character. Granted, The Bad Batch has always struggled with using Echo despite being one of the biggest catalysts for the series, especially when it comes to Hunter's character arc. They never really dove into the fact that he's a regular clone, which actually alienates him in a way from the rest of Clone Force 99. There's so much story with this character that's been missed opportunities, so hopefully, we'll finally get into some of it.
It's time for Echo to show up in Season 3. Omega knows about the clones imprisoned on Mount Tantiss. Echo's entire drive has been fighting the Empire while saving regular clones with Rex. It's this man's time to shine and come back into the story with the rest of the Batch finally reunited.