The Bad Batch: Star Wars tackling PTSD the right way

Trauma is a regular occurrence in Star Wars. You'd be hard-pressed to find even one character that hasn't suffered from it.

From Anakin Skywalker's childhood trauma to Obi-Wan Kenobi's nightmares to Ahsoka's persistent guilt and avoidance issues, our favorite characters have suffered from the scars left by their experiences. Star Wars is a franchise about nearly endless galactic war. With war comes PTSD, but it's an issue that has never been properly addressed.

The Bad Batch may have changed that and opened the door for Star Wars to incorporate the idea of healing and self-care on screen. In episode 8, "Bad Territory," Hunter asked Omega to convince Crosshair to have his hand looked at. The treatments Crosshair was given didn't seem to help his hand tremors, which are becoming a source of frustration and insecurity for him.

In comes Omega, who has the emotional intelligence equal to a dozen adults, to suggest that Crosshair's issues aren't physical but mental. Crosshair hates the idea and knows he'll dislike whatever Omega tells him to do to help with his mental trauma. However, he doesn't push her away. The first step in getting help for mental health issues is acknowledging that something is wrong. The second is to stop pushing people who care away.

This leads to a wonderful scene where Omega and Crosshair meditate together with a gorgeous seaside view. Omega uses what she learned from Jedi Padawan Gungi to help her brother, who remains skeptical but cooperative. It's still early, but we're optimistic about Crosshair's odds of regaining full use of his hand. Crosshair has a reason to hope thanks to his caring siblings, Omega and Hunter, and his willingness to let his guard down.

This episode is a lesson for all of us who might be going through a rough time that if we simply take a few minutes to ourselves and acknowledge that we deserve to heal, things can improve. This episode is also a fresh take on trauma in Star Wars but a much-needed one. Every character, young and old, from Anakin to Grogu, has gone through experiences that would leave anyone scarred, and these experiences need to be acknowledged.

Crosshair's hand tremors are caused by his PTSD. The way this issue is being handled deserves a lot of applause. It's wonderful to see that the writers have decided to take a different direction from the traditional redemption arc that includes death and sacrifice. Instead, we're watching a character heal and open his heart to receive the love he's pushed away for so long. Let's hope we'll all have someone like Omega to tell us that we, too, can get better.

The Bad Batch Season 3 is streaming now on Disney+.