Review: Star Wars The Bad Batch “Devil’s Deal”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

As the Empire takes control of the planet Ryloth, they hatch a scheme with Senator Orn Free Taa to squash the seeds of the rebellion.

Our Take:

We’re constantly warned never to make any deals with the devil, especially if the devil is the Empire. After several weeks of spending some quality time with the Bad Batch, the series takes on a different course of action this week. Instead of focusing on the Batch and their weekly missions, our eyes are now set on a familiar face from another animated Star Wars series.

This week’s episode focuses on the planet Ryloth, where the Empire announces a new Imperial refinery. This plan concerned Cham Syndulla (voiced by Robin Atkin Downes), a general who happens to be the leader of the resistance, and his subordinate Gobi Glie (Corey Burton). This episode was a suitable change of pace for the series because it fully represented the Twi’leks’ concerns towards the Empire’s plans. While I didn’t mind the usual formula that drives the series, I also appreciated that the writers focused more on the universe’s lesser-known characters and their viewpoints towards the Empire’s rule. The Batch did make a brief appearance halfway through the episode, but only to deliver the weapons to Gobi. The writers want to make sure that they are still the “stars” of the show.

The episode also saw the return of Hera Syndulla from The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, with Vanessa Marshall reprising her role once again. Along with her droid Chopper, she served as the episode’s central character as she was assisting her uncle Gobi to retrieve the new weapons. We’ve been treated with guest stars that appeared in different Star Wars shows throughout the series, but only in supporting roles. “Devil’s Deal” switched things up a bit by putting the spotlight on the guest star rather than place them on the sidelines like they did numerous times. I honestly forgot about Hera’s presence in the Star Wars universe, which made her reintroduction in The Bad Batch more delightful than I realized. The scene with Hera and Omega was genuinely sweet, and Vanessa Marshall did a respectable job with her vocal performance.

Overall, the “Devil’s Deal” episode offered an enjoyable small break in-between the Bad Batch action. The writers successfully switched things up by putting Hera as the center of attention rather than the titular characters. As a result, it became a respectable chapter that presents a different viewpoint towards the Empire’s takeover and plants the seeds for next week’s episode. Perhaps we might see Hera teaming up with the Bad Batch for a rescue mission based on the cliffhanger ending? Only time will tell.