The latest episode of “The Bad Batch” pulls moves, sets, and situations from each film in the original “Star Wars” trilogy and it was great to see. The first thing comes from “Return of the Jedi,” where a stolen Imperial shuttle and its codes are the key to getting the Rebels to the forest moon of Endor. Here, Echo gets a shuttle for the Bad Batch to infiltrate the orbital platform over Coruscant and, eventually, to Mount Tantiss. The tension in the scene about the codes vibes identically to the use in “Jedi.”
Then, as they make their way into the station, they use Stormtrooper armor to make their way around — just like Han and Luke on the Death Star in “A New Hope” — until they find themselves inside a command station room that looks identical to the one Han and Luke find themselves in when R2-D2 discovers Princess Leia’s whereabouts on the Death Star.
Finally, the entire episode hinges on the Bad Batch being able to pull off a move we first saw in “The Empire Strikes Back.” They have to magnetize themselves to the hull of an Imperial ship that’s about to jump to lightspeed, heading straight to Mt. Tantiss.
All of these thrilling moments arrive throughout the episode, and it’s no wonder “Star Wars” would be the first source of inspiration for a “Star Wars” show. However, this only scratches the surface of classic films being referenced, intentionally or otherwise, in this episode of “The Bad Batch.”
