Star Wars: The Bad Batch’s The Crossing Episode Is Filler, and That’s Fine

This article contains spoilers for The Bad Batch. If you’re not caught up yet, check out our spoiler-free Season 2 review.

With Clone Force 99 scattered following the midseason finale of The Bad Batch Season 2, it was a somber affair for these former soldiers in Episode 9, “The Crossing.” Once again sent on an errand-of-the-week for Cid (Rhea Perlman), Hunter, Tech, and Wrecker (all voiced by Dee Bradley Baker) journey to a barren planet with Omega (Michelle Ang) by their side.

Following the bombastic return of Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) in Episode 8, some critics have dubbed the latest outing as a “filler episode” that falls into predictable character stories. But, what some deem as filler acts as meaningful character arcs for the Bad Batch. 

Filler With Heart

We’ve previously argued that The Bad Batch Season 2 repeats a dangerous The Walking Dead mistake by annexing characters into their own arcs. As Episode 9 proves, this can sometimes work in a show’s favor by offering a more intimate look at its characters.

Despite complaints that Omega can fall into the annoying child companion category, the latest episode hammers home some sad truths. It’s easy to forget that, similar to Anakin and Leia, Omega had her childhood robbed of her. 

There’s the look of pain on Omega’s face when the Bad Batch’s ship is stolen. The loss of the Havoc Marauder means she’s lost the only place she’s called home since Kamino. Season 2 has featured several shots of Omega in her makeshift room, cuddling the tooka doll Wrecker gave her, so her upset does not come out of the blue.  

Despite being cut from the same cloth, Baker excels at giving each member of the Bad Batch its own personality. While we’ve come to appreciate Wrecker’s childlike whimsy and Hunter’s gruff father figure persona, “The Crossing” hones in on Tech. More than just the cold and calculated brains of the outfit, we eventually see him comfort Omega in the aftermath of Echo (Baker) leaving the group.

An Important Step for Tech

At times, “The Crossing” feels like a Tech-centric episode, letting us see what’s going on beneath his goggles. As Omega mourns the metaphorical divorce of her adoptive family, Tech snaps that Bad Batch existed before Echo and will continue to exist after him. Earlier, Wrecker makes a similar fumble when he simply tells her to get used to missing Echo. 

There’s been no sight of Crosshair (Baker) since Episode 3, but this only adds to the heartbreak of the latest outing. It’s clear Omega is struggling to understand why Echo has left them, and we learn that so is Tech. One particularly poignant exchange defines the episode, as it’s the first time Tech mentions the treacherous Crosshair this season. 

Omega reiterates that everything is changing and challenges a typically stoic Tech on why he doesn’t care. Tech says Echo and Crosshair choose different paths, which is something they need to respect. These moments of Omega learning lessons have largely been given to Hunter, so it’s refreshing to see someone else shoulder the burden of reminding her the galaxy can be a cruel place. 

In the same beat, Tech says, “I may process moments and thoughts differently, but it does not mean that I feel any less than you.” The seemingly throwaway line has been picked up by fans online, with many taking it as a sign that he is neurodivergent. Although unconfirmed, it would make him the first autistically-coded character in Star Wars canon. 

While Tech sometimes felt like a background member of the Bad Batch, the smaller the group gets, the more time we spend with him. Episode 9 is a big one for his character development, which comes after Romar Adell (Hector Elizondo) taught him to see a different viewpoint in the season’s second episode, and he won the riot race for the gang in Episode 4. 

Bringing Back the Bad Batch 

The episode hammers home the clear loneliness of the clones. Although a growing number of Empire outcasts have rebelled against or removed their inhibitor chips, they — like the fledgling Rebel Alliance — are  scattered across the galaxy. Even though Echo and his former teammates are working toward the end goal, they’re miles apart right now.

It surely won’t be long until Echo meets his comrades again, and while “The Crossing” ends on an ominous cliffhanger, we doubt any of them are going anywhere just yet. Assuming we follow in the footsteps of Season 1, a reunion with Crosshair and Echo could be on the way. The question remains though, is all this heartache and character growth setting up a permanent goodbye?

Considering the characters of The Bad Batch don’t appear beyond this point in the Star Wars timeline, the harshest critics could write the whole show off as a filler series instead of seeing the layers beneath. “The Crossing” shows that everyone is evolving and even ends with Omega repeating Tech’s line about finding their way out of the predicament because they always do. As Kenobi and Andor have proved, knowing (most of) how the story ends doesn’t mean you need to skip out on the gooey middle, “filler” or otherwise.