Star Wars: The Bad Batch episode 5 review: "Several twists keep you on your toes"

Warning: This review contains major spoilers for Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 1 Episode 5 

 Star Wars: The Bad Batch episode 5 “Rampage” has several twists that will keep you on your toes, but no matter which way it goes, Omega's importance to the Batch remains crystal clear.

If you didn't know The Bad Batch before this series, you wouldn't be wrong in thinking the crew rarely lives up to its reputation. Sure, they handily dispose of battle droids when Tarkin puts them to the test, and they can dominate a cafeteria fight, but nearly every conflict thus far in the series has the squad struggling to get out in one piece. In “Rampage”, it once again all comes down to Omega, whose uncanny ability to sense things before they happen and squeeze out of conflict unscathed persists. 

The episode begins with The Bad Batch heading to Ord Mantell to meet up with Cid, an informant who used to work with the Jedi who can hopefully shed light on Fennec Shand. Upon arrival, they meet a female Tradoshan voiced by Rhea Perlman (Matilda) and are initially perplexed by the Tradoshan's insistence that she has no idea where Cid is. Once again, Omega proves she's more shrewd than her batch of adoptive dads, as she stands staring at Cid after Clone Force 99 abandoned the conversation and huddles up to decide their next steps. "You're Cid," Omega says matter-of-factly, giving us our first twist of the episode.

 Cid is indeed the Tradoshan, and she promises to give them details on Fennec Shand – if they can retrieve a child named Muchi, who's been taken by Zygerrian slavers. The crew attempts to drop in and dispose of the guards but are promptly captured, putting Omega's talents to the test yet again. Armed with her very own com link, Omega makes her way from the ship to the center of Old Ord Mantell City, where she wreaks a bit of havoc to help the Batch escape. That havoc comes in the form of an adolescent rancor, which Omega frees from its cage and lets loose upon the Zygerrian guards.

The second twist is a funny one, and comes shortly after: while there's an adolescent alien shackled by the slavers, it's not Muchi – the rancor is. Hunter battles with the Zyggerian leader, giving us a great action sequence that pits his knife against the slaver's laser whip. While it's a brief fight scene, the action is great, and the ultimate result – a clone treated like property, besting a slaver – is satisfying as hell. 

But after Hunter beats the Zyggerian, the crew still has to catch Muchi, which looks an awful lot like an alien English bulldog. She's on a rampage, and the only way to stop her is to challenge the alpha for authority, which is a great challenge for Wrecker. Speaking of, Wrecker mentions having a headache yet again in this episode, which is a worrying ailment as it's likely his inhibitor chip. Considering how close Wrecker and Omega have become, it certainly seems like The Bad Batch is setting up for some type of heartbreaking conflict down the line. Whatever it is, I'm not ready for it.

The final twist in the episode is that Muchi actually belongs to Jabba the Hutt, as Bib Fortuna comes to collect the adolescent rancor. Don't fret, Muchi isn't the rancor who gets killed by Luke (and gives us that sad scene where the rancor's handler breaks down in tears), as that one's called Pateesa. So you can be content in your knowledge that Muchi has a long life of eating people who piss off Jabba ahead of her.

While the episode's twists and turns come close to being one of those "everything is irrationally connected" Star Wars moments, it narrowly and cleverly avoids that cliche and gives us something special instead. It's a bit of a filler episode, sure, but as Omega's importance becomes even more clear and her bond with the Batch grows stronger, the tickle of dread at the back of your neck sets in. The Bad Batch and Omega have nothing but danger in their future, and we're gonna watch it play out.

The Bad Batch episode 6 debuts June 4 on Disney Plus. For more, check out all the upcoming Star Wars movies and shows heading our way.