frenchtoast

Heading into the last two episodes and I'm so sad it's ending. I started watching Clone Wars with my son when it was airing on Cartoon Network. And while Tales of the Jedi and Empire sort of fill that animation role, this is last of the Clone Wars story. And I'm feeling it. I'm glad for the new live action shows, but I really liked this era for the stories. Anyway. Speculation. We got a lot of Crosshair in Season 3. I have a feeling he will do the final act of redemption and sacrifice himself. I saw somewhere that Kallus was a great redemption arc because he actually lived and did the work and earned the trust. I guess Crosshair dying would fill both of those criteria. I'm glad we got that story. But like Tech getting the shine in Season 2, Crosshair seems to be filling the role of sacrificing for the team this season. I also don't think we're getting anything more on the clone assassin, CX2. Which is a shame since he got quite the focus. And I don't think we're going to find out any more about what happened with Wolffe or Cody which I'm really bummed about. Especially Cody. I know Rex is a favorite, but Cody was always my favorite. Even if Rampart just drops that he had Cody killed, just something. And I don't think Hemlock or Nala Se will die either, because we're in the era of nothing good happens for our heroes. Emerie might though. It's only going to get worse from here. I think there's going to be a lot left on the table, which makes me wish we had another season. Or a new show. (What if by removing the pain from their armor it is a sign of transitioning to a new show!?! No. No I will not get my hopes for that.) With all that said, as much as I enjoyed this show overall, in some ways it seems like a wasted opportunity. I think it's because I wanted a Clone Wars story with the Clones and I didn't get that. I can't fault the show for that but it still feels a bit disappointing. My son (who is an adult now) wanted the A-Team in the Empire and we didn't get that either. And that would have been a great path for them to take. We got what we got and I was glad to spend some time in the very beginnings of the Empire. It just could have been more. (Sorry for the novel)

I just hope it's not at cross purposes with her rescue but I'm going with that part will be fine. I'm just glad Emerie is not being as cruel as that other scientist. I hope Omega manages to at least cause a whole lot of chaos. If she's helping the kids I hope she is still able to do something about the Clones. Unless Hunter is able to get a message to Rex who will come for the Clones. Rampart has to figure out that if he wants to survive he'll need to stop being such a stickler for the plan and such wuss and just go with it. He could actually be useful if he got his head out of his ass. I was a little surprised they didn't leave him at that old Kaminoan facility but he does do an excellent job at being a dick Imperial. "Do you think I'm lying?" All of them: "Yes." Hahahaha, loved it. And good for them for not trusting anyone. Cid burned them hard, they will not make that mistake again. The only leverage they have over Rampart is his desire to escape the prison and now that he's out they don't have much other than they would gladly hand him over to the Empire. Or, better yet, leave him alone with Crosshair for a while. I'm starting to lose hope that we'll see who that shadow Clone assassin was. The story is not about him or even the imprisoned Clones. But I'd really like to know more about him. And about what Rex is doing. That could be a whole show, but I think they're moving away from this time period and into post Episode VI. Which is a bummer. Though honestly, live action could be post Imperial and animation could be Imperial. I really hope they keep up with the animation--it's such a great storytelling medium for Star Wars.

That's what it sounds like. It would seem M-count, which enables those who have a high count to more easily access the Force, cannot be cloned. Palpy wants to clone himself with Force sensitivity but it's near impossible. So they need someone like Omega and to study her physiology/blood to understand why and how M-count is transferred/maintained and therefore could be cloned. Maybe they shouldn't have destroyed Kamino and found her private lab with all the information. But I guess it's easier to destroy and steal than actually do the work. It could be that Omega exists because Nala Se, as a side project, was trying to figure out how to clone M-count. Those soldiers would be highly prized. Actually it would be prized throughout the galaxy as the Jedi were really quite rare. And she gave up on it because reasons. Or it was just a challenge to see if she could do it but decided not to because it would be a threat and just kept Omega so she could keep it quiet but could also monitor. It might be that it has to be a female and that's why Emerie exists. And Omega was the last one. It kind of explains why Nala Se let Omega escape in the first episode of the series and hired Fennec to keep her from Lama Su. Maybe she didn't want any one else to figure it out. Maybe she saw the potential damage it could do. But she has done what she could to keep that knowledge out of the Palpy's hands.

I'm shocked Rampart is still alive. Would have thought he would have come to an end at some point. He was pretty high up there with access to a lot of knowledge. And yeah, labor is needed but it'd probably be worth it to remove the temptation. I'm not sorry he's around but surprised. Crosshair will go back for Omega, but it's so hard for him confronting Tantiss and Rampart and it's escalating his tremor. I'm so glad we're getting this story. And not so overt, but enough for us to see that this is very hard for him. Hard being back with is brothers, hard trusting Omega, willing to do the painful stuff but it's not easy or without a cost. I like this a lot. I'm thinking Hemlock is trying to be pleasant with Omega so she'll cooperate more. She escaped already, and as much as she'll be secure, it's better if she cooperates. I hate it when they're smart. He's got a blind spot with Emerie though. I wish this season was longer or we had another season because I'd really like to know more about her. I've really enjoyed this season. I'm sad this story is coming to an end. I know it's going to break my heart but I'm glad we're getting it. At least we're getting more animation with Tales of the Jedi Empire. I really like this style and I'd be really sad if this was the last of it.

In the path of totality, about 3 mins. Was super cloudy in the morning and during the partial portion of it was through clouds. But the skies got clearer and clearer during the last 15 mins so it was pretty clear at totality. During the lead up, I thought it was very impressive as well. Just watching the progress as the moon made it's way across. I would have been happy with just the partial. Totality was amazing but the entirety of the process was so cool. We had family/friends over in our backyard and we could hear neighbors out, too. Sadly one of the party was (is) sick (autocorrect won't let me write ILL wtf?) and he is an amateur photographer. He had all this equipment and filters and felt so sick and feverish he came out just before, during, and just after totality. I felt so bad. The 5-10 mins leading up to totality, the light was so surreal. I described it as looking through sunglasses but that's not it. And I didn't even try to capture it though I did take a quick video of the environment during totality because it was so cool seeing a 360 "sunrise".

Yeah, I teared up at Eva saying, "He just wanted to go home. We all want to go home." And they never will. And I think Emerie knows that advocating for making the confinement more home-like will get absolutely nowhere. It could also what is disturbing her. Yeah, Nala Se it seems abandoned her and she resents her for it, but she was able to do something. These kids are just stuck in a white room with two games. And treated like objects. Which brings me to, Hemlock referred to the clone commando by his name, Scorch. He referred to Crosshair by his number several times. That seems new. Or maybe Scorch earned it? Also, when he was mentioning that the operative is the only one available, I remembered the that Crosshair said it was Hemlock's personal project. But Rampart had access to one of the operatives too. I'm guessing that means that Tarkin also knows about the project? Hemlock said at that meeting before Tech died to send him clone troopers, he'd have a use for them. I mean, I know he was referring to Necromancer not the shadow operatives. And I really don't need to know the specifics. It's just something I was thinking about.

Yeah. The season has already been depressing but it's just going to get worse from here I'm thinking. One thing I did think to add. I've been hearing that Crosshair missed the shot...which yeah, he did. But I didn't think it was because of his tremor. Rather because he was delayed getting the shot off and the ship moved too fast for the tracker to get there in time. Even Crosshair in his prime would have missed that shot. Finally, I'm glad Tech's goggles are safe since the Marauder is now gone. Dammit.

I mean I shouldn't laugh at Vader killing project managers but I can't deny that I did. Because yeah. Let's imprison kids and test them contrasted with the utter banality of funding isn't funny so much funny but it sure does make me roll my eyes.

No Bad Batch but that's ok because I'm glad we got more of Emerie. Loved the scene in the cell with Nala Se. Nala Se was terrible to Fives. But I think after everything that's happened during the war and following she's seeing a lot clearer now. Too late, perhaps? Also,, hahahaha fuck you Tarkin. You're spending waaaaay more on the stupid death star. Not that I want Hemlock to get more but good lord, squabbling over money on these terrible awful "projects". It's almost funny.

Man this was .... actually my feelings are summed up thusly: Fuck.

I mea she and Ahsoka took down way more without really breaking a sweat. I'll admit I laughed a little when the three of them were all trying to threaten her to leave because they'd handled much worse. Hahahaha. I gotta admit, I love her, "Let's play" in the clip. And it just shows how much she was holding back with the three of them. I mean, they were good but against Ventress but still.

I know I should be irritated that the story wasn't really pushed forward and that there still isn't a definitive Omega is force sensitive. But...I got to see Asajj Ventress again. Got to see her be in a slightly better place than she was. I never read the book she was in, and the brief mention of her having more lives I think was all the explanation we're going to get--and honestly that's fine with me. I don't blame Hunter and co. not trusting Ventress. That makes sense. But truly you should listen to her. As for the M-count story point. We saw that the Jedi had a list of force sensitive children ie high M-count. Cad Bane was kidnapping them. I think the transfer of the M count is more important than the subjects actual M count. So I think the blood dripping into the vials is high. Does it transfer? No? Then not a good subject. It transfers with no degradation, then that's a good test subject that Hemlock needs. And going by what Ahsoka says in her show, everyone is part of the Force and can access it. The midichlorians are part of the potential for people to access it. The TL;DR version of this: I don't think Omega is Force sensitive. I think she could trained to use the Force though. And finally, Batcher has signaled every time there has been an issue--start paying more attention and listen to her!! Good lord.

On the one hand, no Rex or Howzer or Echo. And seeing as I'm not a huge fan of Phee either, I'm with Omega wanting to go and do something. But, Crosshair deserves the time to adjust and actually start addressing what has happened. Order 66, being an Imperial soldier, hunting down his squad, what led him to abandon the Empire, all the shit on Tantiss. But mostly I think he really is going to have to start realizing he is not a soldier or a sniper any more. Hunter and Wrecker have been trying to figure it out--and doing a piss poor job of it. I mean, they weren't ever given glimpses of what not being a soldier meant. And most clones are going to be really adrift without orders and a hierarchy. I think Wrecker and Hunter are at least at the point where they realize they aren't soldiers but more mercenaries and are ok with that. Crosshair, being a sniper, has been more solitary. Everything is weird and confusing and it would seem Omega is the one to give him a bit of grounding and understanding. It's good to see. It's also good to see Wrecker and Hunter be super careful. But also effective. I don't believe Fennec is betraying them. I think she's getting the information she promised. I just worry about Pabu. Those poor folks don't deserve the shit storm that is coming their way being a hide out for Omega.

I'm grateful for the FRIENDS I've made. #kindness

At least Crosshair did manage to shoot the pilot. I think that was Crosshair? "You're as bad as Hunter." "I'm worse." Hahaha, I love it. I thought it was Howzer that got blowed up but apparently it wasn't. I guess it was who was restoring comms, can't remember who they tasked with that. Guess I'll have to rewatch. Too bad so sad. Now we know why Wolffe gets kicked out of the Empire. It was a clone squad, so it worked that he could do that. I was expecting Crosshair to get the operative's helmet off and have it be Tech. Guess that's going to happen in a few episodes. The show better not end on that revelation. I'll be mightily unhappy.

Senator Chuchi! Senator Singh! But seriously Greer, be ready, wth? The temple from Teth, all busted from the war. It makes sense that Rex would use locations he remembers. Wish the sentries were better but I guess the operative is good. They're waiting for an assault team, not a lone operative. It's good to see Howzer. He's not trusting but he's not being rash either. I really don't like seeing Clones getting hurt and those operatives are definitely superior. WOLFFE!! Oh! And! What Hemlock was talking about Crosshair not being viable he meant the operative program. I guess not many clones survive it.

I believe there was a mention of relaying the coordinates to the Emperor's shuttle at a certain relay point or something. So it may not be widely known. Even so, they have the sector, so maybe they'll be able to dig up some old maps or something. I'm glad that we got a little bit of time with the group adjusting to Crosshair. It broke my heart a little when they mentioned Tech. I like Crosshair being a bit fond of Batcher. And his relationship with Omega has been lovely to watch grow. And Ioved Wrecker giving a great big bear hug to Hunter and Crosshair. The next thing Crosshiar is going to have to talk about is the tremor and how it will affect the team going forward. I'm glad that being the last season these episodes are moving at a good clip. This side quest didn't feel pointless--they're trying everything they can to figure out what is going on. And other character stuff is also happening. These episodes feel more cohesive and parts of a larger whole. Some of the episodes last season didn't seem to gel as well these have so far. With that being said, I want to see Cody so badly. I know there's a lot to fit into the last season but I really want to see Cody again.

I opened new threads when new episodes dropped for Bad Batch and it went fine. In the past, when I was a mod, there were some forums where I needed to be in there creating and time locking threads and other forums where posters could do it. It really depended on the show. In this instance, a bland Jinger and Jeremy topic wouldn't seem amiss. Someone created the Josh and Anna thread and that stayed up, so I don't see why not. They should be able to merge the topics so that the old posts could show up. I don't know if the new community managers and moderators know some of the "housekeeping" stuff that can be done. I mean, they could have just renamed the topics and given a brief note about it. It would be easy and way more respectful and kind to the actual posters. I can only assume they don't know how to do that. I don't know.

As a former mod (and one that had no input about the changes, I left years ago) the main overall theme/rule/guideline was posters should speak to and about each other with respect/kindness etc. Posters could be as vulgar, cruel, hyperbolic and repetitive about the TV people. (That's where the boards on boards comes from--don't talk about the forum, posters or mods, talk about the show and the show people). Did it get repetitive and hyperbolic and repetitive? Yes. Yes it did. It was my responsibility to read the posts to make sure posters weren't calling each other Karens or unbalanced. Criticizing posters (and calling them unbalanced is criticizing) would be a problem. I probably would have let it go to see if other posters would ignore or barely interact. But talking about how people post is not talking about the show/characters. And then it just becomes a great big accusatory/defensive circle. I was here as a mod for 4 years. I knew the posters well enough to gauge how they would probably react. That was ... well not my job because I was a volunteer. A volunteer who spend hours on my vacation when the Josh molestation scandal broke make a safe and caring place for posters. And that critiquing of other posters seems to be what these new guidelines are pointing to given what has been highlighted and encouraged. I find it hugely problematic. I would have NEVER suggested badges because it's bound to cause resentment and bad feelings. I sure as hell would NEVER EVER highlight a post as a mod to say what a good poster that person is being. I was there to be as neutral and fair as I could be. And being human, I'm sure I failed at that sometimes. But I tried. I tried to make a spot where people could post. The biggest issue with this forum and it's one I couldn't fix was it is hard for people that are fans of the Duggars and their cohort to come and post here. It was not welcoming to them because the posts are overwhelmingly against the Duggars etc. And if someone did post positively about them I could see where they would feel ganged up on. However, I did on occasion remind folks that people are allowed to like and post about the Duggars in the forum. But that was because all posters are to treat each other with respect. If you don't like it you can ignore it. Apparently calling your fellow poster unbalanced and Karens is what is expected here now. And I find that deeply troubling and an anathema to what I practiced as a mod. I would have never even said that in a private message to posters. All that being said, if this gets me banned etc so be it. I hope not because I still want to talk about Bad Batch with the other two posters on there. But it is what it is. I find Discord to be easier than Reddit. Not quite as nice as a forum but I prefer the quoting system to Reddits.

True. Star Wars is really more fantasy than science fiction. So as much as I can handwave for sci-fi, I really have to hand wave for Star Wars.

I mean, Crosshair survived a much closer blast from a bigger ship without a helmet, so I'm going with yes, Stormtrooper (TK trooper?) survived. I laughed quite loudly at his scream. And I laughed when No Neck Officer got grabbed by whatever tentacled creature was in that crate. Too bad Crosshair missed him though.

I don't think so. I think we were supposed to notice him so that when they are looking for Batcher, it's not exactly a random character. I'm glad that the reuniting with Hunter and Wrecker happened this episode. I really didn't think it would. I like that Crosshair hasn't lost his coldness or edge--he's always been severe and unyielding. But he's lost enough to be able to try something different and soften just a little with Omega. But he will still wreak havoc whenever he's loosed. As much as I hope we get to see the first cautious moments with the brothers reunited, I really want to see Wrecker hanging out with Batcher.

They don't necessarily have to meet up at Pabu. She knows the com channels--she gave the info to Hera. She said to Crosshair that they could contact Wrecker and Hunter from the crashed shuttle. Crosshair was able to send a message to the Marauder from Tantiss as well. There is a way to make contact to arrange a meet up. I just think it's going to be drawn out and won't happen next episode. Yeah, I don't see any happy ending possible. Even if Hunter and Wrecker are able to find a place the Empire won't touch them, there are still thousands if not millions of Clones that won't be as lucky.

I have a bad feeling we're not going to get the reunion with Hunter and Wrecker in the next episode. I wonder if it'll be the episode with Cad Bane, Fennec Shand and Asajj Ventress. Interestingly, Boba is a bounty hunter right now. AND he's worked with Ventress. It would be interesting if in this galaxy wide search for Omega he crosses paths were her. It wouldn't be that far fetched and they've already gotten Daniel Logan to voice young clones. Still, I want to see in the next episode Hunter and Wrecker meet up with Omega and Crosshair. I was surprised they escaped in the third episode, but if they hold back this reunion I'm going to be....disappointed.

Well, not so much hatch a daring plan as much as it was figure it out as they go. I mean, she was obviously trying to get the hounds used to her so that if she was able to get out they wouldn't immediately turn on them, so there's that. I'm irked that she's potentially force sensitive, but that hint has been dropped since the beginning. That little smile when Crosshair asked Omega if she knew plan 72 and she replied that Tech made her memorize them all. "Of course he did." And that is totally Tech as a brainwashed/programmed assassin what have you. The legs looked different from the uniform the other assassin had and I would assume it has to do with his body being so broken from the fall. Not happy about it, even though I want him to be alive, I don't want him mindlessly chasing Omega and Crosshair. It's just so cruel.