The latest episode of Star Wars: The Bad Batch revisited a plot point from The Mandalorian.
The two series may be set at different points in the Star Wars timeline, but both share a common threat.
In Seasons 1 and 2 of Mando’s Disney+ series, Moff Gideon is on the hunt for Grogu for the purpose of Imperial cloning experiments; and in The Bad Batch, one particular clone found himself in a similar situation.
How Bad Batch Season 2 Ties to The Mandalorian
In Episode 12 of Star Wars: The Bad Batch‘s second season, Crosshair, Clone Force 99’s rogue member and Imperial loyalist, finally turned on the Empire and was taken to Mount Tantiss.
Mount Tantiss houses a secretive Imperial cloning facility and is where Nala Se was taken following the destruction of Kamino’s Tipoca City in the Season 1 finale.
However, this isn’t the first time audiences have seen Mount Tatniss this season.
Episode 11 featured this mysterious location, along with Emerie Karr, a doctor at Mount Tatniss who was introduced in Season 1.
In Episode 12, Karr oversees Crosshair’s medical treatment and encourages him to cooperate.
What’s particularly interesting about Karr is that her uniform bears the same insignia as Dr. Pershing, the clone engineer from The Mandalorian who extracted Grogu’s blood for its high midi-chlorian count.
A Season 3 trailer for The Mandalorian confirmed that Dr. Pershing will return in the new season.
Leading up to The Bad Batch‘s Season 2 premiere, executive producer Brad Rau confirmed that the similarity between Dr. Pershing’s uniform patch and that of Karr, saying it’s “not a coincidence” and that the series “will get into all of that.”
It’s unusual for Disney+ to air two Star Wars shows at the same time and on the same date.
But right now, that’s exactly what’s happening as both The Bad Batch and The Mandalorian drop new episodes on Wednesdays.
While some questioned why Lucasfilm would cannibalize its own content, perhaps the two airing at the same time is intentional.
As both shows dive deeper into their respective seasons, it’s possible that their cloning-related connections intertwine and may need one another for the bigger picture.
Perhaps The Mandalorian‘s third season will revisit Mount Tantiss but in live-action?
But even if not, both series are still shedding light on the Empire’s cloning efforts both before the original trilogy and after, which ultimately leads to Palpatine’s return in The Rise of Skywalker.
They’re also proof that Star Wars is committed to what fans have long wanted from that galaxy far, far away: continuity and connections.
New episodes of Star Wars: The Bad Batch and The Mandalorian drop on Wednesdays on Disney+.
