WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 1, Episode 7, "Battle Scars," now streaming on Disney+.
"Battle Scars" picks up in medias res, with the Havoc Marauder being fired upon by a trio of vessels in space. For their latest job, Clone Force 99 has stolen a lizard, who Omega names "Ruby," from a group known as the Rhokai. "Technically, the Rhokai stole the lizard first. We are merely intercepting it," Tech points out. (Thanks Tech!) Echo gets the hyperdrive online just in time for them to escape. Upon their return to Ord Mantell, Cid admits she doesn't know what her client wants "Ruby" for. Hunter chides her for not caring so long as she gets paid. “Now you’re catching on. And guess what? That means you get paid too,” she retorts.
Cid pays the squad but Hunter is angry, saying she told them the job paid three times as much. She tells him that's for her and tosses him a list of their expenses, including docking fees, port charges, gear, fuel, rations and... 20 cartons of Mantell Mix. Yes, it seems Wrecker and Omega have been feasting on a delicious snack dish known as Mantell Mix after their missions and putting it on Cid's tab. Shockingly, she's not wild about this and informs Hunter he needs a big score to make things square between them. But there's no time for that right now, as it turns out the clones are being watched by a hooded stranger. It's Rex!
In a fun twist, "Battle Scars" reveals Rex was the mysterious individual the Martez sisters contacted after their adventure with Clone Force 99 on Corellia. He's also listed as being dead in the Imperials' files, according to Tech. “Being dead in the Empire’s eyes has its advantages,” Rex admits. However, he's undeniably shocked to learn Omega is a clone like the rest of them. Omega, who's equally surprised at first to see the others embracing a reg, recognizes Rex is a Generation One clone based on the lines on his face. He's amused by this, but his joy is short-lived when Wrecker's headache abruptly returns.
Concerned, Rex quickly deduces that Wrecker's inhibitor chip is acting up. Despite Tech's assurances that Clone Force 99's “deviant nature" has impeded their chips' functionality, Rex is alarmed to learn the others haven't had them removed. He starts to reach for his gun, telling Hunter and the gang they’re all ticking time bombs and a threat to those around them, Omega included. Poor Rex is obviously traumatized by Order 66, saying he doesn’t want to bury any more of his brothers. He tells them it’s not something they can regulate either and insists they get their chips taken out ASAP. Fortunately, he knows how to do this.
Hunter and the gang agree to meet Rex on Bracca, a Mid Rim world that Hunter refers to as “a starship graveyard." There, they find a fallen Jedi cruiser like the one where Rex got his chip extracted in Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 7 but have to be careful to avoid the Scrapper Guild, which controls Bracca. (Foreshadowing!) Rex also cautions the others to stay above the planet’s waterline. (More foreshadowing!) Sure enough, when Wrecker falls into the water, he's attacked by a tentacled creature. No, it's not an homage to the octopus from Lords of the Rings, it's a dianoga -- the same creature that tried to kill Luke Skywalker in the Death Star's trash compactor from A New Hope.
With the others' help, Wrecker wards off the dianogo and the squad makes it to the Jedi cruiser's medical bay. It's rundown, much to Tech's annoyance, but still functioning. A nervous Wrecker is comforted by Omega in yet another example of their adorable friendship. Omega's pretty scared herself, admitting she's afraid if something goes wrong she will be left all alone. Hunter promises that won't happen, assuring her "You’re stuck with us for the long run." As the surgical pod whirs to life, Rex notes very few clones were able to resist Order 66. Hunter admits they didn’t understand why the regs attacked the Jedi on Kaller and mentions allowing Kanan Jarrus to escape.
Suddenly, Wrecker starts to choke Tech! “You’re in direct violation of Order 66,” he says in an uncharacteristically robotic manner. He begins shooting at the others, calling them traitors and even pinning Hunter to a wall, telling him “All clones in violation of Order 66 shall be terminated.” Omega bravely fires a shot at him and gets Wrecker to chase her. She's able to sneak away thanks to her small stature and pleads with Wrecker to stop. Sadly, the inhibitor chip is too powerful, forcing Wrecker (who's clearly in distress) to repeat Crosshair's chilling catchphrase: “Good soldiers follow orders."
Luckily, Rex is able to stun Wrecker before he kills Omega. He's placed in the surgical pod and survives the chip removal process. Unfortunately, he doesn’t regain consciousness right away, leaving poor Omega to sit and wait in concern. Rex suggests that Hunter take Omega topside to get some air, but she's adamant about staying with Wrecker until he wakes up. Thankfully, he does and even starts joking to cheer Omega up before apologizing for earlier, saying he struggled to control himself but couldn’t. In reply, Omega offers him a handful of Mantell Mix, noting they can't break tradition. It's a touching moment, to say the least.
Once the others' chips are removed, Rex contacts someone, promising he will meet them at the rendezvous by their next rotation. Hunter overhears this, telling Rex he figured he wasn’t out of the fight just yet. “I spent my life defending the Republic. Can’t stop now,” Rex replies. Hunter points out the Republic is gone, but Rex argues some of it is still left, adding that Clone Force 99's skills would be a tremendous asset. Hunter says he has to do what’s best for his squad, admitting he's still figuring out what that is. Rex tells him to get in contact once he has, parting ways with Hunter on a hopeful note before vanishing into the night.
Elsewhere, members of the Scrapper Guild are watching from afar. Having spotted the clones, their leader orders their associates to contact the Empire. It's not exactly a cliffhanger, but it's an ominous way to close out an otherwise welcome reunion between Rex and the gang.
Created by Dave Filoni, Star Wars: The Bad Batch stars Dee Bradley Baker, Andrew Kishino and Ming-Na Wen. New episodes premiere Fridays on Disney+.