The following contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 2, Episode 5, "Entombed," now streaming on Disney+.
The latest adventure for the Clones on The Bad Batch better introduces viewers to Wanda Sykes' new character, Phee Genoa, a galactic treasure hunter. The episode is also an excuse for Lucasfilm storytellers to dedicate a whole episode to an Indiana Jones homage.
Harrison Ford and the oldest Oscar nominee ever, John Williams, are set to revisit George Lucas' old-timey adventurer in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. It looks like a big, old adventure but lacks the simplicity of the first films', primarily sneaking around weird caves looking for old and dangerous things. It's not like other Lucasfilm storytellers need the excuse of a new movie to homage Indy. The prequel series Andor features Indiana Jones Easter eggs aplenty, and it's the most serious story Star Wars has ever told. The two franchises reference each other all the time, and even share an actor. Yet, The Bad Batch episode "Entombed" is different, both because it is a classic Indy adventure and features a brand-new take on the treasure hunter seeking fortune and glory with Phee.
How The Bad Batch References Indiana Jones Movies in 'Entombed'
Earlier this season, The Bad Batch featured a direct homage to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, with Omega as Indy. Risking her life to get some treasure, Tech had to convince Omega to let it go. This episode is rife with little nods. Like in Raiders of the Lost Ark, the Bad Batch has to filter light through a round thing with a jewel on it to reveal a map. Last Crusade gets a reference again, with a booby trap where stepping on a false floor tile sends grave robbers plummeting to their deaths. The series of booby traps, and the way that Phee overcomes them with certainty, evokes Lucasfilm's other, Earth-bound treasure hunter. They even wear similar jackets.
One thing Indy didn't have to contend with, however, are space monsters. This is Star Wars, after all, so a weird creature trying to kill the heroes keeps the gang on their toes. Also, unique to this Lucasfilm franchise is that the coveted "heart of the mountain" was actually a planet-killing war machine built by an ancient alien race. This could, arguably, be an homage to Temple of Doom, which itself drew on a common trope. The treasure hunter is in it for the money and the bragging rights, but when faced with something truly dangerous or evil only cares about stopping it. Phee honors the code of heroic grave robbers by giving up on making a profit and helping the Bad Batch stop the behemoth they inadvertently reactivated.
Not all the Indiana Jones Easter eggs are visual, either, Kevin Kiner is adept at taking Williams' themes and incorporating them into his own score for the series. For example, the Star Wars Rebels theme interpolates a short, infrequently used motif for the Rebels from Return of the Jedi. Kiner does this again with the score for "Entombed," only instead of drawing from Williams' Star Wars scores, he draws from Raiders of the Lost Ark. Specifically the theme for the titular MacGuffin.
Not a Filler Episode, but a Good, Old-Fashioned Treasure Hunt in the Star Wars Galaxy
One thing absent from a lot of recent Star Wars storytelling set before the original trilogy is joy. The Imperial era is called the dark times for a reason, after all. Yet, ostensibly, The Bad Batch is a show for children, and it should be fun. Even if this episode wasn't important to the characters or overall story, it's an entertaining episode of TV built around compelling and lovable characters. Puzzling out booby traps and creepy ruins are great settings for tension-filled fiction. Because Phee undermined Cid to the Bad Batch, viewers may not trust her entirely.
What makes the story so much fun is that double-whammy of tension. There are the perils of the journey, and Phee's insistence they go in without a plan. However, a frequent occupational hazard for Indiana Jones is that his allies betray him. Kids are just relieved when Phee turns out to be a true friend, at least for now. Adults are surprised because the show subverts the expectation the homage sets up. An unscrupulous outlaw could do a lot of damage with a humongous killer robot. Phee doesn't just help the heroes, she saves the day because, as a professional, she knows when not to let it go. Call this episode of The Bad Batch filler at one's peril, because it doesn't feel like the show is done with Phee yet.
That the treasure was tied to a moral question with galactic implications is what makes this Indiana Jones story quintessentially Star Wars. The dark times are a galaxy without magic, and Phee's belief in myths and legends debunks that idea. The legends that describe wondrous stories that can't possibly be true are just where that magic went to hide.
The Bad Batch debuts new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+.