X-amining X-Men: The Animated Series Season 1 Episode 1

In celebration of the premiere of X-Men: The Animated Series thirty years ago today, here is my review of the series' inaugural episode. To read the rest of my reviews of the animated series (currently up to the start of season four), become a Patron now for as little as $1.25 a month!

"Night of the Sentinels Part 1"

Original Airdate
October 31 1992

Written by
Mark Edward Edens

Plot
After young mutant Jubilee's foster father reports her to the Mutant Control Agency, a Sentinel attacks her house, intent on capturing her. Jubilee has, however, snuck out to the local mall. The Sentinel tracks her there, drawing the attention of fellow mutants Storm, Rogue, Gambit & Cyclops, who destroy the Sentinel and take the unconscious Jubilee back to their mansion home. There, she encounters Beast, Morph, Wolverine, Jean Grey & Professor Xavier, and learns the group is called the X-Men a team dedicated to mastering their powers and achieving peaceful coexistence with the humans who often fear & hate mutants. Learning the Sentinels are the product of the Mutant Control Agency, the X-Men infiltrate their headquarters in order to destroy their files on mutants, but the agency's security forces are, unknownst to the X-Men, lying in wait for them.

Force in Focus: The Mandalorian Season 2x08

"The Rescue"

Plot

Using Slave I, the Mandalorian and his allies capture an Imperial shuttle carrying Dr. Pershing, and confirm the presence of the child aboard Moff Gideon's ship. He then enlists the aid of Bo-Katan & Koska Reeves, offering Bo-Katan Gideon's ship and to reconsider joining her fight for Mandalore in exchange for their help. The group then uses the captured shuttle & Slave I to force a landing onto Gideon's cruiser, with Cara, Fennec, Bo-Katan, and Reeves heading for the bridge while the Mandalorian attempts to shutdown the Dark Troopers and rescue the child. As his allies capture the bridge, he manages to blow the Dark Troopers into space, then finds Gideon waiting for him in the child's cell. Gideon attacks him with the Darksaber. Using his beskar staff, the Mandalorian defeats Gideon, but leaves him alive for Cara Dune. They enter the bridge, and Gideon reveals to the Mandalorian that by defeating him in battle, he has claimed the Darksaber for himself, not Bo-Katan. Just then, the Dark Troopers, under their own power, reboard the ship, and proceed towards the bridge. As the Mandalorian and his allies brace for a battle they're unlikely to win, an X-wing flies into the cruiser's landing bay, and a figure in black emerges wielding a lightsaber. As Gideon realizes who it is, he grabs a fallen blaster and tries to kill the child and then himself, but the Mandalorian blocks his shot and Cara disarms him. As the figure in black cuts through the Dark Troopers and arrives on the bridge, he reveals himself to be the Jedi Luke Skywalker, and offers to take the child for training. The Mandalorian tells the child to go with him, and assures him they will meet again. He then removes his helmet to say goodbye, and Luke takes the child, leaving behind a teary Din Djarin. 

Force in Focus: The Mandalorian Season 2x07

"The Believer"

Original Airdate

December 11th, 2020

Plot

With Cara Dune's help, the Mandalorian retrieves Migs Mayfeld from a New Republic prison, pressing him into helping locate Moff Gideon. To do so, Mayfeld says he will need to access an internal Imperial terminal, with one nearby on the world of Morak. On Morak, Mayfeld and the Mandalorian commandeer an Imperial transport and, disguised as Shoretroopers, proceed to a rhydonium refinery. Along the way, the transport is attacked by pirates attempting to destroy the rhydonium, but the Mandalorian manages to fight them off until they reach the refinery, where they are greeted as heroes. Inside, Mayfeld & the Mandalorian head toward the officer's mess; Mayfeld spots the terminal, but his former superior officer, Hess, is inside, requiring the Mandalorian to access it instead. To do so, he must remove his helmet. He gets the location of Gideon's ship, but draws the attention of Hess, and Mayfeld is forced to intervene, which leads to Mayfeld and the Mandalorian getting a drink with Hess. When Hess notes Mayfeld's familiarity, Mayfeld reminds him of their service together, and how Hess ordered the execution of a number of Mayfeld's fellow soldiers as part of Operation: Cinder. Mayfeld then shoots Hess, and the refinery explodes in gunfire. With Cara Dune & Fennec Shand providing cover from a nearby ridge, Mayfeld and the Mandalorian head to the roof of the refinery, where Boba Fett retrieves them in Slave I. As they fly off, Mayfeld fires back at the refinery, hitting the rhydonium and triggering an explosion that destroys the entire facility. Impressed with his actions, Cara Dune allows him to go free, suggesting he was officially killed in the explosion. Later, Moff Gideon receives a message from the Mandalorian, who tells him that soon the child will be back with him. 

Force in Focus: The Mandalorian Season 2x06

"The Tragedy"

Original Release Date

December 4, 2020

Plot

The Mandalorian and the child arrive on Typhon, and proceed to a temple-like structure. But when the child is placed on a plinth surrounded by ritualistic stones, nothing happens. Just then, the Mandalorian spots an approaching ship. Spooked, he prepares to leave with the child, but when he turns to get him, he discovers Grogu in some kind of trance, surrounded by an impenetrable field of blue energy. Checking on the new arrivals, he is forced into a stalemate by Fennec Shand and her ally, Boba Fett, seeking the armor the Mandalorian acquired from Cobb Vanth.. The trio make a deal: safe passage off the planet by the Mandalorian and the child in exchange for Boba Fett's armor. Just then, Imperial forces arrive on the planet. As Stormtroopers swarm towards the child, the Mandalorian & Fennec fight to hold them back, while Boba Fett dons his armor and joins the fray. However, Moff Gideon's Star Destroyer arrives in the atmosphere and destroys the Razor Crest, after which he dispatches a force of Dark Troopers which manage to capture the child. As the Imperials depart, Boba Fett tells the Mandalorian he intends to honor their agreement and ensure the child is safe, and brings him to Navarro, where the Mandalorian enlists Cara Dune's aid to find someone who can help him track Moff Gideon. Meanwhile, Gideon visits the captive Grogu, marveling at the Force abilities which exhaust him, then leaving the child along in his cell, shackled and powerless. 

Force in Focus: The Mandalorian Season 2x05

"The Jedi"

Plot

On Corvus, the local magistrate and her hired gun deal with a series of attacks carried out by former Jedi Ahsoka Tano, who is looking for information from the magistrate. Shortly thereafter, the Mandalorian and the child arrive on the planet. They are taken to the Magistrate, who offers the Mandalorian a staff made of beskar to eliminate Ahsoka. He proceeds out into the woods surrounding the city, but after a brief skirmish, convinces Ahsoka he needs her help, telling her Bo-Katan sent him. He introduces her to the child, and through the Force, Ahsoka learns his name is Grogu. The Mandalorian asks Ahsoka to train him, but she refuses, citing Grogu's clear attachment to the Mandalorian. He makes a deal with her: if he helps her defeat the magistrate, she will train Grogu. The pair work together to assault the town, with the Mandalorian taking on the magistrate's guards and her hired gun while Ahsoka duels the magistrate, fighting her with the beskar staff. When the magistrate is defeated, the town appoints one of its own to lead in her place, and Ahsoka gifts the Mandalorian the beskar staff. However, she still refuses to train Grogu, and instead directs the Mandalorian to a temple on the world of Typhon, which may draw another Jedi to their side. The Mandalorian and the child depart Corvus, while Ahsoka walks off into the forest alone. 

Force in Focus: The Mandalorian Season 2x04

"The Siege"

Plot

The Mandalorian decides his ship needs further repairs, and decides to return to Nevarro. On Nevarro, Cara Dune flushes a group of Aqualish raiding the old Mandalorian culvert. Shortly thereafter, the Mandalorian arrives, reuniting with Cara as well as Greef Carga. Greef offers to repair the Razor Crest in exchange for the Mandalorian's help destroying an old Imperial base on the planet, the last thing standing in the way of true independence for the planet. Leaving the child in the care of a protocol droid school teacher, the Mandalorian sets out with Cara, Greef and Greef's associate Mythrol, to the base. They plan to use the volcano generating power for the base to destroy it, but after initiating that process, they realize the base is actually a front for the cloning operations that had been targeting the child, run by Moff Gideon. The Mandalorian blasts off to retrieve the child while the other three fight their way out of the base before it explodes. They commander a Marauder troop transport but a squad of Scout Troopers followed by a trio of TIE fighters set out after them. Manning the guns, Greef is able to destroy one of the TIEs, but the guns are damaged in the process. Just then, the Mandalorian sweeps in aboard the newly repaired Razor Crest and destroys the rest of the TIEs, then departs. Later, Cara meets with New Republic Captain Teva, who tells her something nefarious is happening in the Outer Rim, while Moff Gideon receives word from a spy on Nevarro, one of the mechanics who repaired the Razor Crest, that the tracking device has been successfully installed, along with confirmation that the Mandalorian still travels with the child.  

Force in Focus: The Mandalorian Season 2 Episode 03

"The Heiress" 

Plot

The Razor Crest (just barely) makes it to Trask, but crashes into the water upon landing. Leaving repairs in the hands of a Mon Calamari dockmaster, the Mandalorian reunites Frog Lady with her husband, who directs the Mandalorian to a nearby inn for further info about the whereabouts of his people. There, he makes a deal with a Quarren sailor, who promises to take him to other Mandalorians. They head out to sea, but the Quarren have set a trap, intending to feed the child and the Mandalorian to a mamacore in order to harvest his armor. They are saved by three Mandalorians led by Bo-Batan Kryze, heiress to the throne of Mandalore. Hoping to free the planet of Imperial occupation, she agrees to direct the Mandalorian to a Jedi in exchange for his help stealing a cargo of weapons from an Imperial transport. The four Mandalorians storm the ship and easily capture the cargo bay, but then Bo-Katan reveals she intends to capture the entire ship, and use it to find Moff Gideon, whom she believes possesses the Darksaber she needs to reclaim her throne. The Mandalorians manage to capture the ship before it crashes, but the captain kills himself before Bo-Katan can get any info out of him. Bo-Katan then honors her word and directs the Mandalorian to the planet Corvus and a Jedi named Ahsoka Tano. He departs, and shortly thereafter, he and the Child blast off Trask aboard the (just barely) repaired Razor Crest. 

Force in Focus: The Mandalorian Season 2x02

"The Passenger"

Plot

Raising across the Tatooine desert, the Mandalorian is attacked by a gang of bounty hunters after the child. He fights them off, but his speeder bike is damaged, forcing him to walk back to Mos Eisley. There, he meets with Peli, who introduces him to Frog Lady, an amphibious being willing to trade him information on the whereabouts of some Mandalorians in exchange for transporting her and her eggs to the moon of Trask - without traveling through hyperspace, which would destroy her eggs. As they slowly make their way towards the moon, two New Republic pilots perform a fly-by. When they attempt to identify his ship, the Mandalorian races towards a nearby planet, successfully evading the pilots but damaging the Razor's Crest in the process. Settling inside an ice cave for repairs, the child draws the attention of a pack of ice spiders, which quickly overwhelm the Mandalorian. Just then, the New Republic pilots return, blasting away the ice spiders and saying that after they looked him up, they decided the Mandalorian's good deeds while participating in a recent prison break just barely outweigh his bad, and let him off with a warning. Later, the Mandalorian manages to repair the ship's engines, but not its hull, so the trio resumes their journey, all crammed inside the Razor Crest's cockpit as they slowly make their way through space. 

Force in Focus: The Mandalorian Season 2x01

"The Marshal"

Plot

Hoping to find other Mandalorians to aid him on his quest to reunite the Child with its people, the Mandalorian learns from fight promoter and beskar-dealer Gor Karesh that someone in beskar armor has been seen recently on Tatooine. He and the Child proceed to Tatooine and reunite with mechanic Peli, who points them to the city of Mos Pelgo. There, the Mandalorian meets Cobb Vanth, who is serving as the town's marshal and wearing the beskar armor. He strikes a deal with the Mandalorian: help him rid the town of a krayt dragon threatening it, and he'll hand over the armor. Together, Vanth and the Mandalorian form an alliance with a local tribe of Tusken Raiders, and both the tribe and the townspeople come together to destroy the dragon. In the aftermath of their success, Vanth hands over the armor, and the Mandalorian and the Child speed back to the ship, as they're unknowingly watched by someone familiar with Vanth's now-former armor. 

Force in Focus: The Clones Wars Season 7 Episode 12

"Victory & Death"

Plot
Rex & Ahsoka, with the assistance of A7 and the other droids, manage to escape the medbay without killing any of the clones attacking them. With all the escape pods destroyed, Ahsoka suggests they try to find a shuttle to use for escape. Meanwhile, Maul, still intent on serving as the distraction Ahsoka released him to be, destroys the Star Destroyer's hyperdrive, dropping it into real space and into the gravity well of a moon. Inside the hanger, Rex & Ahsoka find the remaining clones predicted their move, and are waiting. Pretending to have captured Ahsoka, Rex tries to reason with the clones, telling them Order 66 doesn't apply to Ahsoka, who is no longer a Jedi, in order to give the droids time to work. They manage to drop the hanger elevators down, removing most of the clones. As Rex & Ahsoka battle the few remaining, Maul enters the hanger, and takes off in the sole remaining shuttle. Ahsoka grabs it with the Force, but releases it in order to save Rex. The pair drop into the hanger's lower levels and find a Y-wing. Ahsoka gets Rex aboard just as the Star Destroyer begins to break up as it enters atmosphere. Falling through the wreckage as the ship crashes onto the moon, Ahsoka manages to get aboard the Y-wing as the Star Destroyer slips below the clouds. Later, Ahsoka stands before the graves of dozen of clones, and drops her lightsaber to the ground. Much later, an Imperial shuttle lands on the now snow-swept moon. Imperial Stormtroopers & probe droids emerge, followed by Darth Vader. He finds Ahsoka's fallen lightsaber, ignites it, then takes the saber and returns to his shuttle, passing a cracked clone trooper helmet bearing Ahsoka's markings.

Force in Focus: The Clones Wars Season 7 Episode 11

"Shattered"

Plot
As the Mandalorians take Gar Saxon and his rebels into custody, Ahsoka joins a call with the Jedi Council, informing them of Maul's capture. Later, she bids goodbye to Bo-Katan as she and the rest of the 501st board a transport to bring Maul, locked inside a Mandalorian Vault, onto their Star Destroyer for the trip back to Coruscant. Later, as the ship is traveling through hyperspace, both Maul & Ahsoka sense a disturbance in the Force. Moments later, Rex receives a holographic message from Chancellor Palpatine, telling him to execute Order 66. As Ahsoka approaches to tell him about her premonition, he manages to utter "find Fives" before he and the rest of the clone troopers open fire on her. She manages to escape, then prevents Maul's extermination at the hands of the clones, setting him free in order to serve as a distraction. As Maul attacks the troopers, Ahsoka, with the help of A7 and two other droids, follows Rex' clue to learn how Fives discovered the presence of inhibitor chips which turn the clones against the Jedi. She then manages to capture & stun Rex, bringing him to the medical bay where, with the assistance of the Force, she's able to remove his chip. As a squad of troopers close in on them. Ahsoka asks Rex how many of the clones have the chips: he responds to her horror that they all do. The entire Grand Army of the Republic has been set against the Jedi.

Force in Focus: The Clones Wars Season 7 Episode 10

"The Phantom Apprentice"

Plot
Confronted by Maul, who taunts her knowledge of Darth Sidious' plans, Ahsoka activates a signal on her gauntlet to alert Rex to her location. As her Clone Troopers arrive, Maul and his forces escape into the tunnels. Later, Ahsoka contacts Obi-Wan, hoping to receive more troops, but he tells her he's setting out to find General Grievous, and that Anakin has been tasked with reporting on the chancellor for the Jedi Council. Just then Rex enters: Maul has captured one one of the Clone Troopers, Jesse. After dispatching Gar Saxon to eliminated the captive Almec, Maul uses the Force to plumb Jesse's mind of knowledge about Ahsoka. At the prison complex, Bo-Katan & Ahsoka question Almec, who is killed by Saxon. Bo-Katan gives chase, but he manages to escape. Ahsoka & Bo-Katan then oversee the shepherding of the city's civilian population to safety, before returning to the throne room to find Maul waiting. As his forces engage the Mandalorians, he tells Ahsoka's he's seen a vision of the future in which they foil Sidious together, and offers Ahsoka the chance to join him. She agrees, until he reveals that he saw Anakin serving as Sidious' new apprentice. Knowing Anakin could never turn to the dark side, and that therefore Maul's vision of the future is wrong, she attacks him. They duel, eventually ending up in the beams of the canopy over the city. As the Republic forces overwhelm Gar Saxon's forces, Maul tries to escape, but Ahsoka manages to grab him with the Force long enough for Rex and a detachment of troopers to arrive and bind him, as Ahsoka looks up at the cracked canopy above her.

Force in Focus: The Clones Wars Season 7 Episode 09

"Old Friends Not Forgotten"

Plot
On the planet Yerbana, Anakin & Obi-Wan work together to overwhelm a droid force and win the battle, after which Anakin learns he's been contacted by an old friend: Ahsoka. Shortly thereafter, Ahsoka lands on Anakin's flagship with Bo-Katan. They have arrived looking for Anakin & Obi-Wan's help in capturing Maul & freeing Mandalore from his control, action Obi-Wan insists he must run by the Jedi Council, much to Ahsoka's dismay. As he does, Ahsoka reconnects with Anakin & Rex. Eventually, they are interrupted by a klaxon as Obi-Wan rushes in to announce that Chancellor Palpatine has been kidnapped; he and Anakin have been recalled to Coruscant to rescue him. Wanting to help Ahsoka, Anakin splits the 501st Legion and gives it to Rex to command, under Ahsoka's guidance. Newly reinforced, Ahsoka & Bo-Katan return to Mandalore and assault the capital of Sundari. As Ahsoka leads a group of troops into the undercity, Bo-Katan storms the palace & captures Prime Minister Almec, who tells them Maul always intended for her to return with the Jedi, though perhaps not the one she brought. Just then, in the sewers beneath the city, Ahsoka comes face to face with Maul, who says disappointedly that he was hoping for Kenobi as he draws his lightsaber.

Force in Focus: The Clones Wars Season 7 Episode 08

"Together Again"

The Moral of the Story
You can change who you are, but you cannot run from yourself.

Plot
Brought before the Pykes, Ahsoka offers a deal: set the Martez sisters free to retrieve the missing spice, and Ahsoka will remain behind; if the sisters don't come back, Ahsoka will give the Pykes info on their family to use as leverage. They agree, and the Martez sisters are released. Trace believes Ahsoka is sacrificing herself for them, since they have no family to be used as leverage, but Rafa, not wanting to be one-upped, vows to return with spice and free Ahsoka. Meanwhile, Ahsoka uses the Force to escape from her cell and sets out to plant charges in the Pyke's spice processing facilities. She overhears a conversation between the Pykes & Maul, and tracing the transmission to Mandalore, she gets recaptured & exposed as a Jedi in the process. Elsewhere, Trace & Rafa arrive at a Pyke loading facility, and fight the Trandoshan manager there in order to make off with a replacement spice shipment. They return to Oba Diah and are brought before Marg Krim, who reveals Ahsoka as a Jedi. Just then, the charges she set exploded, which she and the Martez sisters use as cover to escape. As they fight their way off the planet, Ahsoka explains how she left the Jedi Order, and when the three return to Coruscant, they are on friendly terms. Just then, Bo-Katan enters Trace's workshop, having followed them from Oba Diah, and says she needs Ahsoka's help to take down Maul. Ahsoka is reluctant, but Trace says she needs to help the Mandalorians just as she helped them, and Ahsoka ultimately agrees, leaving her bike with Trace, just in case, before boarding the Mandalorians' ship.

Force in Focus: The Clones Wars Season 7 Episode 07

"Dangerous Debt"

The Moral of the Story
Who you were does not have to define who you are

Plot
Held captive by the Pyke Syndicate, Ahsoka learns how Rafa & Trace were orphaned after a battle involving the Jedi & Ziro the Hutt on Coruscant, a revelation which shakes Ahsoka. Later, Rafa is taken away to be tortured for information on the whereabouts of the spice they dumped, and after her, Trace is led away as well. But Trace manages to break free, and as she leads the guards on a chase through the prison, Ahsoka uses the Force to escape her cell with Rafa. Together, the three women get out of the prison complex and into the surrounding city, as they are unknowingly watched by a trio of Mandalorians,. Eventually, Trace spots her impounded ship on a landing platform but they are spotted by their pursuers before they can get to the ship, and Rafa & Trace are recaptured. Ahsoka remains free and doubles back to free them, but is forced to act too early when the Pykes threaten to kill the sisters. This leads to Ahsoka being recaptured as well, and all three end up back in their cell where they started.

Force in Focus: The Clones Wars Season 7 Episode 06

"Deal No Deal"

The Moral of the Story
Mistakes are valuable lessons often learned too late.

Plot
As Trace shows off her ship, Silver Angel, to Ahsoka, Rafa arrives at the hanger, needing Trace's help: she lined up a delivery job, but her contact for the pilot & ship has dropped out, and she needs the Silver Angel & Trace to do the job instead. Ahsoka volunteers to come along, something which doesn't sit well with Rafa. Soon, the three depart, and it quickly becomes clear that Trace has never flown a starship before, as she nearly avoids a confrontation with the Republic military on the way off planet. Rafa directs them to Kessel, explaining that they've been hired to pick up a shipment of unrefined spice. They meet Kinash Lock, the majordomo of Kessel's King Yaruba, and are directed to a nearby mining pit where they pick up the shipment. After leaving Kessel, Rafa announces they're delivering the spice to the Pyke Syndicate. Ahsoka & Rafa argue over what to do with the spice, which prompts Trace to simply dump it in Hyperspace, something both her sister and Ahsoka agree just made their situation worse. Ahsoka comes up with a plan, however, and when they arrive on Oba Diah, Ahsoka uses a Jedi mind trick on Krim to make him process the exchange without any questions. But one of his associates remains suspicious, and discovers the empty cargo containers just as Trace prepares to depart. With the Pykes now aware of the missing spice, the Silver Angel is caught in a tractor beam as patrol ships quickly surround it.

Force in Focus: The Clones Wars Season 7 Episode 05

"Gone With a Trace"

The Moral of the Story
If there is no path before you, create your own.

Plot
Traveling across Coruscant, Ahsoka's speeder bike malfunctions, sending her plummeting into the city's lower levels. She crashes near a repair shop, whose mechanic, Trace, offers to repair the bike - for a price. When Ahsoka admits she doesn't have much in the way of credits, Trace agrees to lend Ahsoka the tools needed to fix it herself. Trace shows Ahsoka the starship she is repairing, with the hope that she and her sister Rafa will be able to leave the planet & escape the war. Just then, Pintu and two thugs arrive, looking to collect on Rafa's debt. Ahsoka fights them off. Later, they meet with Rafa, who has a job lined up to earn the credits to pay back Pintu. The job involves building Binary Load Lifter droids; Ahsoka agrees to help Trace with the work, even though she knows that model of droid to be unstable. Sure enough, one of the droids goes wild upon activation, leading Ahsoka & Trace on a chase through the underworld before they bring it to heel. Back at the garage, Rafa promises her sister she'll do the right thing with the droids, but in the end, she hands them over to her client, and uses the money to pay off Pintu. Disappointed, Ahsoka heads off to work on her bike, but Trace follows after, offering to help.

Force in Focus: The Clones Wars Season 7 Episode 04

"Unfinished Business"

The Moral of the Story
Trust placed in another is trust earned.

Plot
Plotting the retaking of Anaxes, Echo proposes a daring plan: sneak aboard the Separatist flagship using his knowledge & use their reliance on his algorithm to feed them false information. He assures the Jedi that Wat Tambor will have kept the loss of Echo to himself, out of fear for his profit margins, and Mace Windu reluctantly agrees to the plan. As Mace & Obi-Wan begin the assault of the Separatist ground forces, Echo, Anakin, Rex and the Bad Batch sneak aboard General Trench's ship. As Mace & Obi-Wan's forces breach the massive Separatist assembly plant, Trench puts in a call to Skago Minor for Echo's algorithm to direct his moves. Masking his location, Echo sends an order to send all droid forces to that area, intending to disable them all at once with a massive feedback pulse. After Echo does so, Trench learns Echo's orders came from aboard the ship, so he triggers a massive bomb beneath the assembly plant surface to wipe out the Republic forces. As Mace Windu works to defuse the bomb, Anakin confronts Trench for the disarming sequence, cutting off several of Trench's arms to get it. When Trench moves to attack Anakin, he kills him. Anakin then grabs the ship's self-destruct trigger, and as Mace disarms the bomb on the planet's surface, Anakin and the clones fight their way back to their ship, at which point Anakin lets Wrecker blow up Trench's flagship. In the aftermath of the battle, Echo decides his place is with the Bad Batch, and Rex salutes the group as they prepare to depart.

Force in Focus: The Clones Wars Season 7 Episode 03

"On the Wings of Keeradaks"

The Moral of the Story
Survival is one step on the path to living.

Plot
Anakin & the Bad Batch hold off the Techno Union forces as Tech & Rex work to free Echo. As Wat Tambor closes in, Echo is freed and directs the group to an exhaust pipe above them. Thanks to Wrecker's strength and Anakin's Jedi abilities, the group escapes, with Wrecker leaving behind a handful of detonators to destroy Tambor's "science experiments". As Anakin and the clones try to escape the citadel, they're surrounded while perched on a narrow pipe high above the ground. Tech, using recordings he made of their cries, calls a flock of keeradaks to them, which they mount & fly away. The keeradaks deliver the Republic soldiers back to the village of the Poletecs, and Rex gives an impassioned speech urging them to take up arms against the Separatists. They agree, and fight side-by-side with Anakin and the clones when the Techno Union attacks. Together, they drive back the droid forces, much to Wat Tambor's dismay, who is determined to recoup the lost profit as a result of Echo's escape. As the Republic troops prepare to leave the planet, Rex apologizes for not finding Echo sooner, and promises him everything will soon be like it was, though Echo seems less sure of that sentiment.

Force in Focus: The Clones Wars Season 7 Episode 02

"A Distant Echo"

The Moral of the Story
The search for truth begins with belief.

Plot
Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker joins Rex and the Bad Batch on a mission to Skago Minor, following the signal Rex believes to have come from Echo. Shortly after arriving on the planet, they are attacked by the native Poletec, but with translation help from Tech, they learn the Poletec merely want to avoid becoming embroiled in the war, and agree to help the Republic forces oust the Separatists, guiding them to the city of Purkoll. Their approach is noticed by Techno-Union foreman Wat Tambor, who decides to set a trap. Anakin and the clones attack his citadel, but Wrecker quickly ignores Anakin's orders to take a more stealthy approach. Fighting their way inside instead, Rex and Tech follow the signal to a locked chamber. Inside, they find Echo, alive but attached to a stasis pod, unsure of where he is. Rex promises him that he's going home.