The Bad Batch: S3E10: Identity Crisis

The ruthlessness of the Empire is on full display in "Identity Crisis."

With everything we’ve been through during the run of 'The Bad Batch,' 'Identity Crisis' could possibly be the saddest episode in the series thus far. This installment puts the cruelty of the Galactic Empire into complete focus and once again shows the lengths they will go to secure their place in the galaxy.

We get our first glimpses of the vaults underneath Mount Tantiss, and I, for one, didn't expect what I saw. I had expected to see mighty Jedi imprisoned with terrible experiments being performed on them, but what we find out is even more disturbing.

The people housed in the vaults are not Jedi but Force-sensitive children the Empire is holding prisoner as they harvest their blood in hopes of achieving Project Necromancer. Their days are spent waiting for blood samples to be taken and waiting to go home—a promise that we all know is never coming to fruition.

As Nala Se (Gwendoline Yeo) remains imprisoned, Dr. Emerie Karr (Keisha Castle-Hughes) assumes her role, uncovering the vault's horrifying secret. As she interacts with the young ones, it's clear she's not OK with what is happening and struggles with her allegiance to the Empire, torn between duty and compassion.

For the second straight week, we're also treated to a familiar character: bounty hunter Cad Bane (Corey Burton) is serving the Empire in their quest to acquire high M-Count targets. Using his skills and connections, he brings in a very young "specimen" and gives Emerie another moment of pause when she first encounters the young one.

We'll see Emerie defect before the end of the series because she's too different from the other Imperials. While she has a mission, her conscience outweighs her sense of duty. And we see that when she tries to comfort the children in the vault by leaving Omega's handcraft doll for them.

During all this, the Shadow Agent has learned of Phee's (Wanda Sykes) connections to The Bad Batch and will track her in hopes of finding them and Omega. I still think the Shadow Agent is Tech. I know people complain that there wouldn't be enough time for a redemption arc, but he already sacrificed himself once for the group, so he would be willing to do it again and I think that's what will happen.

Something else that foreshadows Tech's return is the fact that Emerie is rocking glasses that give off the vibe of Tech's goggles. It could end up being nothing, but I think it was more by design than by coincidence.

This episode is a very slow-moving one, focusing more on Emerie's internal struggle to impose the Empire's will and agency than on nonstop action, and it was a nice change of pace. It's apparent that she will switch sides, but how will her defection impact our hero's mission to protect Omega?

"Identity Crisis" is an excellent episode at this point in the final season of "The Bad Batch." It showcases the ruthlessness of the Empire and reinforces why Clone Force 99 must do all it can to protect Omega from their relentless pursuit.