Spoiler warning! We are going to be giving you all the spoilers for Star Wars: The Clone Wars episode 3, “On the Wings of Keeradaks,” so if you’re not caught up with the show, stop reading, get on Disney+, ignore the work you have to do today, and get caught up.
“Survival is one step on the path to living”
We start this episode with another recap of the events so far. In the first episode, Captain Rex discovers that his friend Echo is still alive and being held on Skako Minor. In the second episode, Rex, along with Anakin Skywalker and Clone Force 99, make their way to Skako Minor where they defeat a slew of enemies, meet the local natives, the Poletecs, and infiltrate the headquarters of the Techno Union. At the Purkoll Tower Base, Rex and company find themselves surrounded by Wat Tambor’s forces. Making their way to the central computer system, Rex finds Echo, only to discover that he has been connected linked to the system via a cerebral interface.
We join episode three where we left off, with the Bad Batch and Anakin fighting off the droid attack. Tech is helping Rex find a way to disconnect Echo from the computer system, but it won’t be easy. And unfortunately for Echo, he is too weak to leave with them and there hasn’t been any word from the extraction team.
Barricading themselves in the central computer room, Crosshair scans the surrounding area and finds that they are completely surrounded by battle droids. With no way to escape, all they can do is hold them off while Tech does what he can to help Echo. Feeling victory within their reach, Wat Tambor sends in “the Decimator,” which sounds as scary and it is. As the Decimator goes to work on cutting open the doors, the clones do what they can to keep the second door shut.
Finally, Tech is able to disconnect Echo as Rex pulls the cords from his spine and head. He’s been saved!
Parting Gifts
With Echo now free from the computer, the team must find a way out of the room. Fortunately, Echo has been there long enough to know that there is an exhaust vent that leads to the cooling system right above them. Using his droid arm, he hacks into the system and opens the hatch. The only problem is that it’s so high up, there’s no way to get there, but good old Wrecker has a solution and starts grabbing each man and throwing them up to the opening. All except Anakin, because with the power of Force Jump, Anakin can handle himself.
As the strike team starts climbing up the exhaust vent, Wrecker stays behind for a second and leaves behind some parting gifts. Right as he throws the last bomb, the Decimator enters the room and starts flooding the area with electricity. Luckily for Wrecker, Anakin is able to grab him with the Force, pulling him to safety within the vent.
With no life forms in the room, the Decimator shuts down. Wat Tambor is understandably confused, until he looks into the room and sees the bombs. Within a second they explode, destroying the computer system, and the container that held Echo.
Tambor enters the room and surveys the destruction. All that precious research gone, and they lost Echo, too. It’s a shame.
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A Daring Escape
The strike team makes their way through a ventilation coordinator. Anakin is surprised that Echo knows about the corridor, but the answer is simple: they had access to Echo’s memories, and as a result, he gained access to their database. Which means he knows everything about the Techno Union including plans, inventory, and building schematics. With this knowledge he can get the strike team out, but their only path is a dangerous one.
Opening a door to the outside, the team finds themselves in a very precarious situation. To make it to the other side, and hopefully to a ship, they have to cross a small pipe leading from one building to another. Why that small pipe path exists, who knows, but it is a long way down if they fall.
Unfortunately, before they get to the other side, the battle droids appear from both ends, trapping them in the middle of the pipe with nowhere to go. But Tech has a way out. In the previous episode, we were introduced to the flying creatures, Keeradaks, and Tech was able to record their distress call. Playing the recording, he summons the Keeradaks and the team escapes.
Their small moment of victory is short lived, however, because these droids can fly.
On the Wings of Keeradaks
The strike team successfully shakes off the handful of flying droids and they land safely in the village of the Poletecs. The leader is impressed with their ability to command the Keeradaks, but is concerned that the team has returned. Anakin tries to explain the situation, only to be interrupted by droid fire. They quickly dispatch the remaining droids, but one escapes, and Anakin knows that Tambor is going to be showing up to the village very soon.
The Poletecan leader is upset that they would break their promise to him by bringing the war to his people. Captain Rex steps up and explains to the leader exactly what’s been going on. He shows them what the Separatists did to Echo, and how they tried to turn him into a machine. The Poletecs are visibly upset by what they see, and Rex further explains that the Techno Union has made their decision to stand with the Separatists. Now the Poletecs must decide where they stand.
It’s a perfect speech, but the Poletecs are given little time to deliberate as Crosshair spots Tambor’s forces heading their way.
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To Battle
The lone surviving droid makes its way to Tambor and tells him where the strike team is located. Tambor orders the droids to the village to retrieve Echo.
The droids arrive at the village, only to find it abandoned. What the droids don’t see are the Poletecs patiently waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. A battle ensues between the Poletecs, the clones, Anakin, and the battle droids. We see each members of Clone Force 99 doing their best against the onslaught while the Poletecs take on the droids. For a moment it seems that our heroes have a handle on the situation, but it becomes clear that the Poletecs are no match for the droids.
The Poletecs are soon overrun, and with a couple of enormous walkers on the way, Anakin knows that something needs to be done. He orders Rex to take one down while he goes after the other. Rex, Hunter, and Wrecker get to work, drawing the first walker’s fire and doing what damage they can.
Anakin leaps to the top of the second walker, hacking and slashing away with his lightsaber. He takes out the walker’s three guns, rendering it useless. Rex and the team look on and take note of Anakin’s effectiveness. The downside is that they don’t have the ability to get up to the walker’s guns. Wrecker, never missing an opportunity, throws both Rex and Hunter up towards the walker. They take out two of the walker’s sights, while Crosshair, surveying the scene from a cliff, takes out the third one.
Wrecker looks on and sees a Poletec trying to get another one to safety. Looking up he sees that a walker is about to crush them with one of its mighty legs. He quickly pushes the Poletecs out of the way and catches the leg, using his augmented strength. At the same time, Anakin chops off the leg of the second walker, and with a leap he Force Pushes the walker away, sending it crashing into the other walker. Both walkers go down and the droids retreat.
Just Like Old Times
With the droids and walkers defeated, the Poletecs celebrate. The surviving droids inform Tambor of their defeat. Tambor decides against contacting the Separatists about it and instead focuses on coming up with a plan to “recoup their investment.”
Back at the village, the Poletecan leader tells Anakin that the Jedi will always have an ally on Skako Minor. And as the team boards their ship, Echo thanks Rex for rescuing him. To Rex it only makes sense that he would try to save his brother and looks forward to getting Echo back. “Hopefully it’s gonna be just like old times,” he says. Echo, now half clone and half machine looks on. And as the music takes a slightly sinister tone, Echo says, “Yeah, just like old times.”
In all, this was another excellent episode. We got to see Clone Force 99 flex their super abilities. Anakin was able to show his Jedi powers. Rex and Echo had their reunion. But I can’t help but wondering what Tambor means by recouping on their investment. It didn’t seem to me that he was very concerned about their defeat. And the way Echo responded to Rex seemed a little darker and not as hopeful.
Next week we return to Anaxes in the episode four, “Unfinished Business.”
A new episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars is released every Friday at 12am PST on Disney+.
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