Emotions run high as the Bad Batch clashes with Captain Rex in “A Distant Echo.” The Clone Wars is filled with inventive aliens and technology, both brand-new for the show and adapted from the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy on which it is based. Many of these things are making a grand return in the final season of the animated series.
In the second episode of The Clone Wars season 7, we meet the denizens of Skako Minor, aliens that ride giant flying lizards. And the Confederacy of Independent Systems’ plan is revealed in full. As part two of a four-episode arc, things are just getting started for the Bad Batch.
Here are all of the easter eggs and references we found in “A Distant Echo”:
Aurebesh
The sign outside the barracks says “med 6” in Aurebesh, the alphabet used by the Star Wars galaxy. Aurebesh letters are mostly a 1:1 match for English, so it’s possible to translate with a guide to the symbols (or if you’ve memorized them). This word might indicate the prefab room was once used as a medical bay instead.
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Note that the new canon also uses a ‘fake Aurebesh,’ English letters stylized to look a bit like the in-canon script. In the barracks and throughout the episode, you’ll see the real deal.
Outer Rim Sieges
The Republic’s name for the coordinated effort to quell the Separatists near the end of the war, the sieges included action on planets such as Felucia and Mygeeto, as seen in Revenge of the Sith. The campaign was first mentioned by name in that film and would prove to be the last major offensive of the war before the extermination of the Jedi and the rise of the Galactic Empire.
Walkers, Gunships, and Fighters
In the hangar at Fort Anaxes, you can spot several iconic Clone Wars-era vehicles and starships. These include the LAAT/i troop carrier, the AT-TE walker (precursor to the Imperial AT-AT), and the ARC-170 starfighter, flown by elite clones.
Padmé Amidala and the Senate
Padmé takes time from her busy senate schedule to call her husband during the war. Their brief conversation refers to her business in the Senate, which will later inadvertently aid Emperor Palpatine’s appointment in Revenge of the Sith. The show’s proximity to the film also means that Padmé is probably pregnant at this time, unbeknownst to Anakin.
“Space Battles”
There are multiple posters in the episode, in the barracks and the Bad Batch’s ship, for what seems to be a movie called “Space Battles.” They are a wink-nudge at Star Wars itself and maybe an homage to George Lucas’ love for classic movie posters.
Gonk droid
Bad Batch trooper Wrecker lifts a Gonk droid as part of his exercises on the way to the team’s mission. Introduced in A New Hope making its signature “gonk” noise in the belly of a Jawa sandcrawler, this model of droid is technically called the GNK Power Droid. One particularly goofy story out of Legends continuity comes from a reference book called The Galactic Phrase Book & Travel Guide, which said some Gonk droids were part of a door-to-door evangelist cult.
Skako Minor
Skako Minor is introduced to the new canon in this episode, but the planet was actually first introduced as “Skako” in Legends novel Cloak of Deception by James Luceno. That book takes place a little less than a year before the events of The Phantom Menace. The planet is located in the Core region of the galaxy.
The team encounters members of the Poletec species on Skako Minor, one of two sapient species on the planet. The dragonlike creatures they ride and worship are called keeradaks.
Megan Crouse writes about Star Wars and pop culture for StarWars.com, Star Wars Insider, and Den of Geek. Read more of her work here. Find her on Twitter @blogfullofwords.