Nearly a full year after the completion of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, I was able to relive the experience of watching it for the first time through a dear friend of mine, who let me in on her first viewing journey. Now, I'm no stranger to rewatching The Bad Batch, or any of my favorite Star Wars content (The Mandalorian being my biggest repeat offender). What made this so unique for me, however, was that I don't often get to see people experience the Star Wars animated TV show for the first time, especially not since it finished.

Upon deciding to sit down and watch The Bad Batch in its entirety, my friend texted me updates of her own accord, keeping me in the loop about all of her thoughts. What she likely thought would be a weeks-long journey only took about a single weekend, as she completed all three seasons in just a few days. Through her texts and any of our discussions that spiraled out of those messages, I learned a few things about what it's like to watch The Bad Batch for the first time, especially now that the story is complete.

Echo Is An Underrated Member Of Clone Force 99

His Absence In Later Episodes Is Definitely Felt

One of the biggest takeaways from this experience with my friend is that I realized just how underrated Echo really is as a member of Domino Squad initially with Fives, Hevy, Cutup, and Droidbait, but Echo certainly became a member of the Batch's family after Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 7. While, during my own viewings as the seasons premiered, I noted Echo's growing absences in late season 2 and season 3, I didn't realize how underrated he truly was.

It took my friend latching on to Echo as her favorite for me to realize this. I asked for her initial Clone Force 99 member ranking not long into her viewing, and I fully expected one of the original to be at the top. I think it's safe to say that Tech and Crosshair are both very popular options in the fandom, so I was surprised when she said Echo. Seeing her experience the show for the first time, as someone whose favorite was Echo, highlighted so many new things about the ARC trooper to me.

Personally, my favorite member of the squad is Hunter, who's somehow underrated while not being underrated at the same time. I may have influenced my friend into ranking him at second place on her list.

One of the biggest was how devastating his "exit" from the squad really was. That scene has always been a tearjerker for me, but I didn't realize how hugely impactful it could be until I watched her see it for the first time, without knowing it was coming. Upon receiving a meme of someone crying on the phone along with a disbelieving "WHAT THE FAWK" (in addition to several follow-ups of the same sentiment), I understood in a new way how hard this moment really was. His character is so fantastic, which makes his absence difficult to deal with.

Tech's Death (& Sacrifice) Are Absolutely Devastating

It Never Gets Any Easier, Either

It doesn't take a person's first-watch journey to understand just how devastating Tech's sacrificial death is, but this experience showed me that it truly doesn't matter how long you've been watching the show or how well you know the characters; it's still going to hurt very badly each and every time. This was especially true for my friend, who had no idea that it was coming. Like me, she latched on to Tech and Phee Genoa as a couple, which was heavily foreshadowed throughout season 2, episode 13 "Pabu." This made his death even more sudden for her.

The pain of Tech's loss never truly fades.

"B*TCH ARE YOU SERIOUS," was my friend's first comment during her viewing of "Plan 99." "TECH ?!?????-*,89:&,929," (because the distress was enough to make her fingers fly around the keyboard incoherently), "IM NEVER WATCHING ANOTHER SHOW AGAIN." Instantly, like many of us, she became a "Tech Lives" truther, although that has since moved into clowning territory, as his death seems final in The Bad Batch season 3. Watching her experience this for the first time, however, brought my own devastation back, proving that the pain of Tech's loss never truly fades.

Hunter's Been A Father Ever Since Episode 1

They Were Never Trying To Hide It

Instantly, one of the first things my friend picked up on, unprompted by the resident Hunter Bad Batch lover, was that Hunter has been a father to Omega ever since The Bad Batch's very first episode. She was charmed by the way Omega was so eager to emulate him, and by how he spoke to her in return - and made the decision to return to Kamino for her. By episode 2, she was utterly convinced of this fact. 'It's what she needs'," my friend quoted Hunter in "Cut and Run." "OHHH THATS SUCH A DAD QUOTE ENOUGHHHHH." (And she's correct!)

"THEY ARE GIRL DAD AND GIRL UNCLES," my friend said of the Batch after "Cut and Run" finished. This sentiment carried throughout the rest of her rewatch, especially whenever Hunter was referenced as Omega's brother and not her father. "CALLING HIM HER BROTHER BYEEEEE," she said more than halfway through season 1. "THAT IS YOUR FATHERRRRR." The fact that it's truly so obvious from the start really seems to confirm the fact that Hunter and Omega's relationship is special, and that he was truly made for the paternal role he took up. As the eldest brother, this makes sense, too.

Crosshair's Misdeeds Aren't Excused, But He Definitely Earns His Redemption

Crosshair started in a rough place for my friend. Without having seen the Bad Batch's 4-episode introductory arc in The Clone Wars, she had no context to go off of for Crosshair other than what he was like after his inhibitor chip activated. To say she wasn't a fan of Imperial Crosshair is an understatement. "Crosshair DPMO" was a text I often got throughout seasons 1 and 2 (which, for those who may not know, stands for "don't piss me off"). When season 2 began to branch out with Crosshair-centric episodes, she wasn't thrilled to see him in the slightest.

Of course, after season 2, episode 12 "The Outpost," that all changed. After she finished that one, she announced proudly, "He did not piss me off." As we got closer to season 3, I could see the shift in the way she thought about him - all of which stemmed from him teaming up with Omega. She was eventually celebrating the fact that Crosshair got the first hug from Omega after Doctor Hemlock's death the way many of us also were at the time it happened. By then, I was achingly curious to hear what she thought about his arc.

Her response truly put his redemption story into words perfectly: "He had a redemption arc that doesn't exactly excuse him of his wrongdoings, but the kind that held him able and shows growth which to me was a great way to do it." Honestly, if anything, it proves that Crosshair's redemption is very realistic. Like Hunter tells him back in season 3, episode 5 "The Return," all we can do in life is keep trying to be better. That's exactly what Crosshair did in The Bad Batch, and it's one of the most important lessons any viewer can learn.