Racing Like a Jedi
In "Faster" (The Bad Batch 1.4), Tech winds up competing in a dangerous race on the planet Safa Toma. Tech's racing strategy encapsulates the morality of the Jedi, as defined by Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back: "A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack."
Tech competes in the race on behalf of Cid, who is being threatened by the gangster Millegi after losing a bet. Omega volunteers the Bad Batch's help to win a race and settle Cid's debts. Thus, Tech's participation in the race is motivated by compassion, which is one of the core values of the Jedi.
After analyzing the track, the knowledge-focused Tech tells Cid's driver, a prideful and impetuous droid named TAY-0, that he should channel the racer's power towards defense rather than offense. TAY-0 is incredulous: "The best defense is a strong offense!" Right as he says the words, however, TAY-0 is comically destroyed by an out-of-control racer, leaving Tech to take his place as the driver.
As the race begins, Tech is in last place, causing Wrecker to become anxious. "I know what I'm doing," Tech says calmly. "It's called strategy." Wrecker retorts, "No. It's called losing." Like Qui-Gon Jinn or Obi-Wan Kenobi, Tech does not allow himself to be swayed by the anxiety and skepticism of others, even in the middle of a tense situation. Instead, he remains calm and stays focused on the bigger picture, even though it appears that his strategy is leading to failure in the short term.
When Tech makes a pit stop, he physically detaches the weapons system of his racer, explaining, "They were slowing me down." Like Obi-Wan Kenobi deactivating his lightsaber at the end of his duel with Darth Vader in A New Hope, Tech makes a counterintuitive decision to forego aggression – a decision that seems to weaken him, but actually makes him more powerful.
As the race nears its end, Tech is cornered by two enemy racers working for Millegi. The rival racers try to sabotage Tech's racer with a maneuver that worked against TAY-0, but he gets out of the way and they destroy each other instead, leaving Tech to win the race. Like a Jedi, Tech uses knowledge and defense to achieve victory without attacking.
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Characters: Tech
Shows: The Bad Batch
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Concepts: aggression / defense / knowledge / racing
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