When I first watched the Bad Batch episode “Entombed,” I had no clue what that massive metal thing was. It looked like some ancient beast with a laser cannon for a head, and I thought, Okay, this isn’t your usual Clone Wars tech.
I got curious, looked into it, and yeah—there’s actually a lot going on with that thing. It’s called the Skara Nal Mech, and it’s way older and more important than it might seem at first.
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It’s Old. Like, Really Old.
This mech was built by a civilization known as the Ancients, way before the Jedi Order even existed. It’s this four-legged droid walker buried under a mountain on a planet called Skara Nal, which is part of the Kaldar Trinary system. And no, you won’t find it on any star map. The only way to get there is with this special compass that reacts to the system’s coordinates.
That’s how the whole thing kicks off—Omega finds the compass back on Ord Mantell, and then the crew teams up with treasure hunter Phee Genoa to check it out. Once they land on Skara Nal, the compass starts pointing them toward the hidden entrance.
Getting Inside Was No Joke
When they actually make it to the site, it’s not like the door just opens. The mech is filled with old-school defenses—tunnels with traps, secret switches, and this wild tile floor puzzle where one wrong step drops you to your death. What helped them get through was that compass again—it’s not just a map; it actually activates mechanisms to safely guide them.
The whole setup reminded me of something out of an ancient temple. Everything was designed to protect this one thing: the Heart of the Mountain—a glowing crystal placed inside the mech’s main control room.
I probably don’t have to tell you what happened next. The second they removed the Heart of the Mountain, the mech woke up.
It started moving—slow at first, then firing off this massive energy beam from its head. And not like some clunky old tech either. This beam recharged quickly and caused real damage. The thing was clearly made for destruction. Its only purpose was to destroy whatever was around it. It didn’t even seem to target anything specific—it just wiped everything in its path.
A lot of people watching this thought the mech looked familiar, and I have to agree. It really reminded me of the Zeffo technology from Jedi: Fallen Order. The giant constructs, the blue energy weapons, even the overall design—it all lines up. It hasn’t been officially confirmed, but based on how it looked and behaved, I really think there’s a connection.
How It All Ended
With the mech going wild, there was really only one option—put the crystal back. Once they returned the Heart of the Mountain to its original place, the mech shut down… permanently. The whole thing collapsed, and the crystal melted in the process.
And just like that, one of the most powerful ancient weapons ever found in Star Wars was gone.
So What Was the Point?
Honestly, this episode felt like more than just a side mission. Even if it didn’t tie directly into the bigger story, it gave the crew a chance to face something unknown. I’ve seen people say it felt like a D&D one-shot, and that kind of fits. They followed a mystery, solved puzzles, triggered a disaster, and made it out alive. It was a self-contained adventure, but it gave us a glimpse into how much forgotten tech and lost civilizations are still out there in the galaxy.
For me, the Skara Nal Mech wasn’t just some ancient walker—it was proof that Star Wars still has secrets to reveal. Even in the age of the Empire, the past can still come back swinging.