Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers to The Bad Batch series finale.
Star Wars: The Bad Batchconcludes its three-season run with an epic 50-minute finale full of danger, reunions, and, of course, clones. Exposing some ofthe Empire’s worst deeds,The Bad Batchhas a clear villain. But, rather than focusing on the goal of taking down the Empire (which will not be accomplished for several years, consideringthe show’s setting), it is about the titular group’s efforts to protect each other. The series spent its final season setting up a confrontation between what remains of Clone Force 99 and the Imperial scientist Hemlock (Jimmi Simpson), who is chasing Omega (Michelle Ang) relentlessly.
The penultimate episode, “Flash Strike,” leaves off with Omega captured and held in a secret prison onTantisswith several children Hemlock is experimenting on, but she has a plan to escape. Meanwhile, therest of the squad (all voiced byDee Bradley Baker)ally with their former enemy, Rampart (Noshir Dalal), to locate Omega. Echo made it inside, connecting with Emerie Karr (Keisha Castle-Hughes), who turned against the Empire and agreed to help him and the others look for a way in. But, as is common in Star Wars, no rescue mission can be straightforward. The finale, “The Cavalry Has Arrived,” is an eventful and emotional conclusion to the animated series,highlighting the loyalty among clones thatThe Bad Batch’s story has long relied on and providing a happy conclusion for these characters.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch
The ‘Bad Batch’ of elite and experimental clones make their way through an ever-changing galaxy in the immediate aftermath of the Clone Wars.
Throughout the series, young Omega has grown into a capable member ofThe Bad Batch, learning from each of her brothers and acquiring skills that few children possess. So, when she is trapped with her fellow subjects ofProject Necromancer, Omega does not wait around.She concocts an escape plan, reprograming the droid to drug the scientist watching them, allowing her and the other children to escape through shafts in the walls. Having discovered the trapped Zillo beast on a scouting mission, Omega releases the creature to cause a diversion. Asthe Tantiss facility descends into chaos in an effort to subdue the Zillo beast, Omega and the children look for an exit, sneaking through the building toward the ships. Omega’s escape shows her a capable leader, even when her allies are inexperienced and scared.
But Omega is not left to fend for herself as the team mounts their rescue. Having turned against the Empire due to the cruelty she witnessed on Project Necromancer,Emerie Karr leads Echo to the vault that holds the children, discovering their escape. Though Omega didn’t need rescuing as desperately as the Bad Batch thought, she is not safe yet. Deducing Omega’s plan, Echo continues the search, relying on Emerie’s knowledge of the facility. They catch up to Omega on a landing pad just as the escapees are about to be caught.Echo saving Omegaaccomplishes the original goal of the episode, but it is not that easy. Emerie escapes with the children, but Echo and Omega refuse to leave the clones behind.
Omega is not the only clone imprisoned on Tantiss, and though she was the primary goal, the Bad Batch hoped to save all their brothers, causing Omega and Echo to stay behind when the others escaped. With Emerie’s data pad,Omega and Echo easily open the prisons, freeing many clones, Rampart, and the Kaminoan scientist Nala Se (Gwendoline Yeo). But their mission still isn’t done. Hunter, Crosshair, and Wrecker are on Tantiss as well. Following the ship Echo stowed away on, they intended to meet him inside, but their entrance was not simple. A creature attacked, severely injuring Wrecker, and they had to hide from patrols blocking the entrance. However, the Zillo beast’s rampage opened up a new way inside.
As most of the facility is occupied by the Zillo Beast, Hemlock activates new enemies to stop the Bad Batch. Though the characters have previously encountered one ofHemlock’s shadow agents, they have not met all of them, and Hemlock releases the whole lot. These highly conditioned and brutal clones capture the Bad Batch, even cutting off Crosshair’s hand.Hemlock attempts to wipe Hunter, Crosshair, and Wrecker’s memories to turn them into his own agents, but, fortunately, the whole squad isn’t trapped.
With the help of the newly freed prisoners, Omega and Echo go after their brothers. As Echo and the clones face the shadow agents, Omega releases the Bad Batch, but the conditioning attempt leaves them unconscious. Before Omega is done, Hemlock appears. Gasing her allies, he stops Omega, yet Wrecker wakes up in time, breaking his remaining bonds, freeing Crosshair and Hunter, and destroying the system Hemlock used against the other clones. As Wrecker rushes to help Echo,Omega is captured, leaving Crosshair and Hunter to follow. Though Hemlock holds Omega hostage, she has been with the Bad Batch long enough to know the plan instinctively. She stabs him, givingCrosshair a clear shot that she trusts him to take despite his tremor. After she is free,Hunter and Crosshair kill Hemlock, and the Bad Batch escapes with the clone prisoners, making the mission a total success.
‘The Bad Batch’ Season 3 Has a Clear MVP—and It Isn’t Omega
The Bad Batch really needed this member.
What Happens to Tantiss and Project Necromancer?
Thoughthe plot ofStar Wars: Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalkeris proof that Project Necromancer didn’t go away entirely, the Bad Batch delayed it significantly. Not only did they free the test subjects and take out the head scientist, but they also freed Nala Se, who had long worked against the Empire’s attempt to use her science for their purposes. Refusing to let her science be used that way, Nala Se goes to the labs rather than joining the escape. Followed by Rampart, she is forced to explain Project Necromancer, which Rampart hopes to use to regain his position in the Empire. However, he doesn’t get the chance, as Nala Se blows up the facility, including Rampart and herself,to prevent the Empire from using Kamenoin technology.
Losing their precious data is a loss for Project Necromancer, but that is not the only thing it loses, as Governor Tarkin (Stephen Stanton) arrives after the clones' escape to assess the damage to Tantiss. Between the explosion and the Zillo beast,the facility is in ruins, and much of the staff is lost. With the data unsalvagable, the project is at a standstill, so Tarkin orders the facility to close and takes the funds forhis personal project: Stardust.
After the success of their mission,it is a happy ending for the Bad Batchas they return to the isolated paradise of Pabu. The threat is now gone as the Empire’s data is lost, meaning no one is after Omega any longer. Hunter promises to look after the children until their families can be found, and Emerie agrees to go with Echo to meet Senator Chuchi (Jennifer Hale), who has been working against the Empire and can use any information Emerie can provide.The freed clones are able to go about their lives, as Hunter marvels at their chance to choose their own path. Though there is still much going on in the world, the characters reach a place of relative peace. However, that is not the end.
The Bad Batch’s final scene jumps several years into the future, where a now-grown Omega sneaks onto the team’s ship docked in one of Pabu’s caves. Hunter waits for her, lecturing her about attempting to run away.Omega reveals her intent to join the Rebellion as a pilot, and though he fears for her safety, Hunter lets her go, reminding her that she only needs to call them if she needs help. This scene reveals that Hunter, Wrecker, and Crosshair remained together on Pabu, choosing to remove themselves from the fighting, andraising Omegain a safe environment following the events of the series. Though the implication is that she continued fighting, the series wraps up this chapter of Omega’s life.The finale concludes on a hopeful note. Though there are unanswered questions like what happened to Echo or who the shadow agents were, the series reaches a satisfying conclusion by showing the success they had in protecting Omega.
All episodes ofStar Wars: The Bad Batchare available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.
