The time is here. The ending of The Bad Batch. This has been a great series, and this third season has shown exactly why that is. Great character interactions and growth, some brilliant action, and some tense moments where things could have gone very differently. But, the ending of the series is here. And, oh was it a great one. An ending wrapping up the story of Clone Force 99.
Season three was all about finding a way to rescue Omega. That’s what the trailer would have people believe. Note how it never showed Crosshair or Omega with Hunter and Wrecker. So when Crosshair and Omega manage to escape from Tantiss in the third episode, what’s next? Well, Tantiss still needed to be found. As Omega would never be safe as long as Hemlock and his experiments were still active.
A lot of focus goes to Crosshair this season. Having been on the side of the Empire for the previous two seasons, he needed to reconcile his differences with not only his squad, but the other clones, too. It’s clear that Crosshair is holding something back, that what he experienced on Tantiss is too distressing for him to want to go back. But it is something he needs to face. And face it he does.
There’s a strong bond between Omega and Crosshair that develops across this third season. From the small interactions to full scenes featuring both, it is being developed for a reason. It was clear that the episode titled Point of No Return would be a catalyst just from that name alone. And a catalyst it was. Point of No Return is one of the stronger episodes of the season because that bond is on full display during it.
There are a few noteworthy character interactions and appearances this season that seem to be setting up for future stories. The Clone Underground has been around in this season. The organisation that Rex set up with Senator Chuchi to help rescue clones from the Empire’s reach has been in the background these last two seasons. The Batch have had contact with them, helping them on jobs in the past.
On their base at Teth, the Batch meet some of the Underground members. Including a potential future member in Wolffe. That confrontation between Rex and Wolffe, who at present still serves the Empire, was a tense one. But one that had a good end. Seeing the clones question the Empire is always something set up great, with this being no different. In fact, these two episodes also mark some of the stronger ones, with the bulk of them focused upon the CX assassins that come from Tantiss.
Asajj Ventress. Her appearance in the trailer set so many questions flooding the internet. And the episode she appeared in answered… none of them. She was never meant to be more than a test. For the Batch in terms of trust, and for Omega in terms of confirming why she is so important to Hemlock. It was great to see Ventress again, using her skills for good. Why she’s back will fall to future content. Which there does seem to be a plan for.
After Point of No Return, things seem back where they started. Omega is once again on Tantiss, with the plan that was meant to enable the Batch to track the location of the research base having failed. Thus, Rampart is the key the Batch settle on to reach it. Across these final four episodes, both Clone Force 99 and Omega each work on their own plans for taking down Tantiss. Which ultimately become two parts of the same plan. The trust that Omega has for her brothers keeps her resolve strong, leading the kids captured as part of Project Necromancer.
Everything comes together with The Cavalry Has Arrived, the final episode. An extended one, everything that The Bad Batch intended to wrap up is done so here. Done so in such brilliant fashion that the tension for who survives is high as the assault on the base is in full swing. Plenty of action and great character moments, it’s a finale that I loved. And then they have to throw in those final scenes.
It’s a staple, at this point. Those emotional gut-punches to end a series with. The Clone Wars Season 5 with Ahsoka leaving the Jedi Order. Rebels with Sabine’s account of what happened after the victory at Lothal. The Clone Wars Season 7 with Vader at the crash site of Ahsoka and Rex. The Bad Batch with its final scene joins those greats, wrapping up the series with the relationship that has mattered most.
The Bad Batch has been a great series, with this season being the strongest of the lot. There’s been plenty of greatness with it, and while maybe there’s been a few missteps, it is still well worth a watch to see the story of the clones continue. Honestly, if there’s one real gripe I have with the series, it’s putting Scorch into it. To be nothing more than a faceless commando serving the Empire. But… that fits Delta Squad in this new canon. They’ve been nothing but a nostalgia grab even in The Clone Wars.
What the future holds for this period is unknown, aside from Tales of the Empire giving it a bit of focus. There is so much I feel that could be done with this rise of the Empire era, and The Bad Batch has given an opening to explore just that. A new animated series focused on the Clone Underground would be a good one to see. Almost like a true second outing for The Clone Wars exploring various groups in their fight against the Empire.
Images Taken From:
Star Wars: The Bad Batch | S3.08 [Disney+]
Star Wars: The Bad Batch | S3.09 [Disney+]
