Max Nocerino 
The Bad Batch has returned for its third and final season, and this thrilling 3-episode premiere reminds us just how awesome this show is
It’s time for one last ride with THE BAD BATCH. But does the season premiere live up to the hype?
Star Wars animation in the Disney era is like a fine wine. It all tends to get better as it ages and progresses. We’ve come a long way since “The Clone Wars” movie made fans groan in 2008. In 2024, the stories and animation itself could not be more exemplary.
OMEGA & EMERIE
We begin right where we left off. Omega has been captured by the sinister Dr. Hemlock and is a prisoner on Mount Tantiss. She spends her days in confinement doing the same mundane tasks as the days turn into weeks. Her only slight comforts are her “big sister” Emerie, who supervises her, and a lurca hound named Batcher. A creature that she has befriended. Emerie is as determined and robotic as Hemlock. But she has compassion for Omega and just wants her to cooperate.
Omega and all the clones give blood daily for it to be tested. They come right out of the gate and tell the audience that they are trying to replicate midi-chlorian counts in new subjects. I appreciate and don’t appreciate this straight-up bluntness as it’s always good to be transparent. Yet, the suspense is also quite fun. Weirdly, they only call it an m-count, almost like they are afraid to say the word midi-chlorian. Weird.
OMEGA
One of the brightest stars in the galaxy (and in this series) is Omega. She’s the unmodified blonde female clone of Jango Fett with a heart of gold. Omega’s juxtaposition to someone cold and merciless like her captor Dr. Hemlock is quite polarizing and makes for a fun plot. Her altruism truly makes her so successful in her plans to escape, and she even convinces Crosshair to believe in her optimism. Especially when she refuses to leave her “brother” behind.
Hunter and Wrecker get some screentime in the opening salvo. But the emotional impact Tech left on the viewers shows with his noted absence. He was the brains of the operation and I very much miss his clipped and intelligent comments that he often unashamedly spat throughout Seasons 1 and 2. Rest in peace soldier.
So many goodies were given to us in this 3-parter and yes, Palpatine himself makes an appearance. He is very impressed with Hemlock’s work and will do anything to achieve his goals of transferring Force-sensitivity to a clone body for future, insurance, shall we say…
VERDICT
I am a little spoiler-heavy in my review, but it’s only because I am so pleased with this premiere. All the right Star Wars notes were hit and I really can’t complain at all about it.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch is streaming exclusively on Disney Plus now.
FORCE FACTS
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Emerie has a pair of (what appear to be) a form of augmented reality glasses, and as someone who loves future tech; I am hoping that Apple makes their real-world iteration soon.
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The Empire has created a terrifying bio-weapon in the form of what are called, Slither vines. They are bioengineered vines that can bud off into smaller parasitic-like creatures and in the full picture, resemble a Sarlacc. The Empire lost control of this weapon, and it is not surprising at all to see why
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One of the things I noted about the Mt. Tantiss base is that to interact with the facilities controls, you take a datapad and put it in a kind of mechanical sleeve to allow access to different rooms and floors. Quite interesting and I can’t really tell if this is high-tech or not
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Hemlock is working on Project Necromancer and he also mentions exotic matter. Hypermatter, the power that fuels hyperspace is a form of exotic matter, so I am inquisitive to see what else Hemlock is working on. Time will tell.
Max Nocerino is a regular Staff Writer for The Future of the Force. He is a passionate Star Wars fan and loves the literature of the galaxy far, far away. Follow him on Twitter where he shares his love of the Force frequently!
