– Spoiler Review –
As Cad Bane scurries away with Omega, Clone Force 99 hopes to ensure a “Bounty Lost” for the deadly hunter, but a returning face complicates matters and new information brings light to the Kamino intrigue/one of the show’s core mysteries in another stellar The Bad Batch episode.
Over the first half of the season, intrigue abounded on Kamino, as the Empire looked for an opportunity to wiggle their way out of using the clones and the Kaminoans made their own plans to keep them viable. Within the Kaminoans’ response, there was intrigue of its own, as it became clearer and clearer Nala Se was working behind Lama Su’s back to protect Omega, like her helping the young clone escape Kamino with the Bad Batch in the premiere. Knowing the current Jango Fett genetic material was running out, Lama Su and Nala Se discussed bringing in some “unwilling clones” to gather a purer strain to keep the cloning process viable, which I theorized didn’t mean the Bad Batch, as they’re altered too much, but maybe meant something like the Republic Commandos, but last week made it clear Omega was one of the options for their contingency. Enter Cad Bane taking Omega on behalf of Lama Su, and in “Bounty Lost,” the machinations on Kamino only get more complicated, as Lama Su notices Nala Se is too attached, sending Taun We (who we’ve rarely seen since Attack of the Clones) to pick up Omega instead but ordering Nala Se to take Omega upon her return to their sublevel facility, gather the necessary material, and terminate her. By the end of the episode it’s clear she already previously made a move to ensure Omega’s safety, originally hiring Fennec Shand, and she uses the same avenue here to intercept the hand-off from Cad Bane to Taun We, but I’ll be curious what the repercussions might be for her once Lama Su hears what happened, as I’m sure he’ll be able to connect the dots.
What I appreciated most about the episode was it was more on Omega herself and the return of Fennec Shand that resulted in her rescue, instead of anything the Batch did. Regardless of her time with the Batch, she’s lived her own short life before them, and she uses those skills here. She’s able to appeal to Todo 360, Bane’s servant droid, to allow her to help him out repairing the leg Hunter shot off last episode, which gets her out of the cage. She’s kind enough to repair him, but turns the droid off, looking for her communicator to reach out to the Batch, which combines her own skills tooling around on Kamino and the training the Batch gave her about being part of the team. She flees the ship when they land, avoiding Bane and sneaking away into the abandoned facility, which turns out to be an old Kaminoan installation so she’s able to use her knowledge of her home to help her here. A rough connection to the Batch through her communicator, before Bane catches up with her and crushes it, points her towards trying to sending out a stronger signal for them to track her down. She not only manages to get a signal out, with a little help from Fennec battling back Bane, but she also fights away Todo 360 to make it to a flight pod to get away from the facility. It was a blast to see Omega take such initiative and have an episode to really show off her own skills, abilities, and resourcefulness. The name Omega has so many connotations, there’s a reason she’s named it after all, and she shows several reasons here, while by the end of the episode we learn her origins. Someone else just like her was as capable as she is at her age, though they tried to murder a Jedi with those skills…
As the name sort of suggests, it turns out Omega is the last clone of Jango Fett, completely unaltered. Tech not only finds this out, but he reveals the nickname for the first unaltered clone of Jango was Alpha, though he goes by a far more recognizable name now: Boba Fett. Omega and Alpha, the first and last unaltered clone of Jango Fett, are the Kaminoan’s best bet to keeping their cloning viable to the Empire, hence why Lama Su is so eager to get her back since Boba has gained his own reputation as a bounty hunter and would probably rather die than come back to Kamino and be used. When Cad Bane showed up on Bracca in “Reunion,” I figured right away we’d see Boba Fett, but this all but confirms he’ll be on the show at one point, because if he gets word his mentor and rival Bane is after his sister, I’m sure he’ll make an effort to stop him. They dueled at one point—seen in unfinished animated a few years ago— and have unfinished business because they both survived, so I’m glad the episode made this history canon/apparent to most viewers, because while the episode guide for “Reunion” and its concept art of Bane confirmed the duel between Bane and Boba during the Clone Wars happened, if viewers aren’t pouring through those guides they might not have seen that, so “Bounty Lost” shows his new head plate (where Boba shot him) at least twice this episode. What will Boba think of Omega? Will he try to protect her or see her as a threat to his own growing legacy? But more importantly, who requested Omega in the first place? I find it highly unlikely Jango asked for another unaltered clone, especially before his death, so then who did? And why? And even more interestingly, if she’s unaltered, does that mean she’s intersex or trans? It would be a brilliant surprise to have a character on screen representing either community and I hope it ends up being the case, as while the comics and novels have been full of queer representation across some of the LGTBQ+ spectrum, on-screen works have been sorely lacking, but neither have had an intersex or trans character.
Outside of all the intrigue and revelations on the show’s mysteries, what about the battle between Fennec Shand and Cad Bane?! Their tussle covers several levels of the facility, various weapons, and many exciting moments and was an engaging scene throughout. After they get their pleasantries out of the way and make a deal to exchange Omega for the credits Fennec stole from Taun We, Todo 360 tries to start a double cross and the whole thing erupts from there. Fennec constantly keeps Bane on his toes, from her slide kicking a thermal detonator out a window (one of my favorite moments), trading him blow for blow, to wrapping him up with a rope trap and kicking him off the platform, meaning much of Fennec’s physicality actress Ming-Na Wen was able to show off in The Mandalorian translates into animation too. It’s a damn pleasure to have Wen voicing her still, as I’m really loving the intensity she brings and how it feels like she captures a different age and time for the character, much like she did in “Cornered.” I never expected the Batch to be much of a hassle for Bane, especially with how much trouble Fennec caused them in “Cornered,” so I’m not surprised she’d give the older hunter a run for his credits instead, and I’m damned delighted she’s so lethal against him. When she’s not battling with Bane, who does get a few of his own good licks in, she does catch up with Omega briefly, trying to tell the girl she’s not the one she needs to be worried about. When Fennec and Nala Se chat after Omega gets away and is picked up by the Batch, it’s clear she didn’t mean the girl any harm, and Nala Se calls Fennec off as long as Omega is safe and with the Batch. That Nala Se was willing to have Fennec kill Taun We comes as a surprise, but it shows how far she’ll go to protect Omega, though I’ll be curious to see if the next step means a personal sacrifice, while I hope we get to see Fennec again soon.
I adored every member of the Dad Batch’s reaction to hearing Omega’s voice when it first pops over the comm: they perked up like dogs hearing the word treat! When she gets back, everyone’s ecstatic for her return and they decide not to hide the truth of her uncovered importance, as she’s clearly gone through an ordeal and deserves to learn the truth. She then asks Hunter to never let her go back to Kamino and he promises her something I highly doubt he truly can fulfill: he promises he won’t ever let her go back…which he says as a little ominous dip in the music closes out the episode. If there’s ever been a reason to worry about the fates of the Batch, this is it, as I suspect at least one of them won’t make it out of the show alive, if not this season alone.
Once again, the animation really brought it on all fronts. The decaying city in the clouds, looked like a shot right from The Empire Strikes Back, the vibrant shining look of Cloud City replaced with dirty panels and grime, like a dark and abandoned version of Lando’s city from a horror movie. The clouds thick through the facility, which made visibility low, added to the ominous feelings of its abandonment and increased tension as Fennec and Bane used the cover to their advantage. The scene in the room with the decaying clone pods was deservedly creepy, the buildup of decay and algae in the tanks throwing a scary, green hue over the scene; the way Fennec had to lift the Kamino-clone (even cloning themselves?), covered in the sticky goo, had a tangible weight to it, almost tricking my brain into thinking it was a live-action moment sliced into the show. And, as I always seem to find some random little aspect to enjoy, I really loved the splashy purple of the shuttle pod’s engines Omega uses. It’s just not a color I feel like we see enough in Star Wars so it stood out a lot to me. Though the animation continues to impress, it also highlights the need to talk once again about the way it has whitewashed these clones, originally based on a character played by an actor of Maori descent. As Megan pointed out in her review over at Den of Geek, a voice in fandom I always trust, considering Omega’s lighter, fairer skin and hair, it doesn’t look good for the show to make the “purest” clone someone like Jango so much lighter than the original actor; it’s an important thing to consider and question, no matter one’s enjoyment of the show. For more on the conversation around this subject, checkout the Unwhitewash the Bad Batch site.
Here are a few other things:
- A few people have mentioned an Arla Fett and I had to look her up on Wookieepedia to learn she was the ‘aunt’ of Boba Fett since she was Jango’s older sister. Will they bring her back in canon someway, be it she took the order for Omega or comes out of hiding to take Omega from Boba or the Batch? Or will it be the name Omega will choose for herself, much like Alpha aka Boba did, as a way for the creative team to honor the Legends character? I’m curious if Omega would keep her name or not if given the chance, but if she did change it, what would you like her name to be?
- The soundtrack for The Bad Batch’s first half of season 1 is out on Spotify and it has 37 (!) tracks! Big thanks to Johnamarie Macias for pointing out its eventual release initially and then reminding us all again today!
- There was some press junkets recently and all the sites involved could finally go live with their findings today. Interviews included a lot of Ming-Na Wen, which I’m so jealous of everyone getting to speak to such a legend, and she discussed the internet’s ability to help her character survive The Mandalorian S1 or how she didn’t even know they were filming The Book of Boba Fett initially, instead thinking it Mandalorian S3! There’s a great roundup by Johnamarie Macias of more coverage.
- Speaking of interviews, head writer and executive producer Jennifer Corbett spoke with the official site about the show so far, teasing there’s more to come with Crosshair’s story and showing off her understanding of each member of the team. It’s a delightful read, go check it out!
The Bad Batch’s “Bounty Lost” peeled back some layers on the show’s biggest mysteries, offered an amazing action sequence between Fennec Shand and Cad Bane, and allowed Omega to shine on her own.
+ Omega Alone and Resourceful
+ Fennec v Bane
+ Kamino Intrigue
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Twitter @MynockManor and Instagram @mynockmanor.
THE BAD BATCH REVIEWS
Season One: 1.1 Aftermath | 1.2 Cut and Run | 1.3 Replacements | 1.4 Cornered | 1.5 Rampage | 1.6 Decommissioned | 1.7 Battle Scars | 1.8 Reunion