The “Bad Batch” is back and better than ever in three-episode season premiere

Jeffery Hebert

He/Him

Contributor

2/24/24

With the launch of season 3 of “The Bad Batch,” we are thrust back into the adventures of Clone Force 99. With the capture of Omega and the tragic loss of Tech in the final moments of season 2, our beloved bad batch is picking up the pieces and starting their mission to rescue Omega in the three-episode premiere.

With Omega and Crosshair captured by the Empire, episode one shows us more of the Empire’s plans for the future and further cement the connection between the animated shows and the sequel trilogy. In the cloning facility, we find Omega helping against her will with Project Necromancer first mentioned in the Mandalorian. The emperor is trying to create a force-sensitive clone so that somehow he may return. Emery, another female clone of Jango Fett, is working with the empire, though it’s clear she doesn’t always feel good about what she’s doing, setting her up as a potential ally later in the season.

The second episode has us tagging along with Hunter and Wrecker trading a Pike Syndicate member for some data on the lab of Dr. Hemlock, where Omega is being held. When they find the lab, it’s abandoned and bombed out. Upon further searching, they find some young clones that escaped the lab before its bombardment. These three help the clones search the experiment overrun facility and get information on where the lab has moved.

The third and final premiere episode has us back with Omega and Crosshair trying to escape after being given a warning by cloner NalaSe, Omega’s mentor from her days on Kamino. With the arrival of the emperor, wonderfully voiced by Ian Mcdiarmid, the pair must work quickly if they hope to make it out.

The writing and themes of these first three episodes have been fantastic. Tying the Bad Batch into the greater Star Wars universe with ease. With the large amount of Star Wars content announced in the past few months, the tie-ins will only grow. Stepping back into this show feels like sitting down as a kid to watch episodes of the Clone Wars animated series, and it fits like a glove.