The Bad Batch, season 3 (final season)

[Techwright]

SPOILER ALERT

 

The trailer for The Bad Batch, season 3 has dropped. Be aware there's a few major spoilers for the end of season 2 if you've not seen it yet.

And, while the trailer doesn't give too much away, it does drop a bombshell at the end, one that seemingly proves what Dave Filoni has gone on record as saying: the only canon is that which appears onscreen. 

 

 

Watch it first, then see the spoiler box.  Be aware, it will discuss the popular Star Wars novel Dark Disciple, so there will be spoilers for it as well:

  Reveal hidden contents

While I've not read it myself, I've read the reports.  The novel Dark Disciple, always considered canon, appears to now be bumped to Legends material, unless what the trailer shows is a flashback sequence.  Asaj Ventress in the novel was killed by Count Dooku.  However, season 3 of The Bad Batch will be taking place months, probably years, after Order 66, and Count Dooku was really most sincerely dead by the time of that event, yet here she is.  So it appears that once again, Dave Filoni has followed Master Lucas' teaching and made the screen canon superior to book canon.  Again, that is unless we're seeing a flashback sequence.

 

Also...note that Asaj's lightsaber is now guardian gold, the color of the Jedi Temple guards' sabers, not the Sith red she traditionally carried.  Whether that is due to a change in her, or she took the crystal off a dead Jedi, I'm not sure.  It's not the green color that Quinlan Vos (the other major character of the novel) traditionally used, so it doesn't seem that it came from him.

 

Frankly, the potential for the Bad Batch to be wiped out is there.  We all know how bad the Empire years get, and we only know of 2 clones, so far, that make it to the moment of the Death Star, and only one of those we know for sure survived the battle of the second Death Star.  But I feel a complete team wipe, even for a good cause in a blaze of glory might send the wrong message.  I think it more likely that Omega survives, but to what end, I don't know.  It's very possible that the end of The Bad Batch sets us up for the next great Star Wars animation.  I suppose it may also be possible that Hunter finally gets his wish, and survivors of the team take Omega into either Wild Space or the Uncharted areas, somewhere where her predators cannot find her.

[Techwright]

The first 3 episodes of season 3 have dropped and they continue the much more somber tone and good writing that season 2 ended upon.  By the end of the 3rd episode, we finally have an answer as to why Omega is so important, and also a big chunk of how this all ties into the Sequel Trilogy, including I suspect, even the so-called Mando-verse group of stories.  You may recall it was strongly rumored that John Favreau and Dave Filoni were given a directive to make the Sequel Trilogy "work", a tall order to be sure.  While I think nothing can truly save the Sequel Trilogy, I'm intrigued by the effort to make it at least somewhat palatable.

 

The story pacing is different in this one, taking its time to let things unfold.  I'm impressed with little details, such as scratching a number into a wall (vital to the story), then gently brushing away the plaster dust (the little detail, unnecessary, but adding a personal touch).  Omega is not nearly the wide-eyed child of season 2's treasure hunting episode, and is quickly sobering to a more potent character, yet not losing all her optimism.  The villain of the arc is proving to be one of my favorite Star Wars villain, quiet, but very brainy. Deceivable (for a time) but no one's fool.

[michel12]

  On 1/29/2024 at 2:34 AM, Techwright said:

SPOILER ALERT

 

The trailer for The Bad Batch, season 3 has dropped. Be aware there's a few major spoilers for the end of season 2 if you've not seen it yet.

And, while the trailer doesn't give too much away, it does drop a bombshell at the end, one that seemingly proves what Dave Filoni has gone on record as saying: the only canon is that which appears onscreen. 

 

 

Watch it first, then see the spoiler box.  Be aware, it will discuss the popular Star Wars novel Dark Disciple, so there will be spoilers for it as well:

  Reveal hidden contents

While I've not read it myself, I've read the reports.  The novel Dark Disciple, always considered canon, appears to now be bumped to Legends material, unless what the trailer shows is a flashback sequence.  Asaj Ventress in the novel was killed by Count Dooku.  However, season 3 of The Bad Batch will be taking place months, probably years, after Order 66, and Count Dooku was really most sincerely dead by the time of that event, yet here she is.  So it appears that once again, Dave Filoni has followed Master Lucas' teaching and made the screen canon superior to book canon.  Again, that is unless we're seeing a flashback sequence.

 

Also...note that Asaj's lightsaber is now guardian gold, the color of the Jedi Temple guards' sabers, not the Sith red she traditionally carried.  Whether that is due to a change in her, or she took the crystal off a dead Jedi, I'm not sure.  It's not the green color that Quinlan Vos (the other major character of the novel) traditionally used, so it doesn't seem that it came from him.

 

Frankly, the potential for the Bad Batch to be wiped out is there.  We all know how bad the Empire years get, and we only know of 2 clones, so far, that make it to the moment of the Death Star, and only one of those we know for sure survived the battle of the second Death Star.  But I feel a complete team wipe, even for a good cause in a blaze of glory might send the wrong message.  I think it more likely that Omega survives, but to what end, I don't know.  It's very possible that the end of The Bad Batch sets us up for the next great Star Wars animation.  I suppose it may also be possible that Hunter finally gets his wish, and survivors of the team take Omega into either Wild Space or the Uncharted areas, somewhere where her predators cannot find her.

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The content is the official trailer for the final season of "The Bad Batch" on Disney+. It features action-packed scenes with the main characters discussing .

[Techwright]

After having seen all episodes through #7, it's pretty obvious that they're moving towards a canon version of the clone uprising referred to in Legends materials, though already I can see differences in how it will play out.  This will probably be the single greatest canon event to date between the Prequel movies and the Rogue One/Original movies tetralogy, with the possible exception of the liberation of Lothal.  (The events in Andor season 1 are critical and directly impact the Rogue One/Original movies tetralogy, but the season is a focus on a couple of planets as a microcosm study of what's actually happening across the galaxy).  In the Legends telling, the clone uprising is a heroic but ultimately doomed effort, essentially Star Wars' charge of the light brigade, and explains why such a significant fighting force as the clone army of the Prequels was not available (at large) to add teeth to the Rebellion.  It will be interesting to see what the canon version, if indeed it is going to happen, will bring. 

 

One other note probably not needing a spoiler:  Time has passed, and Omega is far less a wide-eyed child, and much more of a grounded personality this season.  I've seen several reactors comment positively on this, with some of them reporting she's now their favorite character.  This does not mean she's without a moment or two of her old nature, but that's a genuine reflection on being a young teen.  Star Wars animation has always grown their younger characters to more stable individuals.  Ahsoka, for example, was horrible when she first appeared in the first animated movie. But over time they grew her, sobered her personality, into possibly one of the most popular characters in Star Wars.  Ezra Bridger is undergoing a similar transformation.

 

Spoiler material:

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The big question on reactors minds right now is:  Who is the Operative?  Episodes 6 & 7 introduced an Operative from Dr. Hemlocks shadowy assassin program (which uses forceably converted and conditioned clones), one that is incredibly resilient and utterly dogged in his determination.  The number of times he's survived what would kill others suggests not only his formidable nature, but that he's someone important under the mask. 

 

Current theories run to three ideas:

 

1. The Operative is Tech:  The Batcher who "died" last season in a terrifying fall (no body was seen), may be back, repaired and enhanced by Dr. Hemlock.  The nature of that repair may be organic, or it may be cybernetic.  There's some hints (or red herrings) towards this:  he's more dependent and comfortable with technology than we've seen in previous shadow assassins.  Some commenters point out that he has a different antenna arrangement than others with similar armor.  He's fallen from heights in multiple engagements and has survived each, not to mention survived a building falling on him as well as a small explosive device in close proximity.  It's as if the writers are preparing us to believe that Tech can survive great falls.  Personally, I've seen some mannerisms and speech cadence that might suggest Tech, though they're doing a good job disguising it.

 

2. The Operative is a clone of Crosshair / Crosshair is actually a clone of the original Crosshair.   I personally don't see this, and definitely not the last part.  Those espousing this viewpoint point to the Operative's sniping ability and resiliency, while also noting that the writing deliberately set up a fight between the two. A few have also commented that they feel the Operative talks like Crosshair.  From what I can see, this is more of a "I'd wish to see this" than anything with facts.  So, a few facts:

• The Crosshair we know has the burns over the right ear that he received in season 1, and the Crosshair tattoo.  While the latter could be duplicated the former could not be, at least, not easily.
• Crosshair states that he failed out of the attempt to convert him into a shadow trooper.  Dr. Hemlock has already demonstrated he won't waste time on beings he considers unworthy, so why clone Crosshair, already a defective and a failure in the program.  Hemlock was merely keeping him alive as a blood source in experiments and as leverage against Omega. 
• The Operative is indeed an excellent shot, but Crosshair before his injury was legendary, able to clear hallways of droids with a single shot. He never missed.  The Operative does, however.
• Cloning takes time.  Not just to grow the body but to train the mind.  While I hold to this point, I'll not that Mount Tantis has been portrayed in the vaguest terms leaving open the possibility that Dr. Hemlock's team have significantly reduced the cloning process time.

3, The Operative is Commander Cody.  This would be quite a dramatic reveal if true.  We've seen Cody in this series before.  Last we knew, he'd deserted the Empire after a dehumanizing mission involving Crosshair and him, but he's not with Rex's clone forces (that we've seen) and has been absent for some time.  Rex would absolutely try to recruit Cody if he knew he was out there.  This theory is not without its merits.  Cody is a survivor, is a great shot, but not at Crosshair's level, and would be a character that the show writers would go to lengths to keep alive.  His absence is suspicious.  The telling point would be the revealing of his face.  Cody has scars above and to the side of his left eye.  Rex and Cody are close, so revealing a corrupted Cody to Rex at a key point would make for great drama.

 

[Techwright]

Double episode drop this week.  I understand why.

 

Episode 10 was the first to never include a member of the Bad Batch, other than some name dropping and a photo reference.  It was necessary, however, to both set the stage for what is to come and to provide some big answers to the full series.  In addition, it offered one now-canonical insight into two of the major characters in all of Star Wars:

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This episode revealed, for the first time I believe, that Tarken (here a Governor, later Grand Moff) did not have the Emperor's complete trust.  Until now, every portrayal of Tarken has been one of having Palpatine's trust to such a degree that he has a free leash to do as he wills.  He rises to be the #3 person in the Empire, and is confident enough in his role that he can statements to the #2 person, Vader, as if he were the Apprentice's boss.  Not even the Inquisitors wield such power.

 

But here, we find he has not been informed of the blank check the Emperor has given to Dr. Hemlock, has not been authorized regarding Project Necromancer, and being kept from the loop has to resort to aggressive threats to temporarily sooth his ego and ambition.  These unsettle Hemlock, despite the Emperor's will in the matter.  Not surprising, since viewers have seen a future Tarken push and drive Director Krennic to create the Death Star, then immediately seize it and all Krennec's power. 

 

In summary: Dave Filoni and the writers have now made it clear that Tarken's belief that he had the Emperor's complete trust was an illusion, and Palpatine plays everyone as a fiddle.  Palpatine has fully seen Tarken's obsessive ambition, has realized its threat, and has decided that Tarken will be excluded from information on this most intimately vital project to the Emperor.

 

Episode 11: Point of No Return may have been the finest episode of the full series.  It rivaled season 7 of The Clone Wars.  I especially liked...

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...that the Empire was smart, and not their usual bumbling.  The first thing they did in the attack was to destroy the Batch's ship (a reference to the destruction of the Razorcrest in The Mandalorian) and all other means of egress from the island of Pabu.   It also put enormous pressure on the islanders due to the destruction of their fishing fleet.  The troopers keep count of Batch members that they take out of commission and remain wary of the last member through the final moments of the episode. 

 

I also like that the gloves have come off.  There's pretty good indications that the Bad Batch are killing troopers this episode, cleanly perhaps, but it shows their desperation. With the islanders and themselves threatened, there is no time for mercy.

 

We see more evidence that the Operative may indeed be a heavily modified and programmed Tech, though this remains speculative, especially considering that the Operative has no apparent knowledge of Pabu, a place that Tech frequented. 

 

I'm left with the feeling that perhaps Omega has one other tracker up her sleeve, or perhaps down her boot, as the scanning stopped when they found her comm device.  But more likely, she'll be taken to Emorie, who is currently suffering a crux of consciousness that will probably turn to helping Omega. 

 

Moving forward, I suspect the way off the island will be to find a way to contact Phee.  Much was shown of her ship, which may be foreshadowing.   I'm also concerned that the next two episodes might see the end of Nala Se, a character that's been with us ever since movie Episode II: The Attack of the Clones, and all of the animated The Clone Wars series.

 

[biostem]

I'm not sure if I should put this in spoiler tags or not, so I'll err on the side of caution:

 

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I am soooo glad they didn't turn Omega into yet another "secret force user", as that would, IMHO, be the cliche thing to do.  Rather, I really appreciate them making her insightful and very good at picking up on social queues/empathic.  What does confuse me, though, is that in a world full of near instant communication across the galaxy, and the Empire having cameras/spies everywhere, why not give her a helmet or full mask?  Heck, they seem to come across environmental hazards frequently enough that her having such a piece of gear would make a lot of sense.  Also, can we please take a moment to acknowledge how woefully lacking any sort of ship security is - they seemingly don't even need keys or passcodes to activate someone else's vehicles...

 

Edited April 6, 2024 by biostem

[Techwright]

  On 4/6/2024 at 12:23 AM, biostem said:

I'm not sure if I should put this in spoiler tags or not, so I'll err on the side of caution:

 

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I am soooo glad they didn't turn Omega into yet another "secret force user", as that would, IMHO, be the cliche thing to do.  Rather, I really appreciate them making her insightful and very good at picking up on social queues/empathic.  What does confuse me, though, is that in a world full of near instant communication across the galaxy, and the Empire having cameras/spies everywhere, why not give her a helmet or full mask?  Heck, they seem to come across environmental hazards frequently enough that her having such a piece of gear would make a lot of sense.  Also, can we please take a moment to acknowledge how woefully lacking any sort of ship security is - they seemingly don't even need keys or passcodes to activate someone else's vehicles...

 

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As to your first sentence in the spoiler: yes, absolutely.  I'm right there with you.  That said:

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...because her blood is receiver blood, there's always the chance that Emori or some other will inject midichlorians into Omega, giving her a notable M-count.  Even if that does not happen, I do wonder what force connection a receiver might have. We know nothing about them because we've never known one before  Not to throw rocks and such, but her insightfulness and perhaps a few other details might be a minor ability.  I still wonder if she's mildly empathic.  Back in season 1, upon her first escape, she fired a single shot disarming Crosshair, and stated it was the first time she'd held a gun.  The shot was high marksmanship, and has made me wonder if Crosshair being in the room meant she channeled a bit of his skill.  But hey, if she's just a young teen with special blood and no empathic powers, I'm fine with that.

 

Regarding the rest of your spoiler discussion...

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You make a great point.  A helmet would be a better arrangement, in many cases.  It might also draw attention to her, though.  The soldier Batch members are adults and such might be natural to be seen in helmets.  Youths are possibly a different matter.

As to ship security, I suspect this goes back more towards the stated standard of world building holding the 1977 aesthetic in place.  Sci-Fi of that year could barely dream the tech we have at our disposal today.  So a ship with little more than a key for security is acceptable.  That said, there are always violations of the guidebook.  I think to The Mandalorian where small handheld devices can track someone across the galaxy, and no explanation is given as to how.  I suspect it involves DNA, something one cannot easily divest, but how does one read it across the galaxy?

 

[biostem]

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  On 4/6/2024 at 3:36 AM, Techwright said:

Back in season 1, upon her first escape, she fired a single shot disarming Crosshair, and stated it was the first time she'd held a gun.  The shot was high marksmanship, and has made me wonder if Crosshair being in the room meant she channeled a bit of his skill.

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Is it not possible that she simply has superb hand-eye coordination and, even though she never held a gun before, has the intellect and technical expertise to know how to both sight and operate a blaster?  I mean, she was essentially raised around high-tech equipment, and I'm sure at least some of it involved having to target and/or manipulate objects/materials.

 

[Techwright]

  On 4/6/2024 at 4:36 AM, biostem said:

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Is it not possible that she simply has superb hand-eye coordination and, even though she never held a gun before, has the intellect and technical expertise to know how to both sight and operate a blaster?  I mean, she was essentially raised around high-tech equipment, and I'm sure at least some of it involved having to target and/or manipulate objects/materials.

 

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Sure, it's possible.  I'm very curious to see if there's another explanation, however.