This week’s episode of “Bad Batch” changes up the pace as it features less of the titular group and focuses more on Omega and her current predicament.

The episode “Bounty Lost,” begins where last week’s events left off with the Bad Batch escaping the Empire after losing Omega to Cad Bane. Imprisoned by the outlaw, Omega looks for any way to escape and reunite with her group before she is delivered to the Kaminoans. As the story progresses more secrets come to light, we get a clearer idea of what the Kaminoans’ goals are and what they have in store for the young clone. 

I know it’s ironic to have an episode of Bad Batch where the group is mostly played as side characters, but I feel it works here because this type of story works strongest when it’s told through the eyes of Omega. It may seem odd to focus on a child in a series starring adults. We’ve grown to like this character for the past eight episodes, so we want to see what she can do on her own while still coming out okay. 

Cad Bane’s presence here adds to the danger as he’s easily one of this universe’s most cold-hearted characters. Longtime fans know that this is a guy who is willing to go to great lengths to achieve any assignment he’s given. In the past, he’s held the galactic senate hostage, killed Jedi, and even kidnapped children. All for the sake of earning big money. In a galaxy that’s populated with villains who are motivated by revenge, controlling the galaxy, etc. Bane stands out as even though his motivation is simple, people remember him for the actions and means he uses to achieve his goals.

Despite the grim situation, the writers naturally work in some levity. Particularly from Todo 360, Bane’s droid sidekick. This is a character who has appeared by Bane’s side before in Star Wars media and seeing him here was no surprise. I’ll admit when I first saw him years ago, I wasn’t sure this was going to work. It’s kind of like giving Samuel L. Jackson a small sidekick to follow him around. But thankfully they have him work in small doses, and even allow voice actor Seth Green to have some funny moments here and there. I also like the idea that this droid essentially plays the role of an overworked sidekick, with Bane ordering him around as he’s trying his best to keep up. 

Naturally, this makes Todo 360 easy to manipulate as Omega tricks him to open her cell as he fixes his broken leg. I like how they portray Omega in this episode. It shows how she gained experience throughout the series based on the previous adventures she’s experienced. 

While her goal is to call for help, she does everything she can to control the situation she’s in. When something goes wrong, she looks for an alternative. When she’s backed into a corner, she looks for a way out. That’s a lot of development to show, especially in a child character.

By the time Omega shuts Todo 360 down, Bane has already piloted the ship to an old Kaminoan facility on Bora Vio. The tension increases as Omega scrambles to find her stolen communicator as she escapes the ship with Bane in pursuit. 

When Omega manages to contact the Bad Batch, a few story details are revealed to the audience. One of the most prominent being Omega’s origin. Apparently, Omega stands out as not only is she one of the first-generation clones, but she’s also an unmodified replication of the original donor, Jango Fett. Aside from Boba Fett (called Alpha), another unmodified clone who has gone on his own path. Omega is the Kaminoans’ only means of continuing their cloning efforts. This is made evident as the plotline takes a dark turn when we cut back to Kamino, and prime minister Nala Su plans to have Omega terminated once they’ve obtained the genetic material from her. 

Before Bane can recapture Omega, they find a Kaminoan lying dead on the ground next to a box of credits she was going to trade Bane for Omega. It is here that Fennec Shand comes back into the picture and demands Bane hand her over. Naturally, this results in a firefight between the two bounty hunters as Omega flees the scene. 

As Omega runs through the abandoned station, she comes across a dark room with several green tanks, containing what I assume are previous Kamionan experiments. She accesses the old technology to successfully contact the Bad Batch but is interrupted by Shand who managed to briefly incapacitate Bane. Omega understandably refuses to listen to their encounter on Pandora a few episodes ago. Though Shand tries to reason with her by telling her what the Kamioans have in store for her. 

Their conversation is interrupted by Todo 360 whose appearance briefly distracts Shand long enough for Omega to get away. To make matters worse, Bane comes back to recapture Omega before he and Shand resume their fight. The fight between these two bounty hunters was pretty sweet. It was hard to tell which one was going to come out on top, which made it both intense and exciting. While I was invested in Omega’s scenes, seeing these two characters go all out on each other was something I didn’t know I wanted. Everything from the setup to the weapons they use creates a cool factor that only Star Wars can provide.

The episode ends with Omega making her way to a pod and making her escape. When the situation becomes dire, the episode sends in a deus ex machina with the Bad Batch coming in and saving her. They make the right choice to tell her what the Kamionans want with her as she deserves to know the situation. I have to say, it’s heavy stuff for a child to find out that their purpose in life is for something as sinister as what the Kaminoans are planning. It shows how they don’t see the clones as living beings, but more as experiments. Ones that can be created and exterminated on a whim. The Bad Batch is safe for now, but who knows what will happen in the series going forward.

The episode ends with Bane and Todo 360 attempting to leave the planet. Their attempts turn into typical villain luck as Bane angrily realizes their ship was sabotaged as Shand flies away overhead. When we cut back to Shand it is revealed that she is secretly in contact with Kamioan Nala Se, who unlike Nala Su wants to keep Omega out of his hands. This was unexpected as seeing a schism between Kamionans is something I didn’t see coming. It’s still unknown whether or not this is for Omega’s well-being or for other reasons. But the Bad Batch can rest easy knowing they’re safe… for now.

In short, this episode was a nice change of pace that not only allows characters to shine but also reveals key details to the audience that push the story forward. 

Rating: 5 / 5 Spinnaker Sails.

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