The Bad Batch: Omega's Star Wars Backstory And Future Explained
by Rafael Motamayor · /Film"The Bad Batch" was always going to face an uphill battle. It was both the very first "Star Wars" spin-off TV show — following a group of characters that was introduced in a backdoor pilot during the final season of "The Clone Wars" — and the first "Star Wars" animated series without (almost) a single Jedi.
And yet, it proved to be something quite special, in no small part thanks to its voice cast. Dee Bradley Baker does some career-best work voicing every member of the Bad Batch, a group of clones with genetic mutations. Each character sounds, looks, and acts completely different, yet you still feel how they are all related. Likewise, the introduction of another unusual clone, Omega (voiced by Michelle Ang), made the Batch a welcome addition to the canon of "Star Wars" found families.
Story-wise, "The Bad Batch" features a nice balance of fun side stories and lore-heavy chapters. There are episodes dedicated to podracing and "Indiana Jones"-style tomb-raiding adventures, yes, but there are also ones that explore the conspiracy that led to the Empire replacing clones with stormtroopers. By focusing on the plight of the clones who survived the Clone Wars, "The Bad Batch" offers some truly dramatic and poignant storytelling.
Arguably, however, the most important and surprising element of "The Bad Batch" is Omega, given she didn't appear in the initial "Clone Wars" episode that introduced the rest of the Batch. Her origin story was quite a big reveal at the time, and her arc throughout the series makes for a thrilling watch. With that said, here's what you need to know about Omega.
Who is Omega?
Omega is introduced in the "Bad Batch" premiere, which is titled "Aftermath," as a young female clone living in Tipoca City on Kamino. Because the Batch are all "defective" clones like her, Omega takes an immediate liking to them. So, when the Batch is tasked with carrying out a mission they can't accept, they defect from the Empire, rescue Omega from Kamino, and go on the run.
But it soon becomes clear that there's more to Omega than meets the eye. As it turns out, Omega is a pure genetic replication of the bounty hunter Jango Fett. That means she wasn't engineered to age at a faster rate like other clones, nor does she possess the inhibitor chip that forced most clones to carry out Order 66 (making her like Boba Fett). Most importantly, Omega is the only known source of Jango Fett's unmodified DNA material, which is needed to produce more clones and makes her invaluable to the Kaminoans.
Unfortunately, when the Empire takes over and clones are phased out in favor of cheaper, conscripted stormtroopers, Omega is targeted to participate in an experiment that will eventually allow Emperor Palpatine to "cheat" death. Much more than just a kid in need of rescuing, though, Omega becomes a proper member of the Bad Batch who's as important as anyone else. By Season 2, she even becomes a proficient soldier herself.
Notably, Omega is technically older than her brothers, and despite her child-like mindset, she's quite good at helping the rest of the Batch get out of trouble. What's more, she's their conscience and the one who pushes the group's other members to do good and fight for more than just survival. It's why her fate at the end of "The Bad Batch" is so moving.
What happens to Omega after The Bad Batch?
In the final episode of the show, the Bad Batch rescues Omega from an Imperial facility experimenting on her and other kids with high midi-chlorian counts. Nala Se, who raised Omega back on Kamino, is also among the prisoners and ultimately sacrifices herself to destroy the facility's data, thus ensuring that the Empire won't come after Omega again.
The Batch, including Omega, then retreats to a safe haven, far away from the Empire. From there, "The Bad Batch" jumps forward in time in its finale, showing us an older Omega. It seems the Batch was able to stay alive and safe for most of the Empire's reign in the years before the Galactic Civil War. Still, Omega isn't done fighting. "The Rebellion needs pilots now more than ever," Omega says. "I want to do more."
That's right, little Omega is not so little anymore, and she decides to become a proper Rebel. It's a wonderful coda that ties up everything we've seen of Omega throughout the series. She was never happy being on the run, especially not when she saw how much others were in need. So, when the call for aid comes and the Rebellion takes the fight directly to the Empire, Omega can't help herself and signs up.
Though we don't know much about Omega's role in the Rebellion, the rascally Weequay pirate Hondo Ohnaka recounts some of her experiences in the canon book "The Secrets of the Bounty Hunters." That means Omega's story is open-ended, so she could, in theory, show up in a future "Star Wars" project, be it animated or even live-action. Regardless, she ended up doing what she loved: helping others.
"Star Wars: The Bad Batch" is streaming in its entirety on Disney+.