In the series finale of The Bad Batch, one of the most underrated Star Wars TV series wrapped up all of its storylines with its signature heartfelt bravado. As a show that focused on rejecting clones from the prequel era, The Bad Batch, has, over three seasons, revealed how outcasts among outcasts made their way in the galaxy as the Republic morphed into the Empire. Along the way, The Bad Batch has posited a found-family theme, with Clone Force 99’s fierce protection of their younger clone sister, Omega, at the heart of the series.
Appropriately then, it’s the story of Omega that wraps up the show in the series finale, “The Cavalry Has Arrived.” Like Rebels and The Clone Wars before it, the ending of The Bad Batch gives us a Star Wars time jump, one which seems to suggest that one hero will be back — just not the way we expected. Spoilers ahead.
Bad Batch finale time jump, explained
The ending of The Bad Batch largely takes place in the primary time frame of the show; roughly a year after the events of Revenge of the Sith and the ending of The Clone Wars. But, after Hemlock (Jimmi Simpson) is defeated, and the Batch escapes with the clone prisoners, we flash forward to a final coda. Now, Hunter (Dee Bradley Baker) is older, clearly retired, and is being visited by an adult Omega (Michelle Ang), saying goodbye to her family before heading off to her own life. Specifically, Omega is going to be flying starfighters for the Rebel Alliance. “The Rebellion needs pilots more than ever,” Omega tells her defacto dad, Hunter. “I’m not a kid anymore.”
Like Boba Fett in Attack of the Clones, Omega is a clone of Jango Fett but allowed to age naturally. So, in the time frame of most episodes of The Bad Batch, she’s about 12 and turns 13. But, in this time jump epilogue, Omega is clearly older, no longer a kid, but a young woman. So, when does this scene take place?
Because the Rebellion existed about five years before A New Hope and then lasted through Return of the Jedi, and beyond, this scene could exist anywhere within that time frame. The Rebellion needed pilots “more than ever” pretty much always. So, this could be before the events of A New Hope, right after A New Hope, somewhere in between, or even, before the Battle of Endor in Return of the Jedi. In any case, the fate of Omega after The Bad Batch is clear: she became a star pilot for the Rebels. Did she fly with Wedge Antilles? Luke Skywalker? Did she even show Biggs and Porkins a thing or two? At this point, anything is possible, including Omega’s return in several upcoming Star Wars projects.
The Future of Omega
By establishing that Omega —a clone with mysterious midichlorians — is still alive during the Rebellion era, Star Wars has just given itself another hero who could easily appear in future TV series or films. If Omega is in her early twenties in the timeframe of the classic trilogy, then she’d be in her thirties in The Mandalorian-era. This makes her significantly younger than Clone Wars characters like Bo-Katan and Ahsoka Tano, who made their way to live-action long after debuting in animated form.
But, interestingly, Omega has way less baggage than any other characters from a similar era, making her a perfect candidate to appear in future shows set in this era, like Skeleton Crew, or quite possibly, the upcoming Star Wars feature film, The Mandalorian and Grogu. Then again we don’t know exactly when Omega is joining the Rebellion, which could mean she’s around in the era of Andor Season 2, flying for a version of the Alliance that has just formed, before Rogue One.
The bottom line is, because of her age and the nature of the time jump in Bad Batch, Omega could reappear in several Star Wars projects, at any time. And, because Omega is a clone, she literally carries the DNA of the entire franchise, making her, in some ways, the perfect microcosm of all Star Wars heroes. She was born from a terrible situation, and became, over time, one of the greatest beacons of hope. And for that reason alone, this doesn’t feel like the end of Omega’s story. It’s probably just the beginning.
The Bad Batch streams on Disney+.
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