Previously, Clone Force 99 suffered their first ’loss’ since Crosshair switched sides. With Omega in the hands of Cad Bane and Crosshair breathing down their necks, episode 9 dives straight into the midst of the action. Though anyone expecting this one to play out over multiple episodes is going to be disappointed, as the title ‘Bounty Lost’ suggests, Omega doesn’t take well to the prisoner role.
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In the immediate aftermath of Omega’s capture, Crosshair continues to pursue The Batch forcing them to flee into hyperspace with no clue as to her destination. Imprisoned on Cad Bane’s ship, Omega seems to be out of luck. That is, until she strikes up a conversation with Bane’s droid Todo, whose personality would be perfect for a series about droids. Having been damaged in the skirmish with Hunter, Todo limps around the ship as his master ignores his pleas for help. Omega takes note and begins working over the droid in an attempt to get free from her cell, bargaining that she can fix him were he to let her out.
Despite initial Todo’s initial skepticism, he agrees that she’s just a kid and that she’s trapped on the ship. Her plan works to perfection, as Todo succumbs to her cunning, though she still upholds her end of the bargain. It’s the first of several great Omega moments as she demonstrates the resourcefulness that has helped her adapt to life on the run with The Batch.
Meanwhile on Kamino, it’s revealed that Prime Minister Lama Su is the one behind Cad Bane’s recruitment. He instructs Taun We, of Attack Of The Clones and Clone Wars fame, to rendezvous with Bane and collect Omega at a now-defunct Kaminoan off-world cloning site on Bora Vio. It seems as though his approach isn’t a result of any further overt duress from Rampart or Tarkin. What is certain, is that tension exists between the Kaminoan leadership when it comes to Omega’s fate. Lama Su only has eyes for Omega because of the importance of her DNA and his desperation to remain relevant to the Empire. Once a sample has been extracted, he instructs Taun We to terminate her - much to the dismay of Nala Se.
Omega has other plans, having fled the ship, she escapes into the foggy facility. However, there’s a reason Bane is the best bounty hunter in the galaxy. He’s quick to apprehend her, only for the return of Fennec Shand to disrupt things. Shand dispatches Taun We, swiping Bane’s payment and proposing a trade. As the hapless droid Todo intervenes, the credits are lost and a battle ensues. There is a sense that the duel between the experienced bounty hunter and the up and comer Shand hogs too much screen time, but the action is carefully woven around Omega’s attempts to flee. While there’s never quite a sense of real jeopardy, the battle still entertains as Omega is able to muster a signal to alert the rest of The Batch to her location.
It cannot be stressed enough just how beautiful this show is. With each new episode comes a new environment which is used practically as a set piece, and for numerous establishing shots. Here, the cloudy vistas on the Kaminoan’s off-world cloning site create an unsettling sense of intrigue, while providing the perfect backdrop for the showdown between Bane and Shand. As they venture deeper into the facility Omega stumbles across some murky old experiment tubes that give off some serious Sith clone vat vibes, as seen in both The Rise Of Skywalker and The Mandalorian.
One of the most interesting aspects of this episode was the expansion of the Kaminoans. The Bad Batch is the perfect bridge between the prequels and the original trilogy as it continues to build upon established Star Wars canon while creating new stories. These abandoned cloning stations feel sinister and haunting. Contrasted with the very pristine image of their homeworld that has always been portrayed in previous episodes and in Attack Of The Clones. This episode doesn’t offer a great deal of information but reveals enough to disrupt fans’ understanding of the Kaminoan’s, while broadening the scope for speculation about their activities.
On several occasions, just as it seems Bane has finally gotten the better of her, Shand shows remarkable resilience to recover from a heavy hit and regain the upper hand. As a result, Omega is able to evade the two pre-occupied bounty hunters. Taking the escape first, ask questions later approach, she flees from the facility in an escape pod but with no direction or fuel she begins to dwindle. That is, until The Batch arrives to save her.
It all feels a little too easy, which is something the show can be guilty of at times. Nevertheless, Hunter reveals the truth about Omega’s importance - and why the bounty hunters have been pursuing her. Omega is a first-generation clone, unaltered, just like Boba Fett. As a result, her genetic material can replace Jango Fett’s withering sample. Hunter promises Omega that she’ll never have to set foot on Kamino again, so there’s a good chance that promise is going to be broken one way or another by the end of the season.
There’s plenty to enjoy in this episode, the toing and froing between Shand and Bane, Omega learning more about her past, and gaining an insight into the Kaminoans. Yet, it’s something of a recurring theme of The Bad Batch so far that episodes often come to a neat conclusion. Even last week’s consequences were short-lived as The Batch retrieved Omega with relatively little struggle. That being said, the era Clone Force 99 are currently living in suggests that their luck has to run out sooner rather than later.
New episodes of Star Wars: The Bad Batch air every Friday on Disney Plus
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