Credit: LucasfilmStar Wars: The Bad Batch (2021) decided to open with a terrifying moment this week, as we saw a fearful Clone Commando flee for his life in a crippled starship before being devoured by an unseen predator. But the real terror lies in what could be in store for one of our central heroes, Omega (Michelle Ang)…
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After some time away in the rest of the galaxy, in “Metamorphosis“, we saw the return of Mt. Tantiss, the Imperial research facility which currently houses imprisoned Kaminoan cloner Nala Se (Gwendoline Yeo). The facility has recently come under the direct control of Doctor Royce Hemlock (Jimmi Simpson), a ruthless Imperial careerist.
There’s a pointed reference here to ‘what Palpatine seeks to accomplish’, which alongside Se’s cloning speciality would seem to indicate we are pulling on another thread towards Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise Of Skywalker’s (2019) ‘somehow, Palpatine returned’ resolution.
The issue? Se won’t talk, appalled at what happened to her homeworld and people and determined not to co-operate with the Empire’s agenda. That’s where Omega comes in. Hemlock has identified her as the key to breaking Se’s resolve, a living bargaining chip he can use to convince the Kaminoan scientist to reveal the vital knowledge they need to place Palpatine’s clone backup plan into place.
Up to now, the Bad Batch have had a target on their backs simply through being troublesome deserters and acting — even if sometimes, unintentionally — against the Imperials. But this development places a firm crosshair over Omega. With how protective Hunter, Wrecker and Data (all Dee Bradley Baker) are over their young ward, we are moving towards a clear point of conflict as Clone Force 99 seeks to keep Omega safe from becoming hostage to the Empire’s machinations.
It’s clear that Dr. Hemlock is a ruthless operator and will do whatever it takes to achieve Mt. Tantiss’s mysterious agenda. If I was looking for someone to spearhead my malevolent immortality-through-cloning scientific scheme, I’d turn to an operator such as him to make sure it’s done.
Things will almost certainly come to a head on Mt. Tantiss itself, if the title of episode one of The Bad Batch’s two-part finale, “The Summit“, is anything to go off…
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Do you think Omega could be in trouble? Tell us in the comments below.