Star Wars: The Bad Batch has officially concluded with The Bad Batch season 3 ending, but these 10 changes the show made to the larger Star Wars galaxy prove the impact of the show will remain. The Bad Batch has truly become one of Star Wars’ best TV shows, with the members of Clone Force 99 only becoming more beloved with time. In fact, among Star Wars movies and TV shows, The Bad Batch is unique in its focus on the clones, moving their story forward into the next era in the Star Wars timeline.
While shows like Star Wars Rebels and Obi-Wan Kenobi focused on the survivors of Order 66 during the Dark Times, less consideration has been given to the clones, despite how important they were to Star Wars. Sadly, because The Bad Batch was so unique in its focus, this also means that, with the end of The Bad Batch came the end of the clone troopers’ stories. However, these 10 changes The Bad Batch made to the galaxy prove that the show, and the clones, will always be a key piece of Star Wars history.
One of the most incredible aspects of The Bad Batch was the way it offered a look into Order 66 from the other side. While Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith had shown both the Jedi’s experience of the massacre and even, to some degree, Palpatine’s, the clones acted as little more than brainwashed soldiers. Even Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which fleshed out the events of Order 66 quite a bit more, didn’t really elucidate what that experience had been like for the clones.
While, yes, the clones were in some ways the aggressors during Order 66, in others, they were victims of the attack too. Many of the clones had become incredibly close with the Jedi they had fought alongside and served under for years, and they wouldn’t have wanted to harm or kill them. It was only because of the inhibitor chip that the clones executed the Order and, presumably, they were horrified to do so but unable to stop themselves. The Bad Batch proved this to be true.
The very first episode of The Bad Batch, “Aftermath,” revealed the horrors of Order 66 for the clones. Specifically, by contrasting the experiences of Clone Force 99 with the rest of the clones, the show demonstrated that, for the clones who killed the Jedi, it truly was just a command beyond their control. The utter confusion and heartbreak the Bad Batch expressed (other than Crosshair, who was more affected than the others by the chip) also revealed how devastating this loss was to the clones.
Perhaps the most shocking event in The Bad Batch season 1 was the destruction of Kamino, the planet from which the clones came. At the behest of Wilhuff Tarkin, all Kaminoan cloning facilities were destroyed, no doubt to make way for the Empire’s own grabs for power and future cloning plans. With this attack came the deaths of millions of Kaminoans, reflecting yet another Imperial genocide.
However, while the astounding loss of life would be upsetting enough, this moment was also particularly significant in Star Wars. For one, this attack on Kamino meant that the clone project from the Clone Wars era had permanently ended. Even towards the end of the Clone Wars, clones were still being made. However, in this onslaught, all future Jango Fett clones and any remaining genetic material from the original specimen were destroyed.
Moreover, this moment was significant because it signaled what was to come. Although the destruction of Kamino in The Bad Batch season 1 seemed like another cruel move by the Empire, the following two seasons revealed it to be so much more. Indeed, The Bad Batch season 3 was almost entirely driven by Emperor Palpatine’s cloning plot. Although not clear at the time, this event was a major step in that plan.
The clones had been a part of Star Wars since Obi-Wan Kenobi discovered their existence in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, and both Revenge of the Sith and The Clone Wars fleshed out their characters significantly. In fact, The Clone Wars in particular made the clone troopers some of Star Wars’ most beloved characters. For that reason, The Bad Batch had huge emotional weight tied to it.
The Bad Batch was always meant to conclude the Clone Wars Era, and in so doing, it needed to end the clone troopers’ stories as well. However, this was no easy feat. For one, the clones had been left adrift following the fall of the Republic and the rise of the Empire. They had only been created to fight for the Republic in the Clone Wars, and once that war was over, they were lost.
Somehow, though, The Bad Batch managed to build an incredible, beautiful story for the clones that ended their saga in Star Wars perfectly. While the show doesn’t account for every single clone, it does land in a happy place for Clone Force 99 and, based on Hunter’s assertion in the finale, affirms that they were finally permitted to make their own choices and live their own lives for the first time. In the end, the clones had just one more mission—save Omega—and they managed to end their arc with that success.
Project Necromancer had been briefly mentioned in The Mandalorian, but the specifics of the project remained largely a Star Wars mystery until The Bad Batch season 3. The show’s final season revealed the intricate details of the plan, which involved the Empire using clone DNA and Force-sensitive DNA to create Force-sensitive clones. Ultimately, the goal was to successfully create Force-sensitive clones of Palpatine to guarantee his return in the event of his death, nodding toward his shocking resurrection in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. This plot in The Bad Batch had major implications for Star Wars for several reasons.
For one, it meant that Star Wars was acknowledging and working to improve the issues that arose from the under-explained, sudden return of Palpatine. In fact, it remains controversial in the franchise that the only explanation given was “Somehow, Palpatine returned.” However, this plot also revealed that the Empire was so much more than what it seemed. Rather than just a cruel dictatorship, the Empire had access to unimaginable power and resources and, although it fell, there was so much more beneath the surface than what the original trilogy captured.
The Bad Batch season 3 shocked viewers with the return of Asajj Ventress, the ex-Sith apprentice and bounty hunter from The Clone Wars. Ventress hadn’t been seen on-screen since she had assisted Ahsoka Tano when she was falsely accused of murder, and her Star Wars future seemed unclear. However, The Bad Batch not only brought her back but also revealed that she now wields two yellow lightsabers, suggesting that she has turned away from a dark path and returned to the light side of the Force.
Excitingly, this cameo in season 3 was apparently a springboard for Ventress’ next Star Wars appearance, as the franchise has confirmed she will return in a yet unidentified future Star Wars project. While it was sad the time of the clones was over and The Bad Batch was coming to a close, bringing this fan-favorite character back was a thrilling way for the show to reveal what is coming next in Star Wars. Moreover, it’s possible Ventress’ upcoming story will tie directly into The Bad Batch, as Ventress spent her brief time on the show testing Omega’s potential Force abilities.
One of the most delightful surprises in The Bad Batch was that it gave Clone Force 99 and many other clones a genuinely happy ending. Such endings are few and far between in Star Wars, and one seemed especially unlikely in this case. Right up until the very last episode of The Bad Batch, the clones were still in terrible danger, with Omega captured by the Empire and being held for clone experiments and the Bad Batch team desperate to find her.
In the end, though, Star Wars truly went against the grain and, rather than ending with the tragic death of a major character or with evil still looming, The Bad Batch finale saw Omega, Hunter, Wrecker, Echo, and Crosshair all safely on Pabu. Although Echo ultimately parted ways with the Bad Batch team again, interestingly alongside Emerie Karr, who had been helping the Empire, the rest of the team remained together. Even more unusual for Star Wars, the show confirmed with a time jump that things remained well and that the clones raised Omega together.
Interestingly, despite the work that The Bad Batch did to explain Palpatine’s cloning plan and lay the groundwork for his return, Project Necromancer was shut down in the end. Like the cloning facilities on Kamino had once been, the cloning facility on Mount Tantiss was destroyed in the Bad Batch season 3 finale, seemingly ending this project. It therefore remains to be seen precisely how the project is resolved, given that Palpatine does return in the sequel trilogy.
However, it seems more than likely that this leaves the door open for a future Star Wars movie or TV show to reveal the full extent of the project and Palpatine’s return. In fact, Star Wars may have already revealed the shape this plot will take. In the Ahsoka season 1 finale, Grand Admiral Thrawn returned to the main Star Wars galaxy, intent on rebuilding the fallen Empire. While it hasn’t been confirmed, it’s possible that part of Thrawn’s efforts will be ensuring Project Necromancer is completed.
Although The Bad Batch is over, it seems likely Omega’s Star Wars story isn’t. In The Bad Batch season 3 finale, a time jump revealed that an adult Omega was going to join the Rebellion as a pilot. In addition to this meaning Omega could very well appear in an upcoming Star Wars movie or show, it means the Rebellion has just welcomed the first clone into its ranks. This is particularly exciting (and touching) because it is carrying on the legacy of the clones into a new era.