Clone Force 99 is back in action.
The last time we saw the genetically altered clone troopers in Disney+‘s The Bad Batch, they were dealing with the presumed death of Tech, who’d died during a mission, and the loss of clone Omega, who’d been captured by the Empire. Omega, however, had also reunited with Kaminoan scientist Nala Se as well as Crosshair, both of whom seemed to be waking up to the Empire’s true (evil) nature. Meanwhile, Hunter and Wrecker were determined to track down Omega (and, perhaps, Crosshair), while Echo joined up with Rex to fight the Empire.
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On Feb. 21, the third and final season of the animated series debuts on Disney+ (watch the trailer). Disney+ released an official description for the third season: “In the epic final season of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, the Batch will have their limits tested in the fight to reunite with Omega as she faces challenges of her own inside a remote Imperial science lab. With the group fractured and facing threats from all directions, they will have to seek out unexpected allies, embark on dangerous missions and muster everything they have learned to free themselves from the Empire.”
The series, executive produced by Dave Filoni, Athena Portillo, head writer Jennifer Corbett and supervising director Brad Rau, features a voice cast that includes Dee Bradley Baker, Michelle Ang, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Jimmi Simpson, Noshir Dalal and Wanda Sykes.
“It’s sort of like a reset for the squad because when you first meet them in the very first episode [of the series], they’re a unit, they have a zero fail rate, and they’re very successful,” Corbett told StarWars.com of season three. “But then Crosshair sides with the Empire, and then Echo leaves to go with Rex, and now Tech’s gone, and now Omega is taken. Clone Force 99 is not what it was, and the question is will it ever be the same? Hunter and Wrecker are forced to change the way that they do things in order to piece together what they can of the squad.”
Ahead of the show’s season three premiere — it returns Feb. 21 with three episodes, leading up to the May 1 finale — The Hollywood Reporter takes a look at where season two left off, what we know about season three and the burning questions we hope to get answers to.
Is Tech actually dead?
In recent years, the Star Wars franchise has a history of allowing characters to survive devastating blows/explosions/light saber attacks only to go on and have a substantial part in future story lines (see: Palpatine, Echo, Darth Maul and so on). Imperial scientist Royce Hemlock brought Tech’s glasses to Hunter and his remaining crew, but we still haven’t seen proof of his actual death, which means he could be in Imperial custody. And with Tech being such a beloved character and important part of The Bad Batch, it is perhaps unlikely that he has fought his last mission. But if he isn’t really dead, the folks involved aren’t letting on. In fact, their recent interviews suggest the opposite: “The solace of that letting go is the heroism and the effectiveness of what he was able to get accomplished with the final gesture of his life. So, he was able to save his friends as well as keep the mission alive. He made it. He’s the one who made the sacrifice and made it,” Baker, who voices the clone, told Collider.
Will Crosshair reteam with the Bad Batch?
In season two, Crosshair not only shot and killed an Imperial officer in the back but also sent a message to Clone Force 99 warning them that the Empire was after them. These signs point to Crosshair becoming disillusioned with the Empire and perhaps joining up with the Bad Batch once again in season three.
What role does Asajj Ventress play in Season 3?
Count Dooku’s former apprentice appears in the season three trailer, but how is she relevant to the Bad Batch? Adding to the questions surrounding her appearance in the trailer is the fact that (spoiler alert) the assassin-turned-bounty hunter actually died before the Clone Wars ended (as featured in the 2015 canonical book Star Wars: Dark Disciple). The book was adapted from an unproduced arc intended as part of the seventh season of The Clone Wars. Rau told Screen Rant of Ventress’ role in The Bad Batch: “We did a lot of research, we went back to the unaired arc in The Clone Wars that inspired the novel Dark Disciple, and there were designs created, story reels created, that’s where her character came from, and her lightsaber, her blade, and the whole thing. So, we wanted to honor that as we brought Asajj into this storyline. … The events of Dark Disciple are true. We are aligning right with them. You might not get every answer in The Bad Batch for how that comes about, but just rest assured, you probably will at some point.”
What happened to Commander Cody?
The Clone Trooper, who famously was with Obi-Wan Kenobi on Utapau when Order 66 was executed by Palpatine, deserted the Empire in season two of The Bad Batch. Will he return to fight alongside Captain Rex and the Bad Batch?
What happens to Nala Se?
The Kaminoan scientist has been forced to work with the Empire in its cloning efforts. But she’s fond of Omega, and the Empire destroyed her home world. Will she cooperate, or work to sabotage the experiments?
What are Emerie Karr’s motives?
Dr. Hemlock’s scientist revealed herself to be the sister of Omega in the season two finale. However, it’s unclear if her DNA is unaltered, like Omega (and Boba Fett’s), and whose side she’s on in this battle of Empire versus clones.
Will we see the Zillo Beast again?
The Zillo Beast, which had believe to be extinct, first appeared in The Clone Wars, where Palpatine showed a great interest in the creature due to its indestructible hide. After it was killed, Palpatine ordered it to be cloned, with no success initially. However, Hemlock finally was able to succeed in carrying out Palpatine’s directive, as seen in The Bad Batch.
Who will die?
It wouldn’t be Star Wars without a heroic death (see: Darth Vader, Kylo Ren), someone bad turning good (see: Darth Vader, Kylo Ren) or a selfless sacrifice for a main character (see: Darth Vader, Kylo Ren). We’re thinking someone’s gotta die, unfortunately; it’s just a matter of who.
