Star Wars: The Bad Batch’s Michelle Ang on Omega’s Bittersweet Ending

Star Wars: The Bad Batch is now in its final season, and the last chapter of Clone Force 99’s story has some ominous shadows hanging over it. The Bad Batch was created as enhanced versions of the Clone soldiers created from Jango Fett – including “Omega,” a female naturally-grown clone of Jango whose genetics have always been teased as pivotal to the larger Star Wars Saga. 

(SPOILERS) Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3’s premiere episodes saw Omega still in the clutches of Royce Hemlock, Imperial scientist in charge of the Advanced Science Division. Royce was systematically combing through clone DNA on behalf of Emperor Palpatine and “Project Necromancer,” which Star Wars fans know is the origin of Darth Sidious’ process of continuing his life through cloning (see: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker). 

In Episode 3, “Shadows of Tantiss”, Omega’s creator, Kamino geneticist Nala Se, warns her that Royce is has a sample of her DNA that will reveal Omega to be the key to “M-Count” transfer – i.e., the process Darth Sidious requires to transfer his Midi-chlorians and their Force potential into a cloned body. Nala Se helped Omega and Clone Force 99’s estranged member Crosshair escape from Royce’s facility on Mount Tantiss, seeking to reunite with the rest of the Bad Batch. However, Royce discovers the breakthrough he needs is inside of Omega, and so he lets her escape temporarily, knowing the resources of the Empire will eventually allow him to locate and re-capture her. 

Will Omega Die In The Bad Batch Final Season? 

Like so many Star Wars stories that are jumping back into the Imperial Era, there’s a certain amount of predetermined outcome when it comes to The Bad Batch. Clone Force 99 doesn’t seem to be around by the time of The Mandalorian following the Empire’s fall; and we know that Palpatine does manage to create several different clone (or “Strandcast”) bodies that continue his legacy decades after the Battle of Endor, into the era of the First Order and Sith Eternal cult once again threatening the universe. 

Given the implications of the larger canon, it’s hard to imagine there’s a happy ending for Omega. ComicBook.com spoke to Omega voice actress Michelle Ang, who teased that fans should prepare for a “bittersweet” ending to Omega’s arc: 

“I mean listen, it was really bittersweet,” Ang said in regards to first learning (then performing) the Bad Batch ending. She added that she’s “Grateful for every step of this journey – nothing has ever been taken for granted, at least from my experience.” 

In terms of what happens to Omega, Ang would only share that “I hoped there was a long, long, storyline potential for this to continue for a long time, but I also feel like our creators have done a beautiful service to these characters that they’ve brought into this series, and this is a nice place to end it.”

Ang didn’t shy away from a more direct question about what kind of emotion she felt when first seeing Omega’s ending, stating, “Without giving away too many spoilers, I think that people who have followed along will feel like it’s a satisfying end. But yeah I could’ve continued, I could’ve done more.” 

Finally, she teased fans with the idea that The Bad Batch’s ending will have to address the central theme of the series: namely, do these characters created as tools of war and violence have the potential to map their own souls and create different lives for themselves? 

“I think… there is a trajectory that was set up in the dynamic of these soldiers being thrust into becoming big brothers… caretakers of this young child, and then forcing them to imagine their own autonomous future outside of being owned by anyone else,” Ang explained. “I guess if that’s the preliminary setup, then yeah where we end up in Season 3 is kind of full-circle in answering that question for themselves.” 

The key question is whether the soldiers of Clone Force 99 ultimately discover more about themselves that can serve as the foundation of a peaceful life – or if they come to discover and accept that they have one true purpose in life, and follow that purpose all the way to the end. Going out as a family and setting back the Empire and Palpatine’s research and exploration of clones for decades (if not forever) would still be a major “win” for Omega and brothers – and certainly a “bittersweet” ending for fans to experience. 

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 is streaming on Disney+.