Star Wars Reveals the True End of the Prequel Era

This week, Star Wars revealed the moment when the prequel trilogy era came to its end. It isn’t during Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith or the Star Wars: The Clone Wars finale as one remnant of the Clone Wars remained: the clones themselves. The Star Wars: The Bad Batch finale, “Kamino Lost,” puts the final nail in that coffin. SPOILERS follow for Star Wars: The Bad Batch‘s first season finale. In the first part of the finale, “Return to Kamino,” The Bad Batch returned to Kamino to rescue Hunter after Crosshair captured Clone Force 99’s leader on behalf of the Empire.

The group squabbled over the choices that had brought them to that point. Meanwhile, Vice Admiral Rampart showed how much he cared about his clone ally by opening fire on the Kaminoan cloning facility with Crosshair and the Bad Batch inside.

“Kamino Lost” sees the group attempting to make their escape from the ruins of the facility that created them as it descends into Kamino’s ocean. Omega saves Crosshair’s life, and the sniper later returns the favor. But ultimately, even with his inhibitor chip removed, Crosshair remains loyal to the Empire.

The destruction of the Kaminoan cloning facility is symbolic, marking the end of an era. The Clone War is the thing that sets up the entire rest of the Star Wars saga. While the Republic stood for thousands of years, stability has been elusive in the galaxy ever since the Battle of Geonosis, which began the Clone Wars. Even decades after the Empire’s fall, the sequel trilogy reveals a universe still in violent turmoil.

But nothing could symbolize the conclusion of the Clone Wars more than the destruction of the facility that supplied the Republic with the army that gave the conflict its name. To underscore this, composer Kevin Kilner integrates portions of John Williams’ Star Wars: Attack of the Clones score into “Kamino Lost” as the cloning facility sinks.

We know from other media that this isn’t the very last of the clones themselves. For one thing, Clone Force 99’s adventures will continue in Star Wars: The Bad Batch‘s second season. Rex, Gregor, and Wolffe survive long enough to appear in Star Wars Rebels. Nala Se, the Kaminoan cloning scientist, was taken into imperial custody and presumably forced to work on who knows what kinds of projects. (Perhaps the Emperor’s contingency plans?) Star Wars: The Bad Batch‘s first season was a bridge between the prequels and the original trilogy. This first finale seems to be the definitive end of that previous era as the galaxy is fully engulfed in the Empire’s darkness.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments. Star Wars: The Bad Batch’s first season is streaming now on Disney+.