WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for Season 2 of Star Wars: The Bad Batch.
Animated Star Wars series have always gotten better with each season, and Star Wars: The Bad Batch has become the latest series to continue that trend. The Bad Batch has done an excellent job of exploring the aftermath of Order 66, creating a stronger bridge between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. But the series has also featured a lovable cast of characters in the eponymous Bad Batch, who have quickly become beloved characters in the Star Wars mythos.
The elite clone squad has normally been successful in their missions, but the Season 2 finale saw their mission end in complete disaster. Not only did they fail to complete their mission, but they lost one of their members and were ratted out by Cid, leading to Omega being captured by the Empire. It's certainly a less-than-ideal situation for the Bad Batch, but all of its members have known from the beginning what they were up against. With the season ending in a major cliffhanger, here's a look at what the ending might mean for the future of the show.
Did That Character Just Die?
The Bad Batch snuck into an Imperial base with the intention of planting a homing beacon on Dr. Hemlock's ship and escaping via a railcar. What should have been a straight-forward mission was complicated by the presence of Saw Gerrera, who sought to bring down the base on the Imperial officers inside. The detonation of Saw's explosives stranded the railcar the Bad Batch were using, forcing Tech to sacrifice himself so that his squad members could escape the Empire. When Tech fell through the skies of Eriadu, he did not have his grappling hook or anything to grapple on to.
Some fans might argue that since Tech's body was never shown, there is a possibility that he might still be alive. After all, the Star Wars franchise has already had Darth Maul survive being sliced in half and Palpatine survive the destruction of a Death Star. But both Maul and Palpatine were powerful Sith, which was something that Tech obviously was not. While Tech's body was never shown on-screen, Dr. Hemlock was able to retrieve his goggles, which would only have been possible if he had found Tech's body. This has seemingly confirmed Tech's death, making Tech the first member of the Bad Batch to die.
More members of the Bad Batch could die later in the show as the clone squad was absent during the events of Star Wars Rebels, Andor, Rogue One, as well as the events of the original trilogy. With that being said, characters like Ezra Bridger and Ahsoka Tano have lived through various points in the Star Wars timeline while being absent from key events. If the Bad Batch were to survive their own show, perhaps they eventually began operating from the shadows or decided to retire and live a peaceful life on Pabu.
Why Does the Empire Want Omega?
Along with Boba Fett, Omega represented a pure copy of Jango Fett's genetic template. As mentioned in the pilot episode of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Omega was also "enhanced," which possibly indicated her sensitivity to the Force. If Omega was indeed Force-sensitive, it would explain why the Empire was so interested in capturing her. The Imperial remnant was still trying to capture the Force-sensitive Grogu even after the fall of the Empire.
When Dr. Hemlock delivered Omega to the Kaminoan scientist Nala Se, Hemlock asked her if she would "reconsider working on the Emperor's project." Nala Se responded by saying that what Palpatine sought was "not possible." From this exchange, it can be deduced that Omega was wanted for scientific research. It's important to note that in the Star Wars canon, the Empire continued their cloning experiments long after the destruction of the Kaminoan cloning facilities.
The "Emperor's project" that Dr. Hemlock mentioned is likely the same project that allowed Palpatine to return in The Rise of Skywalker. Palpatine, along with the cult known as the Sith Eternal, experimented with cloning to create Force-sensitive vessels for him to transfer his consciousness into. Creating Force-sensitive beings however, was no easy task, requiring Palpatine and the Sith Eternal to find specific DNA samples to use in their research. One of the DNA samples seemed to come from Luke Skywalker's severed hand, which was found in a vat on Exegol in the Darth Vader comics (via Digital Spy).
Will There Be a Season 3 of The Bad Batch?
At the time of the Season 2 finale, Star Wars: The Bad Batch has not been renewed for a third season. The Bad Batch obviously hasn't reached as wide of an audience as The Mandalorian, but specific viewership numbers on the second season have not yet been revealed. The previous animated Star Wars series, Star Wars Resistance, only ran for two seasons, but was announced to conclude with a second season in advance.
Lucasfilm has never referred to Season 2 of The Bad Batch as the final season, so unless the show's viewership turns out to be staggeringly low, it's safe to assume that fans haven't seen the last of Hunter's squad. There's still much more story left to tell, and other than Resistance, the previous animated Star Wars series have all run for at least four seasons. It's likely that a Season 3 of The Bad Batch will be announced on Star Wars Day (May 4th) or during Star Wars Celebration 2023.