Major changes are afoot ahead of Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 2, improving upon elements of the Disney+ animated series. Set in the immediate aftermath of Order 66, The Bad Batch occupies a curious place in the Star Wars timeline, largely sticking to episodic animated adventures featuring the titular Clone Force 99, but providing a snapshot of the Empire tightening its tyrannical grip on the galaxy. The Bad Batch enjoyed a largely positive reception, but failed to command the same level of attention as other Disney+ Star Wars projects.
Lucasfilm has now released its full The Bad Batch season 2 trailer, and the overall premise remains broadly similar to season 1. The Clone Force 99 team of Hunter, Wrecker, Echo and Tech are joined by their younger clone sister, Omega, working missions for Cid on Ord Mantell. Cid serves as an information broker, but also acts as something of a go-between for Clone Force 99 and prospective clients who could use their services. Despite following a familiar format, The Bad Batch season 2 trailer confirms two big improvements on season 1. The first concerns how Omega will be used; the second pertains to the wider landscape of the Star Wars galaxy.
Omega Is Finally Reaching Her Potential In The Bad Batch Season 2
Voiced by Michelle Ang, Omega is an organic clone made on Kamino from Jango Fett's DNA, and although she grows naturally instead of following the accelerated aging of regular clones, Omega still possesses enhancements, and is still blessed with those formidable Fett genes. Due to her tender years, however, Omega was handled with kid gloves throughout Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 1. Much of Clone Force 99's story thus far has been spent either protecting Omega, rescuing Omega, or telling Omega not to get involved. While their caution is understandable given Omega's inexperience in battle, she showed flashes of brilliant potential throughout her debut run in The Bad Batch.
The Bad Batch season 2 trailer leaves no doubt that Omega will be a different prospect entirely when Clone Force 99 returns to Disney+. A beach sequence shows Omega calmly taking down crab monsters before using their backs as a springboard. She then leads a battle against AXIS droids, and even the young clone's clothing more closely resembles the gear of her four companions. These details confirm Omega will be less like Grogu in The Bad Batch season 2 - the McGuffin who constantly needs protecting and only pops up to save the day occasionally - and will instead come closer to an authentic, albeit less seasoned, member of Clone Force 99.
Watching Omega develop as a warrior is an infinitely more interesting angle for The Bad Batch season 2 than another full season of Clone Force 99 working their hardest to keep her out of harm's way. Given her genetics, Omega should harbor the same inner potential as Boba Fett, but she can only achieve that with the same training and experience her brother undertook at a similar age. Another The Bad Batch season of leaving Omega on the Marauder and asking Cid to babysit would waste the character she could one day become.
The Bad Batch S2 Brings Clone Force 99 Closer To The Rebellion
After Clone Force 99 escaped Order 66, Hunter and his gang seemed content to find a small corner of the galaxy where they could avoid the Empire and live the remainder of their lives in relative peace. That goal was always a pipe dream, but The Bad Batch season 1 involved more running away from the Empire than actively fighting against it and, with the obvious exception of Wrecker, Clone Force 99 was reluctant to involve itself in risky business. Similar to Omega, The Bad Batch season 2 is changing direction with regards to the Empire, teasing a possible connection between Clone Force 99 and the Rebellion.
In one crucial scene, Echo pointedly tells Hunter, "We should be doing more," most likely referring to stopping the Empire's evil. He later tells Omega, "There are others out there who need our help," promising a more active role for Clone Force 99 in the Rebellion. To this end, The Bad Batch season 2's trailer shows the main gang infiltrating both an Imperial ship and what appears to be the throne room of Sith apprentice Count Dooku on Serenno. As if to confirm Clone Force 99's heroic newfound purpose disrupting the Empire, an animated Bail Organa is involved, notching up yet another Star Wars appearance.
While depicting the Bad Batch as reluctant, conflicted heroes made sense in the post-Order 66 confusion of season 1, such indifference is untenable long-term. Every faction must pick a side sooner or later, and The Bad Batch looks to be transforming its five protagonists into a force for good, striking out against the Empire and saving those oppressed by Palpatine's regime. As with Omega's changes, this promises a progressive new flavor for The Bad Batch season 2.