The Bad Batch: 9 theories on who put a bounty on Omega and why

We got the animated debut of Ming-Na Wen’s character Fennec Shand in episode 4 of The Bad Batch episode entitled “Cornered.” She had one target: Omega. Our question is why. Why did she want the female clone and who hired her? That’s what we’re going to try and work out.

After escaping the desolate moon, the Bad Batch runs out of food, much to the chagrin of an always hungry Wrecker. They’re also out of fuel. The closest planet they can get to is Pantora.

The group splits up with Omega going with Echo and Hunter. However, her curiosity sets in and she wanders off. She gets lost and is found by a woman we the audience knows to be Fennec Shand.

Hunter, realizing Omega is missing, becomes frantic and splits off from Wrecker to find her while also contacting Tech and Wrecker to let them know what’s going on. He finds her with Fennec who opens fire on him.

Omega escapes into the sewer and runs into Wrecker who takes her back to the ship.

Now, we need to ask the question of who would be after Omega and why? We know that the mechanic working on the Bad Batch’s ship contacted Fennec, but we don’t think he’s the one who is after her.

Who is after Omega?

We’ve been doing some thinking and the list we have compiled is pretty extensive given all the high-profile Imperials that we think might want Omega in custody. We’ve also included reasons as to why. And note, these characters are not listed in any order.

1. Governor Tarkin

If there is one person who would be after Omega, it would be Governor Wilhuff Tarkin. But, would he send a bounty hunter after her? It’s hard to say as he has better things to do than to hunt down an escaped clone. Although, if he did, it would mean he would have to go through the higher-ups of the Empire. Also, what’s the point when he’s one of Palpatine’s pets outside of Vader?

Tarkin knows how valuable the Bad Batch is to the Kaminoans. However, he wants the Clone army gone since, in his eyes, they’ve served their purpose. Though, he did allow Crosshair to be put in charge of a squad of elite troopers, which would be the earliest form of stormtroopers.

We’re putting Tarkin low on the list because it doesn’t seem like his style to chase after one rogue clone, no matter how important they might be.

2. Darth Vader

Now, even more, less likely on this list is the Emperor’s primary enforcer and the newly minted Darth Vader. Vader is only on here because of how far he’d fallen at this point in the story. He was still grieving wife Padmé Amidala and their “unborn” child who unbeknownst to him was actually a set of fraternal twins.

Now, the reason we’re saying that there is no way Vader would’ve sent Fennec after Omega is that he has better things to do than to send a small-time bounty hunter after a clone he doesn’t even know anything about. Though, he does know Clone Force 99. If he had gotten word that the girl means something to them, then it would kind of make sense. However, it wouldn’t when it comes to Shand.

So, let’s say that Vader had gotten word that Omega means something to the Bad Batch. What would he get out of messing with them? Very little. If she was a threat to the larger Empire then he would properly go after her himself rather than send someone else in to do his dirty work.

3. Boba Fett

We know that Boba was raised by Jango as a son. But, would he hire Fennec to go after Omega? We highly doubt it. She, much like him, is a clone and if he wanted her gone then he would’ve done it himself as he too is a bounty hunter. From what we’ve seen in The Mandalorian, Fett and Shand know each other, but how far back does their… friendship go?

Could they have bonded over attempting to take out Omega? Highly doubtful as we don’t have enough of a timeframe for their relationship to trace a link between them and the female clone. Also, what would he get out of it? As Cut points out in the episode “Cut and Run,” the Kaminoans don’t create without a purpose. It’s unclear just how much Boba knew about the other clones who weren’t soldiers, meaning he probably had no idea about a female clone being made. Plus, we don’t even know if Boba and Clone Force 99 know about each other.

4. Lama Su

The Kaminoan Prime Minister Lama Su was seen to be in disbelief that the Empire wanted to close down Kamino’s cloning program. But, would he hire a bounty hunter to capture Omega? Maybe, if it was to get back at Nala Se, whom the little clone girl was a medical assistant for. While the species is not known to be violent, but there was one who went rogue: Halle Burtoni who wanted Senator Onaconda Farr dead (but wasn’t involved in his murder) during the Clone Wars.

Could Lama Su have secretly rebelled from his position as Prime Minister to get rid of Omega? It’s not out of the question, but would he risk the program he is fighting and obviously failing to protect? Let alone the reputation of Kamino?

5. Nala Se

Nala Se is Kamino’s chief medical scientist to whom Omega was an assistant. So, what is the likelihood she sent Fennec Shand to get the female clone? It’s possible, and if she did, then it would not have been out of spite. In just the first episode, she is seen to be very protective of the girl. If she did send the bounty hunter after her then it wouldn’t have been to kill her, just to bring her back to Kamino.

Though, it should be noted that Nala Se helped in the Bad Batch’s escape with Omega. So, if it is her that sent Shand then it would kinda be pointless.

6. Rex

Now, this next one might be far-fetched. The reason for it is because we very seriously doubt that Captain Rex would send a bounty hunter after a child he doesn’t even know about. But, let’s say for the sake of argument, he did send Fennec after Omega. What is his endgame here?

If we had to guess, it might be his way of getting a message across without physically having to do it himself. Now, we know he’s going to pop up at some point as he appears in one of the trailers. We know how good Rex is with kids. He basically raised Ahsoka from when she was 14 and he visited Cut and his family on Salecumi, so maybe his motives for having Omega would be kinder than everyone else on the list.

7. Emperor Palpatine

This next one is a huge stretch even for us but we had to include it. What if it was Emperor Palpatine who sent Fennec after Omega? Now, we doubt he would actually this, as his main concern was ruling the Empire and ensuring that no one stepped out of time.

But, we also know that he wanted the cloning on Kamino to stop, or at least, that’s the vibe we’re getting. After all, the clones had served their purpose. What if he called upon Shand to hunt down the sole female clone (that we’re aware of) so that she could spill any secrets about what he could be planning?

8. Cad Bane

A ruthless bounty hunter who has killed politicians, Cad Bane could have hired Fennec. However, this doesn’t actually add up. The last time Bane was heard from was The Clone Wars season 4 during the episode, “Crisis on Naboo.” It’s also unknown whether the Bad Batch had even encountered him. Also, he saw most mercenaries as the competition so, if he had wanted Omega gone, he would’ve had to know who she is, to begin with, and he would’ve done the job himself rather than ask someone else to do it for him.

9. Crosshair

One we can definitely see as a possibility is Crosshair. We know he betrayed his brothers and joined Tarkin and Rampart, essentially joining the Empire. He is later put in charge of an elite squad of conscripted soldiers  – the first stormtroopers.

When ES-01 becomes hesitant to kill civilians, Crosshair kills him, claiming, “Good soldiers follow orders.” He then orders the three surviving troopers to execute the survivors. The same applied when he tried to kill young Caleb Dume who escapes after his master, Jedi Master Depa Bilaba was gunned down by their troops as he was the only member of Clone Force 99 to follow Order 66 upon its activation.

Crosshair didn’t take kindly to Omega the way the other members of the group did. Also, we’ve seen him in two episodes so far while the others have appeared in all of them. It makes total sense for him to be the one to send Shand.

Who do you think sent Fennec Shand after Omega? Tell us below!