Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 3's best episodes

The final season of Star Wars: The Bad Batch proved to be an exciting, emotional, and overall satisfying conclusion to the animated series. The 15 new episodes released over the course of more than two months are some of the best episodes not only across The Bad Batch's three seasons but in all of Star Wars animation.

As in seasons 1 and 2, season 3 struck an effective balance between the personal journeys of Omega and Clone Force 99 alongside the larger-scale story of what is happening to all the clones as the Galactic Empire tightens its grip on the galaxy.

While every episode contributed to the overall story, there were 6 particularly exceptional episodes that stood out from the rest.

Warning: This article contains spoilers from The Bad Batch season 3.

6. "The Cavalry Has Arrived" (Episode 15)

Since the closing moments of The Bad Batch season 1 finale, it was clear that all roads in this series led to Mount Tantiss. "The Cavalry Has Arrived" is the episode fans had been waiting for as the clones and captive children escape Mount Tantiss, and the Empire's research on Tantiss is destroyed.

Omega using everything she's learned to lead the charge so the children could escape, Hunter fully trusting Omega's ability to take care of herself, and Crosshair making the important shot despite the loss of his shooting hand are among the finale's many rewarding moments that the series had been consistently building to for many episodes.

The characters we know and love have their own personal victories alongside the long-term and far-reaching victory of defeating Dr. Royce Hemlock and sabotaging Project Necromancer for years to come. The absence of several important clones is a bit distracting, but the episode is an effective and refreshingly happy ending for the series.

5. "The Harbinger" (Episode 9)

"The Harbinger" is a great episode not just because it brings back Asajj Ventress, but because of how it establishes the endgame of Omega's Bad Batch story. Hunter, Crosshair, and Wrecker have a very difficult time as Asajj tests Omega's potential Force-sensitivity. They have all had a positive influence on her life and taught her many invaluable lessons, yet their overprotective natures and their inability to let go are on the verge of holding her back.

It is Asajj who shows the Batch that Omega will eventually have a future beyond them, and that when the time comes, it is important that they let her go and don't hold her back, regardless of whether that future has anything to do with how Force-sensitive Omega may be. This paves the way for the finale's beautiful epilogue with the emotional goodbye between Omega and Hunter as Omega goes off to fight with the Rebellion.

Of course, it is also thrilling to see Asajj again and to see her growth as she uses the Force to connect with and calm the sea monster (the Vrathean). She doesn't regress into old habits and kill Hunter, Crosshair, and Wrecker even as they attack her, and instead chooses to help Omega. Asajj's warnings and effortless infiltration of Pabu also serve as a harbinger for the Empire finding Pabu. Seeing how far Asajj has come along with how her presence pushes the story forward makes "The Harbinger" a standout episode.

4. "Confined" (Episode 1)

By spending the entire episode on Mount Tantiss, "Confined" does an excellent job of making the audience feel just as trapped and hopeless as most of the captive clones feel, which gives more weight to the months that pass by in the episode. With Omega and Crosshair escaping Tantiss in episode 3, it is vital to have a complete episode of them imprisoned on Tantiss, making the secret Imperial facility feel invulnerable and unfindable.

It's a bleak episode, yet there is still hope, mostly thanks to Omega and the introduction of the lovable Batcher, who is a metaphor for the Bad Batch. Seeing him gradually learn to trust Omega is touching, and his successful escape is a triumphant glimmer of possibility that escape from Tantiss and Dr. Hemlock is possible.

"Confined" also lays the foundation for Omega's relationships with Crosshair and Emerie Karr, both of which are crucial to the rest of the season. Prior to this season, Omega and Crosshair had barely spent any time together. Even though Crosshair has given up on himself, Omega refuses to give up on him, visiting and talking to him as much as possible. Their relationship is arguably the heart of season 3 and feels just as rich as Omega's relationship with the other members of the Bad Batch.

As for Emerie, it is Omega who begins to break through the clone scientist's defenses, beginning Emerie's road to redemption. Without the relationship developed between Omega and Emerie in this episode, Emerie helping the captive children at Tantiss and choosing her clone siblings over Dr. Hemlock wouldn't have worked.

3. "Point of No Return" (Episode 11)

The Empire arriving on Pabu felt like an inevitability, an impending doom that hung over the first ten episodes of season 3. Even with these expectations, seeing it actually happen was more devastating than anticipated. CX-2 never felt scarier than he did in this episode as he infiltrated Pabu, blew up the Marauder, commanded Imperial troops to burn the docks and fishing skiffs, and declared that Pabu would burn until Omega was found.

Every character on Pabu felt like they were in real danger in this episode, with even Batcher getting shot at by Imperial soldiers. This made Omega's decision to turn herself over to the Empire feel all the more necessary, as it was the only way to save Pabu and its people. Omega's sacrifice is not only the most powerful moment in this episode but one of the most powerful moments in the entire series.

It is a culmination of her character development, choosing to face her fears and make a sacrifice so she can help her community and those she loves, a lesson she learned from Tech and her other brothers. Omega's character development also shines through as she closes her eyes and meditates aboard CX-2's ship as he takes her back to Tantiss, something she learned from Gungi in season 2, and what she was trying to teach Crosshair earlier in the season. Regardless of Omega's Force-sensitivity, she embodies the spirit of a Jedi.

Even after Omega is captured, "Point of Return" takes the devastation further by having Crosshair miss the shot when he tries and fails to successfully shoot a tracker onto CX-2's ship. Based on the trajectory of countless other stories, Crosshair's concerns and struggles about the tremors in his shooting hand led the audience to believe he would make the shot, making it genuinely shocking and upsetting when he failed to do so, leaving the Batch with seemingly no way to track Omega to Tantiss.

2. "Identity Crisis" (Episode 10)

Even though none of the members of the Bad Batch appear in this episode, "Identity Crisis" still stands out as one of the best episodes of season 3. With Emerie being absent since episode 3, and Dr. Hemlock absent since episode 4, it was time to return to these characters and to spend substantial with them. For Emerie in particular, it was important to spend a whole episode with her in order to create the turning point that would pivot her to redemption.

Introducing the captive children on Mount Tantiss, and seeing one of the children being kidnapped by Cad Bane, was a smart way to do this. While much of Emerie's backstory remains shrouded in mystery, we know enough to see why she would identify and connect with these children, not to mention the bond she forged with Omega earlier in the season.

The episode doesn't rush Emerie's transformation, as she tries to remain impersonal and distant from the children, but as she becomes more exposed to their suffering, she can't help but be moved by them, leading to the quiet but satisfying act of small defiance in which she leaves Omega's straw Lula doll for Eva.

It's a dark episode showing the depths of the Empire's cruelty, and that there is even more at stake on Mount Tantiss. Proving once again why Dr. Hemlock is such an effective villain, Governor Wilhuff Tarkin's on-brand meddling, Cid betraying the Bad Batch again (this time offscreen), and a perfect use of Cad Bane all enrich the episode as well.

1. "Shadows of Tantiss" (Episode 3)

The Bad Batch season 3's best episode arrived sooner than anticipated with the final installment of the three-episode premiere. Omega and Crosshair attempting to escape Mount Tantiss while Emperor Palpatine himself visits the facility is already a delicious premise. Crosshair's incredulity that they are doing this on the one day the Emperor decides to visit and Omega's "What? I didn't know" response says everything you need to know.

Palpatine's presence and his clear investment in Project Necromancer speaks volumes about how important Tantiss and Hemlock's work are to the Empire. But the real highlight of the episode is seeing Omega and Crosshair working together as a duo for the first time, developing their own unique and meaningful dynamic. Seeing them both successfully escape is thrilling and the fact that it happens so early in the season genuinely surprised me.

One of the best parts of this is using a Clone Force 99 plan Tech made Omega memorize. Crosshair saying, "Of course he did," about Tech making Omega memorize all the plans is a brief but touching tribute, emphasizing how Tech continued to live on in spirit even after his death.

Of course, their escape wouldn't have been possible without the contributions of several supporting characters, including Nala Se and Batcher. Batcher coming to the rescue after Omega rescued him in episode 1 was a great payoff, and I was so happy that he escaped the planet with Omega and Crosshair and essentially became a member of the Bad Batch.

In terms of Nala Se, she is the one who thinks of using the Emperor's unexpected visit as an opportunity for Omega to escape, encouraging Omega and giving her the means to make it possible. It is a fascinating evolution for the Kaminoan scientist who contributed to the death of clone trooper Fives and covered up the truth of the clones' inhibitor chips in The Clone Wars. Her love for Omega and her determination to not let her research be used by the Empire burn brightly in this episode and set up her final act of defiance in the series finale.

The revelation about Omega's M-count is the cherry on top of a phenomenal episode, saving Omega and Crosshair from being shot down during their escape, but it also ends on an ominous note as this discovery ensures that Hemlock will not stop hunting her as long as she lives. This ending allows Omega and Crosshair to interact with the rest of the Batch and grow beyond the confines of Tantiss while still making Tantiss and Hemlock as threatening as ever.