The deeper importance of Batcher in The Bad Batch season 3 premiere

The Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 3 premiere introduces a new lovable character via Batcher (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker), who is one of the lurca hounds at Mount Tantiss. The Empire uses the hounds to guard the facility and to be sent after anyone who might dare to escape.

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

One of Omega's tasks is to feed the hounds, and she is drawn to the one she names Batcher, who acts differently than the others. Batcher refuses to eat the food given to all the hounds and only eats when Omega gives him some of her own food.

When Omega one day sees that Batcher is injured, she is informed that the hound was hurt during the nightly patrol and that Batcher will be killed if she does not recover. Omega takes the initiative to clean Batcher's wound and heal her injury.

Despite a full physical recovery, Batcher is scheduled to be killed because Omega unintentionally domesticated her, making her a "liability" in the eyes of the Empire. This leaves Omega with no choice but to free Batcher, who is disappointed that Omega can't come with her yet, as Omega is insistent that she must first rescue Crosshair before escaping.

When Omega and Crosshair do eventually escape Mount Tantiss and are pursued by Imperial troops, Batcher helps save Omega and joins her and Crosshair as they all escape the planet together.

Batcher is important not only because she helps Omega and Crosshair escape, but because she serves as a metaphor for Omega, the Bad Batch, and all the clones. Like Omega and the Bad Batch, Batcher is seen as different and "defective" and is not like the other hounds, who are "the regs" in this metaphor.

Omega felt alone and misunderstood until she could be with her brothers in the Bad Batch, and Batcher is the same way until she bonds with Omega. The metaphor is further extended by Batcher being threatened with "termination" when she is injured and is later sentenced to "termination" when she is domesticated.

When it became clear in The Bad Batch season 1 that everyone in the squad other than Crosshair wouldn't follow Imperial orders, the Empire wanted them terminated as well. Despite Crosshair's loyalty, they even left him to die with the rest of the Batch when they opened fire on Tipoca City.

Nearly all the clones have had to face termination as well, from being killed, imprisoned, and experimented on against their will at Mount Tantiss, or being forced to retire and have their life's purpose stripped away from them. Batcher and the clones are living creatures, yet the Empire treats them as disposable objects to be thrown out once they no longer operate as intended.

Dr. Hemlock told Omega that she had effectively sentenced Batcher to death by releasing the "weak lurca hound" into the dangerous wilds. One of Hemlock's weaknesses is that he underestimates others, not even being able to imagine that Batcher could survive in the wild, just as he underestimates the clones and can't imagine them being more than Imperial property who can benefit his research.

Batcher's escape, her loyalty, and leaving her home for what is probably the first time in her life, complete the metaphor. Like Omega when she left Kamino for the first time, Batcher will get to explore the galaxy and all its wonders for the first time and will find a new life for herself. She is also loyal like the Batch and many of the clones as she returns to save Omega, the only one who looked out for her at Mount Tantiss.

Already cemented as a breakout star of the final season, it is a relief that Batcher survived the Empire and her escape, and that she has been reunited with Omega. Whether she goes next to Pabu or somewhere else, it will be nice to hopefully see Batcher throughout the season, and her fierce loyalty to Omega will likely come in handy again, along with continuing to serve as a powerful metaphor.