When Star Wars: The Bad Batch was first announced in 2020, it was met with a great deal of skepticism, with fans wondering whether this clone A-Team could lead their own series and if yet another television series was needed in the timeline between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope.
Season 1 and 2 of The Bad Batch proved the doubters wrong, creating some of the best stories and episodes yet in Star Wars television. The series is a tragic exploration of the clones in the aftermath of Order 66, filled with heart and hope as Clone Force 99, AKA the Bad Batch, tries to find their way in the early years of the Empire.
With Season 3 beginning with a three-episode premiere on February 21, it's the perfect time to recap Seasons 1 and 2, focusing on the most pivotal developments for Clone Force 99, the Empire, and Cid.
Quick Links
Clone Force 99
The experimental group of Republic clones known as Clone Force 99 enters the series by helping Jedi Master Depa Billaba and Jedi Padawan Caleb Dume and their troops on the planet Kaller. Clone Force 99 call themselves the Bad Batch and are led by Hunter, who has enhanced senses. The rest of the Batch is comprised of the superhumanly strong Wrecker, the brilliant Tech, the sharpshooter Crosshair, and Echo, who has cybernetic abilities and joined the group in The Clone Wars season 7.
While helping the Jedi and the Republic troops on Kaller, the entire clone army is commanded to execute Order 66, a directive to kill all Jedi, and are forced to comply via the inhibitor chips implanted in their brains. However, the Batch do not execute Order 66, with Tech surmising that their mutations and the experimentation done on Echo prevented their inhibitor chips from working properly.
The regular clones turn on and kill Master Billaba. Hunter tries to help Caleb, but Crosshair is insistent on following orders and attempts to kill the young Jedi, though Caleb manages to escape. The Batch return to their home of Tipoca City on Kamino, where they see firsthand how the Republic has become the Empire. They notice that the other clones have become disturbingly robotic, except for a cheerful young female clone named Omega.
The Batch are sent to the planet Onderon to wipe out insurgents. Omega warns Hunter about the Empire before the mission, but they go anyway. Once there, the Batch realize they were sent to kill a group mainly consisting of civilians. Onderon freedom fighter Saw Gerrera tells the Batch that they need to pick a side now. Much to Crosshair's chagrin, Hunter refuses to carry out the mission to kill Saw or the civilians.
Between Omega's warning and Tech sharing the "obvious" information that Omega is a "defective" clone like them, the Batch return to Kamino to rescue her from the Empire and chart their own path now. On Kamino, both the Batch and Omega are imprisoned. Crosshair's inhibitor chip is amplified, and he tries to stop Omega and the rest of the Batch from escaping. However, the Kaminoan scientist Nala Se secretly helps them escape. Crosshair picks his side and joins the Empire, forcing his brothers to leave him behind.
The Batch go to clone deserter Cut Lawquane to figure out what to do next, as they have never known a life outside of being soldiers for the Republic. Hunter thinks Omega will be better off with Cut and his family, and she initially goes with them. But Omega ultimately chooses to be with Hunter and the Batch.
While repairing their ship, the Marauder, on the planet Pantora, Omega is pursued and nearly captured by a bounty hunter named Fennec Shand. To find out who this bounty hunter is, who hired her, and why she's after Omega, Echo has the Batch go to the planet Ord Mantell to speak to an informant for the Jedi he heard about named Cid. In exchange for this information, the Batch complete a job for Cid, and they continue to do more jobs for her (more on Cid and those jobs further below).
The Batch are later found by the clone Captain Rex, who insists that the Batch remove their inhibitor chips. While they did not execute Order 66, all of the Batch (other than Omega) have an inhibitor chip. They go to a crashed Jedi cruiser on the planet Bracca to remove their chips. Things get dicey when Wrecker's chip activates, and he tries to hurt the others for violating Order 66. He is contained, and all the Batch's chips are safely removed. Omega does not blame Wrecker for what happened as she knows he wasn't in control, and they rekindle the close relationship they have formed.
Scrappers on Bracca spot the rogue clones and report their sighting to the Empire, with Crosshair and other clones loyal to the Empire are sent after the Batch. They evade Crosshair and his clones, but their trouble on Bracca doesn't end there as the bounty hunter Cad Bane shoots Hunter and kidnaps Omega.
Cad Bane is revealed to be working for Kaminoan Prime Minister Lama Su. With Omega being the only clone other than Boba Fett, who contains the unaltered DNA of the clone template Jango Fett, Lama Su wants her DNA so they can continue creating clone soldiers for the Empire.
Bane takes Omega to the abandoned cloning facilities on the planet Boro Vio to transfer Omega and receive his credits. He cannot accomplish either due to the interference of Fennec Shand, who has been hired by Nala Se this whole time to protect Omega from falling back into Lama Su's hands. Omega escapes and is recovered by the batch, including Hunter, who survives his wounds.
After doing several jobs for Cid and a job for a young Hera Syndulla, Hunter is captured by the Empire while he and the Batch are helping another clone. Crosshair brings Hunter back to Kamino, and the rest of the Batch go there after him. Omega uses her intimate knowledge of the planet to infiltrate Tipoca City and rescue Hunter.
During this rescue, Crosshair reveals that he removed his inhibitor chip a while ago and has willingly chosen to continue loyally serving the Empire. He kills his squad of conscripted Imperial soldiers to try and convince the Batch to join him, but they still refuse.
As the Empire fires on and destroys Tipoca City, the Batch, along with the medical droid and Omega's old friend AZI, must navigate the sinking facilities and an underwater tunnel back to the Marauder. Omega saves Crosshair's life during their journey back to the Marauder, and Crosshair later saves her and AZI. When they make it back to the Marauder, the Batch offers for Crosshair to rejoin them. Omega reminds him that he is still their brother, yet Crosshair insists on staying with the Empire and remains behind.
In Season 2, Echo increasingly insists that the Batch should be doing more for their fellow clones. Now a little older, Omega trains under the Batch, including Tech, teaching her everything to know about various ships and how to fly. After 32 rotations, Crosshair is finally picked up by the Empire on the Kaminoan platform he chose to stay behind on.
With the Batch presumed dead after the destruction of Tipoca City, they try to stay off the Empire's radar and continue working for Cid. On one occasion, they team up with a pirate associate of Cid's named Phee Genoa to pursue a treasure, and while it does not end the way they wanted, the mission proves that they can trust Phee. After this job and several for Cid, and their own mission to help a Wookiee Jedi padawan, Gungi, return safely to Kashyyyk, the Batch assist Rex on Coruscant, the heart of the Empire itself.
They work with Rex and Senator Riyo Chuchi to expose what Vice Admiral Rampart (more on him in a moment) did to the clones' home on Kamino and hopefully stop the Defense Recruitment Bill, which would officially replace and abandon the clones for an army of Imperial stormtroopers. Despite retrieving a recording of what really happened on Kamino and having it delivered and played at the Senate, the Defense Recruitment Bill is passed as the clones are framed as traitors.
Following this development, Echo decides to leave the Batch and join Rex in helping clones, knowing that even more clones will require assistance now. During the Batch's next mission for Cid, they all struggle without Echo, particularly Omega, who feels she has lost a family member. Their struggles lead to the mission going horribly wrong as the Marauder is stolen, they lose the ipsium they came to collect, and a cave-in traps them.
Tech makes the situation worse through his seemingly callous response to Omega's distress regarding Echo's absence and the loss of their home, the Marauder. A heartfelt conversation between Omega and Tech that includes important representation helps turn things around as they better understand each other and figure out a way to escape the cave.
The Batch locate the Marauder, taken by a thief and miner named Benni Baro, working for a corrupt individual named Mokko. The Batch get their ship back, help expose Mokko's corruption to Benni and the other miners, with Benni ultimately becoming their ally.
After cutting ties with Cid and working with Phee instead, she takes them to a peaceful and remote planet called Pabu. Omega, Hunter, Tech, and Wrecker all feel at home there and help Pabu's people survive a sea surge.
Echo later reunites with the Batch on Pabu, where they've all become integral parts of the community.
Tech helps Echo decrypt data stolen from an Imperial transport and learns that the Empire is experimenting on clones under the supervision of the Imperial scientist Dr. Royce Hemlock. A warning message from Crosshair is also received, along with the knowledge that Crosshair has been taken by the division conducting these experiments.
Along with Echo, the Batch decides to leave Pabu. They plan to plant a tracker on Hemlock's ship while he is attending an Imperial summit at Governor Wilhuff Tarkin's base on the planet Eriadu, allowing them to find Crosshair and the other captive clones. Unfortunately, the Batch's efforts on Eriadu are impeded by Saw Gerrera and his allies, who have placed explosives all across the base, detonating them before a tracker can be attached to Hemlock's ship.
Tech sacrifices his life in a heartbreaking scene to ensure the Batch escapes. During the escape, Omega is badly injured. When she is taken back to Ord Mantell to be healed, Hunter and Wrecker are captured by Hemlock. When Omega tries to save them, Hemlock takes her and leaves Hunter and Wrecker to be sent to Tarkin for interrogation.
Echo frees Hunter and Wrecker, but they can't get to Omega in time, nor can they place a tracker on his ship. Hunter vows that they will find Omega.
The Empire
Following the end of the Clone Wars and the execution of Order 66, the Republic officially becomes the Galactic Empire. The Imperial leadership quickly works toward transforming their military away from an army of clones. This begins with Vice Admiral Rampart, who institutes the Empire's chain code initiative, having Crosshair lead a squad of conscripted soldiers.
Crosshair and these soldiers are to finish the mission on Onderon, with Crosshair leading the executions that Hunter and the others were unwilling to carry out. Following the completion of this mission, Tarkin leaves operations on Kamino in Rampart's hands.
Meanwhile, the Empire furthers its control over other planets, from the Separatist capital of Raxus to the planet Ryloth, which fought with the Republic during the Clone Wars. Rampart has Crosshair shoot Ryloth Senator Orn Free Taa in the head to frame Cham Syndulla, with the Empire fearing Cham's sway over Ryloth's people.
A clone named Howzer, who fought alongside Cham during the Clone Wars, grows frustrated with the Empire's unjust treatment of Cham and the people of Ryloth. Howzer not only helps Cham, his family, and his allies escape but also speaks out against the Empire and the injustices he and his clone brothers are being ordered to carry out. Several other clones refuse to follow these orders, leading them and Howzer to be arrested. It is a turning point showing that even clones with their inhibitor chips will no longer serve the Empire.
On the planet Daro, the Empire is revealed to have a secret mountain base where clones are training TK troopers, the first generation of conscripted soldiers who will become the Empire's army of stormtroopers and who will fully replace the clone army. A clone named Gregor wants out and is extricated by the Batch, although Hunter is captured by the Empire during the rescue mission.
The Empire cancels its contracts with the Kaminoans, and Lama Su and Nala Se are taken into Imperial custody. Besides Crosshair and his squad of conscripted soldiers, all Imperial personnel are evacuated from Tipoca City. Following Tarkin's orders, Rampart has Imperial ships fire on and destroy Tipoca City. With Crosshair failing to convince the Batch to join the Empire, he is left to die as Tipoca City sinks into the sea.
Season 1 ends with a captive Nala Se arriving at the Imperial facility on Mount Tantiss and is told that "The Empire has big things planned for you."
At the end of the season 2 premiere, the clone Captain Wilco reports to Rampart that Clone Force 99 was seen on the planet Serenno. After ensuring that Wilco doesn't share this information with anyone else, Rampart kills Wilco, not wanting the Batch's survival to become known as it would've meant he did not complete his orders to have them die during the destruction of Tipoca City.
Having returned to the Empire, Crosshair is assigned to a mission led by the clone Commander Cody, who fought alongside the Batch during The Clone Wars Season 7. They are to free the Imperial Governor Grotton, whom Desix Governor Tawni Ames has taken prisoner after refusing to allow the Empire to take over the planet. Crosshair and Cody successfully take out the Separatist droids and free the governor. Crosshair kills Ames after Cody convinces her to surrender peacefully. Cody goes AWOL after the mission, making Crosshair, more than ever, the solitary clone.
In the political sphere, Rampart faces pressure to have the Defense Recruitment Bill passed in the Senate. When a clone named Cade threatens to reveal what really happened on Kamino (the Senate has been told Tipoca City was destroyed in a storm), he is killed by a mysterious assassin, later revealed to be a clone (whose identity markings have been wiped) working for Rampart.
As Senator Chuchi advocates for the clones and attempts to secure a future for them, a clone named Slip confides to her what happened on Kamino and what happened to Cade. The same clone assassin kills Slip, and Chuchi is nearly as well. However, she is saved by Rex, who was there to help Slip escape. The assassin takes his own life before Rex or Chuchi can interrogate him.
Even with video evidence of what happened on Kamino and testimony from former Kaminoan Senator Halle Burtoni, the Defense Recruitment Bill is still passed. Rampart is framed and arrested as the mastermind behind what happened on Kamino. Emperor Palpatine makes a rare appearance in the Senate to twist the facts so they are used as fuel for justifying the Defense Recruitment Bill.
A Zillo Beast gets loose, killing the Imperials transporting it and causing the transport ship to crash. The Empire recovers the Zillo Beast and imprison the bystanders who saw the monster in action. Tech learns that the Empire wants the Zillo Beast to create impenetrable armor for its troops, given the creature's impenetrable skin.
The Zillo Beast was being transported to Mount Tantiss, whose operations are overseen by the nefarious scientist Dr. Hemlock. Among the many projects occurring on Mount Tantiss, Hemlock is trying to get Nala Se to work on a secret cloning project for Emperor Palpatine, but she refuses. He brings Lama Su to Mount Tantiss, offering him freedom if Lama Su can provide a way to motivate Nala Se. Lama Su tells Hemlock about Omega and Nala Se's attachment to her, leading Hemlock to focus on finding the young clone so he can control Nala Se.
While many clones are being decommissioned in the wake of the Defense Recruitment Bill, Crosshair continues to serve the Empire. He goes on a mission to the icy planet Barton IV with the arrogant and clone-hating Lieutenant Nolan. Only three clone soldiers remain on Barton IV to protect the Imperial crates there from insurgents, with two killed soon after Crosshair and Nolan's arrival.
Crosshair and the remaining clone, Commander Mayday, are ordered by Nolan to retrieve the crates stolen by the insurgents, with no support from any other soldiers. Mayday and Crosshair bond and successfully locate the crates. Only they learn that they contain stormtrooper armor, meaning that all the clones on Barton IV have been wearing degraded armor and dying to protect the armor of their replacements.
During an avalanche, Mayday pushes Crosshair out of the way, and Mayday is grievously wounded. Crosshair refuses to leave Mayday behind and brings him back to base. Nolan lets Mayday die and berates Crosshair for not bringing back the cargo. Crosshair reaches his breaking point and kills Nolan. He collapses and later wakes up on Mount Tantiss, greeted by a scientist named Emerie Karr.
Hemlock has Emerie try to get Crosshair to reveal where the Batch is. Crosshair resists, breaks free of his restraints, and sends part of a warning message to the Batch before being detained again.
Hemlock is also informed about a transport bound for Mount Tantiss that was attacked, not knowing that Howzer and the two other clones on it were liberated by Rex, Echo, and their growing network of clones. While Echo was able to retrieve some data from the ship, protocols were followed so the destination of Mount Tantiss could not be discovered.
On the planet Eriadu, Hemlock attends a summit for Imperial leadership led by Tarkin. Explosives are detonated during the summit, but Hemlock, Tarkin, and the other leaders are unscathed.
When the Batch are betrayed by an ally, Hemlock and his forces are able to locate them on Ord Mantell. Hemlock captures Omega and brings her back to Mount Tantiss. When Nala Se sees Omega, the Kaminoan is resigned to work now but tells Hemlock that what Palpatine seeks is impossible. He tells her she will make it possible, or Omega will suffer.
Omega discovers that Crosshair is captive at Mount Tantiss as well. She also meets Emerie, with the scientist revealing that she is a clone and, therefore, Omega's sister.
Cid
The Batch's first job for Cid is to retrieve "a kid named Muchi." Cid fails to mention that Muchi is a young rancor. The Batch complete the job, and it is during this mission that Omega discovers the Zygerrian energy bow that she uses throughout the series. In return for their success, Cid provides intel about the identity of the bounty hunter pursuing Omega (Fennec Shand).
In exchange for credits, this partnership continues throughout Season 1 with jobs that include retrieving the head of a Separatist tactical droid, rescuing a Separatist senator refusing to comply with the Empire, delivering weapons to Ryloth freedom fighter Gobi Glie, and helping Cid reclaim her parlor from Roland Durand.
The Batch maintain their moral compass throughout these jobs, from not bringing the tactical droid head back so it doesn't fall into the wrong hands to helping a young Hera Syndulla free her parents, even though that wasn't the job Cid hired them to do on Ryloth.
They continue working for Cid in Season 2, first doing jobs that keep them far from the Empire. They end up on the Empire's radar again after going to Serenno to retrieve what they can from Count Dooku's war chest, an opportunity Cid was informed about via intel from Phee.
When Cid finds herself in debt to a gangster named Grini Millegi after losing a bet and being unable to pay, she has to rely on Tech, Wrecker, and Omega. Tech saves the day by using his strategic smarts to win at Riot Racing, ensuring that Cid can win the double-or-nothing bet with Millegi. The gangster tells Tech, Wrecker, and Omega that their loyalty to Cid is admirable but warns that it doesn't go both ways.
That proves to be true on a later mission when the Marauder is stolen and the stranded Batch contact Cid, who doesn't help them despite all the times they've risked their necks to help her. They are rightfully fed up with Cid and begrudgingly agree to take on a job to retrieve valuable cargo from a crashed Imperial transport. When the cargo turns out to be a Zillo Beast, the Batch are simply lucky to escape with their lives.
After this, they officially cut ties with Cid and ignore the transmissions threateningly telling them to come work for her again. However, when Omega is badly wounded on Eriadu, the Batch has no choice but to return to Cid's on Ord Mantell as that's where the medical droid AZI is. AZI heals Omega, but the return to Ord Mantell is costly as Cid contacts the Empire and notifies them about Omega and her brothers, which allows them to be found by Hemlock and his forces.
That's everything you need to know before The Bad Batch season 3! The 3-episode premiere on February 21 will be available on Disney+.