Every time an episode of The Bad Batch lands, Fantha Tracks will be giving their responses, and here are our initial gut feelings, deep dives and thoughts on the ninth episode of season 1 of The Bad Batch – Bounty Lost. Beware of spoilerific elements in here.
Ross Hollebon
Omega adapts. It is something we’ve watched throughout the first eight episodes of the season, but this time she’s doing it all on her own after being kidnapped by bounty hunter Cad Bane.
There are many examples of her evolution in “Bounty Lost”—and I’m certain my friends writing reviews in this space will detail more of them—but it’s beautiful to recognize when it’s as simple as descending a ladder. As the clone works to escape Bane and Fennec Shand—distracted as they pummel each other in round 2 of their multi-confrontation fight this episode—Omega, with her wrists in binders, climbs down the side of the ladder instead of the face, making it easier for her compromised grip. She is subtly sharp and attentive and shows it in the same sequence when jumping on Todo’s head, riding Bane’s droid to the ground—then tucking and rolling, as Fennec taught her in Episode 4 (“Cornered”). Omega recovers quickly from the fall and makes her way to an escape pod, using it to get away until she’s rescued by Wrecker and company.
Omega has gained experience and confidence in every episode so far this season, but she also comes from good stock, as Tech informs the rest of the Bad Batch. The child clone is one of only two pure, first-generation DNA beings created from Jango Fett—the other originally known as Alpha, but better known as Boba. The genetic material of Omega is valuable and Lama Su, Prime Minister of Kamino, wants his “property” back in order to impress the Empire and keep profits rolling in. And here’s where things get really messy.
The desperate Kaminoans are subscribing to different strategies and allegiances—ultimately leading to the death of Taun We by Fennec, who was hired by Napa Se, the chief medical scientist, and Omega’s surrogate mother. At this point, Napa Se, at all costs, wants to keep her former clone assistant from merely being an asset to Lama Su.
The bounty hunters representing each side face off in what could be the best non-lightsaber, one-on-one fight in Star Wars canon. Round one uses blasters and weapons, while round two is primarily hand-to-hand combat, and both segments show off the skills of both mercenaries, even if Fennec can claim victory, for now, at the end of the episode. And while this is absolute speculation on my part and could all be disproven as early as next Friday—as Fennec earns more street cred by not only keeping up with but basically besting the well-established Bane, she might also be introducing a quest of interest for December’s The Book of Boba Fett.
Could the Alpha, paired with Fennec in live-action, want to know more about his own background and family? Especially his…sister. There’s so much still to happen in this season, but for one week, at least, I’m excited about this possibility.
Patty Hammond
The latest episode of The Bad Batch actually answered many of the questions that my husband and I have had since the beginning of the series.
Who was Fennic working for?
We now know who she is working for and that her employer hired her to save Omega and not bring her back home.
How would Fennic handle Cad Bane?
The battle between Fennic and Cad Bad was a site to behold. Just when you think Cad Bane has the upper hand, Fennic out smarted him. My favorite part of the fight was when the credits dropped over the side and Cad Bane could not do anything about it. My husband’s favorite part of the fight was when she wrapped the bolas around him and he fell over the side. We both forgot about the jets in his boots.
In addition, when Cad Bane got himself back up and over to the walkway, the first thing on his mind was how the heck he was going to put his hat back on when his hands were tied to his side. My husband laughed all night about that. Finally, Fennic sabotaging Cad Bane’s ship was process! Overall, I think Fennic won that skirmish.
And the most important one: Why is Omega so important?
The reveal that she is pure Jango Fett and like Boba is not an altered clone makes sense. Now Boba Fett actually has a younger sister. Wonder if they will meet further in the season and realize their connection? With the Prime Minister so determined to get that DNA from Omega I would not be surprised if he hires Boba to go after her next.
Carl Bayliss
Becca Benjamin
These scenes, in particular, seem very reminiscent of what we’ve seen in The Rise of Skywalker and from season two of The Mandalorian. Including some pickled jars of aliens, too. Yes, greyish, lanky aliens, not Snokes. 
Eric Onkenhout
Well, this one was a humdinger! A lot happened in the ninth episode of The Bad Batch entitled Bounty Lost, so let’s not waste any time breaking it down. The Bad Batch flees Bracca with Crosshair in hot pursuit. Eventually, they make it to hyperspace. It appears Crosshair isn’t so sharp with ship-mounted cannons. After some research, Tech learns that Omega has pure first-generation DNA, making her a pure replication of Jango Fett, just like Boba Fett, who was initially named Alpha by the Kaminoan cloners. Boba has disappeared but, at the same time, is trying to make a name for himself. I found that a bit odd. You don’t become a big deal like Finn without hard work.
The side-story between Nala Se and Lama Su is interesting because it shows that the Kaminoans don’t all have the same goals or desires. Nala Se wants Omega safely away from Kamino and Lama Su. She is the one who hired Fennec Shand to keep her safe, not to capture her. Lama Su knows Nala Se has a conflict of interest which is why he hired Cad Bane. Lama Su just wants Omega’s genetic material, then orders her termination. That’s cold. Rena Owen, the voice behind Taun We in Attack of the Clones, returned to provide the sultry vocal cords.
One tiny detail I wanted to point out that I thought was interesting is when Omega offers to help TODO fix his leg when he replies that he’s capable of repairing his own leg. When he turns back to his leg and starts welding a second later, he turns back to Omega. It’s that second between welding and turning back to Omega when TODO shows that he is thinking. It gives TODO a human element. It’s minute details like this that make Lucasfilm animation special. I really thought Omega helping TODO would lead to an understanding and even a friendship. Surely Omega would show TODO what a true friend is like. Instead of TODO turning turncoat, Omega shuts him down so she can find her Apple Watch… I mean her com device.
Bane calls TODO to help him land on an abandoned cloning facility Bora Vio, then lands his ship, Justifier, without any issue. Didn’t look like he needed to me. Omega’s resiliency is quite remarkable for a young child, clone or not. She will survive. As long as she knows how to live, I know she’ll stay alive. Bane is also remarkably restrained when he discovers Omega has escaped. Of course, she couldn’t have gotten far, but still, she’s worth a lot of money.
When Omega miraculously contacts Tech, he asks if she can boost her signal by finding a panel. Omega finds one, and amazingly enough, it works. Then, just when things are looking brighter, here comes Bane out of the mist. If there’s one thing Bane is good at it’s appearing at a time when you almost forget he’s there. Bane recaptures Omega, then crushes her comlink under his size 12’s, 11.5UK, 45-46EU. What makes Bane so intriguing is his relentlessness, his coolness, and his complete disregard and contempt of others. This makes him the most dangerous villain in Star Wars besides Palpatine, in my opinion. However, where Thrawn is always two steps ahead and never loses (which gets boring fast), Bane’s wins aren’t pretty.
One more nod to the animation. When Bane has Omega in his clutches and hears a sudden bang. His reaction is so fluid it clips his last word. Some real actors aren’t even this good. Next, we see Taun We’s body lying on the corridor floor as Shand rounds the corner. I’m not sure how Omega could make out it was her from that distance with all of the mist in the air.
Last week it was Cad Bane dueling Hunter. Bane’s challenger this week is Fennec Shand. And they came ready to rumble, folks! It’s curious that Bane already knows who Shand is, this being mere months after Revenge of the Sith. Apparently, she wasn’t big enough yet during the Clone Wars when Bane and company teamed up with Kenobi in disguise. Shand must have had a meteoric rise to the top of the pops. Shand is that first overall draft pick going up against the wily veteran in Bane.
During the fight, Omega runs off, looking for a way out. She enters a room where old clones are still floating in vats of green fluid. This reminded me a lot of the clones on Exegol in The Rise of Skywalker. Omega manages to send a signal to the Bad Batch using a radar dish that had seen better days. I’m not sure how it even worked since half of it was missing. #starwarsscience.
Omega activates a clone shell, dropping a dead clone on top of Fennec. Fennec is definitely going to need a tea tree bath later. Once again, Omega runs off only to be confronted by Lee Van Bane. Shand and Bane continue their dance, completely distracted, while Omega gets harassed by TODO. Ungrateful little droid. Omega leaves everyone behind in one of Bane’s escape pods. She gets picked up by her four fathers and is home safe and sound.
Like I said at the beginning, a lot happened in Bounty Lost. I loved this episode as it’s one of my favorites of the season thus far. There were several convenient occurrences, such as Bane’s ankle jets firing up with his hands cuffed. How were they activated? I was also surprised Omega made it home safe so soon. I thought Bane would’ve succeeded in bringing her to Kamino, resulting in a similar situation Din Djarin found himself in when Gideon captured Grogu. But that probably would’ve been too predictable. One thing’s for sure, we haven’t seen the last of Cad Bane. And it’s only a matter of time until Boba “Alpha” Fett shows his face. It is very recognizable, you know.
Paul Naylor
Is it just me that thinks Crosshair is rocking a Dengar cosplay since his run in with Hunter and co in the previous episode? With their former crew member in pursuit, blasting away at the Havoc Marauder, during a desperate search for the missing Omega, the team were left with no option but to head into hyperspace.
Meanwhile, Omega – who is imprisoned on Cad Bane’s ship – is able to persuade Bane’s droid, TODO, to release her. It soon becomes apparent that Cad Bane has been employed by the Kaminoans to retrieve Omega, and that Omega, beyond her genetic material, is expendable. Well, to be exterminated in fact.
It’s all very reminiscent of the Grogu situation in The Mandalorian.
There is one thing that needs an answer as far as I am concerned. I get that Jango Fett is the host of all clones, and that Boba was an unaltered clone – no enhanced ageing etc. How then can Omega be classed in the same way as Boba? Surely a direct copy of the DNA would result in a male clone. Another exact copy of Jango/Boba. She appears to have special powers, so perhaps her cloning was ‘interupted’, by a user of the light side or dark side of the Force. My money is on Palpatine.
At the show’s end, Omega is reunited with the Bad Batch following a stand off between Cad and Fennec Shand, the latter having killed Attack of the Clones veteran Taun We.
Daniel Lo
What do you get when you take a prequel era facility and cover it in original trilogy grime? Apparently, an abandoned Kaminoan facility. Very cool. The existence of such a location provides a nice bit of intrigue, and opens up more storytelling possibilities. A little strange that the place is still operational, though, even if to a fairly limited capacity. Who has been paying the power bill this whole time?
Just as she did in her live action appearances, Fennec Shand continued to shift between being a villain and a hero. She nicely fits the description of “the guy in the rated R movie” as defined in the film Swingers, which was the prescribed role model for the character played by the executive producer of The Mandalorian. That still counts as a Star Wars reference, right? Fun fight sequences with Cad Bane. She had plot armor, but he did not. He did have rocket boots though, which served him just as well.
So we also now know that Boba Fett’s original code name was Alpha. I see what they did there. So far, Omega’s birth year remains a mystery (or at least is not on Wookieepedia), and I’m not well-versed enough in Clone Wars era chronology to give a meaningful guess on her age difference from Boba, if any. Her name does now suggest that there is no third “unaltered” clone, though.
It’s only a matter of time before Dengar, I mean Crosshair, will track them down again right?
Brian Cameron and Matt Booker discuss Bounty Lost on Good Morning Tatooine
Mark Newbold was part of The Bad Batch Mid Season Roundtable with Ming-Na Wen, Jennifer Corbett and Brad Rau on a special episode of Making Tracks
Mark Mulcaster and Mark Newbold discuss Bounty Lost on Episode 97 of Making Tracks
- Hardcover Book
- Horton, Cole (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 256 Pages - 11/02/2021 (Publication Date) - DK (Publisher)
