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 sixteenth and final episode of season 1 of The Bad Batch – Kamino Lost. Beware of spoilerific elements in here.
Eric Onkenhout
Kamino Lost is a bit of a misnomer. Kamino is still there. It’s Tipoca City that’s lost under the sea. I’m curious if when the animators were looking for accurate visual and audio elements, the Titanic was one of those references.
As much as I wasn’t a fan of the double episode at the start of the season, I wish Return to Kamino was one long episode. The ending of part I was so dramatic; although it was fun letting the anticipation build, I think continuing the episode would’ve worked better. But, the momentum was there; ride the momentum.
You can hear the hesitation in the clone trooper’s voice when he informed Admiral Rampart that Tipoca City was destroyed. It had to have been nauseating for the clone to watch his birthplace be destroyed and then announce it to his superior. The regret in his voice is a stark contrast to Crosshair’s feelings towards the Empire. One must wonder if we’ll see Imperial clones, including Howzer, clashing with Crosshair over the Empire’s ideals in season two.
As the squad navigates through the wreckage, running into one trap after another, it reminded me of Luke, Han, and Leia desperately trying to escape the first Death Star, running from hoards of stormtroopers, falling into the trash compactor, chasms, and Vader. It’s all very Saturday morning serial tension.
The Bad Batch escape the flooding facility, but now their in a damaged glass tube that’s cracking under the sea pressure, and deadly sea creatures are trying to eat them! I literally thought, how are they getting out of this. I was legit concerned.
Kamino Lost centers around Crosshair and his decision to remain with the Empire regardless of his brothers saving him. Hunter continues to offer a spot for Crosshair to return, but Crosshair has no intention of leaving the Empire. Even Wrecker, who clearly isn’t fond of Crosshair and vice versa, says he would welcome him back.
I personally loved Tech’s outlook on Crosshair’s personality. Tech calls Crosshair unyielding and severe, and that cannot change. It’s who he is. However, Tech maintains that despite not agreeing with him, he can understand him. It’s an outlook that is sorely lacking in the real world. Too many people aren’t willing to listen nor understand each other, which leads to division and fear.
Omega’s disregard for her own life is both admirable and frustrating to no end. She literally cannot not help someone. It’s astonishing. I love her for never giving up on Crosshair and repeatedly offering him a hand or an ear no matter how many times he tells her to go away, but at the same time I’m yelling at my TV to leave him if he doesn’t want to come with. Whether the chip is really gone or not, I’m having a hard time with how many chances he gets to rejoin. He’s just so ungrateful. Makes me so mad!
I’ll give Crossahar credit for coming up with the plan for escaping Nala Se’s lab and later on helping Omega and AZ out of the water, so maybe he’s not all jerk. But as he says, it doesn’t change anything. Speaking of AZ, I never paid much attention to him, but he was great in Kamino Lost. Despite losing power, he continued to help in every way he could. I’m so happy that he made it through to the end of the episode. I can’t wait to see him in season two, and I hope he becomes a permanent member of the crew. Also, when AZ says, “Your path is clear,” my mind immediately went to Rogue One when Chirrut tells Baze, “I’m going to follow Jyn. Her path is clear.”
I always get a kick out of sea creatures that roar. My paleontologist-self thought the creature looked like a Mosasaur, with its large jaw and short neck and elongated body for swimming. So any time I can bring paleontology into Star Wars, I’m a happy camper.
Back to Crosshair. I thought for sure Crosshair would leave with his brothers and Omega, so when he refused, and they left, I was both frustrated and confused for Crosshair. Does he really believe the Empire will return for him? How will he leave Kamino? He’s literally stranded on a platform in the middle of the ocean without any means of escaping. His faith in the Empire is sorely misplaced. Maybe when Crosshair realizes he’s stranded, he’ll understand that he is just a number to them, as Hunter said. Again, we see this when Kallus returns to the Empire after being stranded with Zeb. His return is met with cold indifference; only then does he know what the Empire is really about.
The epilogue certainly hinted at future events. Kaminoan scientist Nala Se is brought back to an Imperial base. An Imperial scientist greets Nala Se at her arrival. It’s not a stretch to speculate that with Doctor Pershing and now Nala Se, and what we know of the cloned Emperor in The Rise of Skywalker, we’re going to learn a lot more about cloning soon. On the topic of science, I wouldn’t be shocked if Galen Erso makes an appearance at some point.
Carl Bayliss
And so, after 16 weeks we finally reach the end of season 1 of The Bad Batch, and it certainly went out with a bang – literally as Kamino is blasted by the Imperials.
With the team trapped in what is left of Tipoca City following the assault, they try to escape as the once serene structures fall into the sea below. Omega, AZI-3 (or AyZee) and the still unconscious Crosshair get separated from the rest of Clone Force 99 as they get stuck on the wrong side of a blast door that has sealed to prevent the flooding spreading further. With Crosshair stuck underneath some fallen debris and the water rising, Omega and AyZee manage to free the now conscious clone and Wrecker manages to open the door enough for them all to escape.
Sadly what then follows is a pretty much ‘Star Wars escape by numbers’ – as more obstacles are put in their way which they manage to overcome – escape tunnel broken, quick bit of cutting and they’re through to the next part, sea monster attacks, power come back on to reactivate the security grid and so on. However what we do get is the increasingly fraught dynamic between Crosshair and the rest – even after they save him and point out more than once that he has been left for dead, he is still convinced that he will have a place in this grand new Empire. And after Omega breaks out of her ‘cloning pod/escape tube’ to save the depleted AyZee Crosshair saves her and the droid, giving a glimmer that he may be contemplating returning, but as they reach the unharmed Marauder he reaffirms his commitment to the Empire and decides to remain.
The episode closes out with Nala Se arriving at an Imperial facility where one of the scientists welcomes her saying the Empire is looking forward to utilising her skills. With the previous episode having delivered so much, I felt this was a bit more subdued and although it leaves several ‘what happens next’ questions to be answered in the next season, I can’t help but think this could have been the end of the show and it would have been a great story, introduced some characters who we may yet see in other shows (Omega for example) and left the threads to be picked up maybe in comic or novel form.
We do get confirmation that Omega is actually older than Clone force 99 (as was inferred in the previous episode) but what we don’t still know is whether she has no growth acceleration (like Boba), or is she in fact growth inhibited – so she’ll stay this age indefinitely?? The latter would certainly play into the Emperor’s efforts to prolong his own life or that of a clones and maybe we’ll see more of this in season 2.
Overall I’ve really enjoyed the series. The animation has been stunning and the Kiner family have done an amazing job on the score, and despite a couple of minor ‘speed bumps’ in the story, it’s moved along at a great pace and delivered great new characters to the galaxy far, far away
Daniel Lo
The second part of the season finale, “Kamino Lost“, mainly involves a single event: the Bad Batch escaping from a collapsing Tipoca City. To stop there, however, would be a huge oversimplification. While perhaps by now the team is fully decked out in plot armor thanks to the season two announcement, what that team looks like moving forward very much hangs in the balance. The actual ending of the episode involving Nala Se being taken to an unnamed Imperial base sparks some interest and intrigue, but Crosshair’s final verdict is what I personally consider to be both the grand reveal as well as the cliffhanger for the season.
Over the course of the 24-minute escape sequence, the original members of Clone Force 99 each get a chance to showcase their personalities one more time. Hunter, a natural leader who calls the shots but also knows when to defer judgement to others. Tech, always efficiently logical. Wrecker, wielding over the top physicality with an enthusiastic “can do” attitude and endearing child-like behavior. Crosshair, by far the most complicated of them all, exhibiting an ominous vibe while being rational, perceptive, and sometimes even well-meaning. Omega continues to be an eternal optimist overflowing with compassion, who sees the best in everyone while not being afraid of acknowledging her own shortcomings. Echo somewhat takes a back seat in the finale, but still gets a brief moment in the spotlight thanks to his idea of using medical capsules as a means of escape.
As someone with a decades-long irrational fear of sea monsters, I found the 12 minute mark particularly difficult to watch. Okay fine, I totally closed my eyes. I suppose this is meant to be a compliment, with the Gungan submarine sequence from The Phantom Menace being the only other Star Wars scene that serves up a similar amount of terror for the coward writing this review. This leads to various other callbacks to non-Star Wars films: Jurassic Park (compromised protection from monsters due to a lack of power), Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation (failing to dodge underwater obstacles), and The Avengers (a hero powering down after guiding a projectile away from danger). I’m sure I’ve missed some. Then of course, one more Star Wars tribute: gazing at the smoldering remains of a former home. It rhymes.
Some more thoughts about Crosshair: I enjoy seeing the dynamic between him and the team ever since we learn that his head no longer houses an inhibitor chip. Seeing his side of the story has been nothing short of fascinating. With a few questionable exceptions, most of his viewpoints are completely relatable and occasionally in line with the rest of the team’s, albeit on slightly different terms. At times, I even sympathize with him. In the season finale, we also see the first ever glimpses of Crosshair’s soft side when he saves AZ and Omega (pulling off an impossible shot that only he can), a faint hint of sadness in response to Omega’s farewell, and allowing himself one last look as his brothers and sister fly off into the distance. This nicely sets the tone for an interesting followup season. Two lines spoken to Crosshair stand out to me: “Understanding you does not mean that I agree with you” and “We want different things… that doesn’t mean that we have to be enemies“. In a time when the world seems more divided than ever, it was a humbling reminder that perhaps we can all benefit from having greater empathy for those who think differently from us.
Becca Benjamin
Friday’s finale episode of The Bad Batch, Kamino Lost, closes out the first season of one of the best animated Star Wars shows to date! The Bad Batch is the first series to tap into the fuller scope of the overall narrative of what’s come before and tie-up, a lot of loose ends that we didn’t realize we needed until The Bad Batch launched sixteen weeks ago. Seriously, incredible storytelling, sound, and animation by all involved!
Kamino Lost picks up right where Return to Kamino left off, Tipoca City is set ablaze and tumbling into the dark waters of Kamino while the Bad Batch and AZ are stuck inside. It’s not long before the waters start to seep inside and begin flooding the facility. Especially the room where AZ, Omega, and Crosshair end up, separated from the rest of the group.
As Crosshair regains consciousness, he realizes he’s up to his neck in dark seawater. And if the situation couldn’t get any worse, he quickly realizes he’s unable to move. Omega assesses the situation and uses her energy bow to try and blast the wreckage that has Crosshair pinned down.
Thankfully, Wrecker manages to pry open the doors on the other side and free AZ, Omega, and Crosshair. And just in time, too. The facility, or what’s left of it, plummets to the bottom of the ocean floor. They need to regroup and find a way to the surface. As they pause to formulate a plan, they find themselves back in their old barracks, and old memories creep up to haunt them in “who did who wrong” in a tug-of-war argument between brothers.
As the arguing continues, Omega gets an idea. She can see from a viewport that the wreckage has settled on top of the tubal waterway that leads back to Nala Se’s secret lab. And honestly, this idea might be their only chance at survival. Well, maybe. As they venture inside the tubes, a sea monster attacks the glass tubing, but thankfully, our beloved Bad Batch, Crosshair included, reaches the lab just in time.
Once inside the lab, they realize they need to get to the last remaining platform where the Marauder is still safely parked. So, they decide to use medical tubes to float their way to the surface, using AZ as their guide. Only AZ is in desperate need of a charge, but his programming to keep Omega safe overrides any reservations he may have.
In doing so, he depletes all his energy as he guides Omega to the ocean’s surface and announces that his mission is complete as he begins to sink into the abyss of dark water. Omega cannot let AZ go and dives under to save him. In a panic, Hunter prepares to go in after her, but at the last moment, Crosshair fires a harpoon from his rifle to reel Omega and AZ back to safety.
“Consider us even,” Crosshair tells Omega as Hunter, Wrecker, Tech, and Echo prepare the Marauder for departure. Omega starts to make her way back to the rest of the group but pauses to look back at Crosshair, Kamino, and the orange-pink sunrise. It’s a moment of reflection and transition.
And just as Tech had said earlier to Crosshair, “Understanding you doesn’t mean I agree with you,” Omega delivers the final impactful punch with, “You’re still their brother, Crosshair. You’re my brother, too.” Yet, Crosshair still decides to stay behind, alone in the middle of the landless world, and watch his estranged brothers and Omega leave.
Somewhere, far away, Nala Se arrives at a secret Imperial Cloning Facility. An Imperial scientist greets her with, “We are all admirers of your scientific talents. The Empire has big things planned for you.” But Nala Se looks anything but flattered by her so-called enthusiasts.
Until season two, the mission is over. Pass the Mantell Mix!
Ross Hollebon
“Kamino Lost,” the second part of a two-episode finale, was not a happy ending. It was more Han Solo in carbonite and Luke Skywalker having lost his hand to Darth Vader. But similar to the end of “The Empire Strikes Back,” the emotional toll of relationships, and how they will eventually play out, becomes the driver for this story.
I watched the final episode of The Bad Batch Season 1 on Friday morning—and then I had to watch “Attack of the Clones” that afternoon to let it all sink in. From opulence, control, cleanliness and efficiency to a burning wreck of terror, sirens, darkness, and desperation, I still feel Star Wars, as a whole, is George Lucas’ love letter of warning to younger audiences—especially with today’s political, environmental, and social climates.
Any innocence still retained by Omega is immediately obliterated near the 1-minute mark with a Venator Class Star Destroyer’s blast rocking the defenseless facility below. It not only throws the entire Bad Batch to the ground but introduces the smallest (but, apparently not the youngest) member to the trauma of her eardrums being blown out by the explosion. It’s a cartoon but it hurt to see Omega experience more war and violence, as she continues to be the truest soul imaginable. The visuals of this attack, while horrifying, might just be the strongest eye candy ever offered in Star Wars, especially within the realm of animation. And the punch-in-the-gut sound effects and menacing soundtrack only add more weight to this heavy tale of heroism and survival. Yeah, this episode may have stirred my Star Wars soul in a way not many have outside of Cassian Andor and Jyn Erso embracing on the Scarif beach, having made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of good.
Omega can’t escape this call to sacrifice either and risks her well-being multiple times in order to rescue friends—a trapped Crosshair earlier in the episode and a seemingly lost droid AZI-3, near the end. Her bravery, intensity, quick-thinking, and selflessness again come naturally as she leads the charge before having to witness even more of her home being utterly destroyed and sinking in the unforgiving waters of Kamino. During the initial rescue, I don’t think it was an accident by Dave Filoni to have both Omega and Crosshair gasping for air—he was preparing the audience to do the same for the remainder of the episode. What’s next? How will they escape? Will everyone survive?
They survive because of each other, even if the tension is deeper than the underwater grave they are attempting to escape. This is a story of survival, respect, free will, and loyalty—and it boils down to the relationship of Omega and Crosshair, even if each other member of the Clone Force 99 gets their opportunity to clear the air with their now Imperial brother. Based solely on these personal relationships Season 2 of “The Bad Batch” is going to be exciting. But there is an even bigger Rancor in the room from the final scene of the episode and season—Nala Se, the chief cloning scientist from Kamino, is transported to an Imperial facility and is advised, “The Empire has big things planned for you.”
Mark Mulcaster and Mark Newbold discuss Kamino Lost on Episode 103 of Making Tracks
- Hardcover Book
- Ireland, Justina (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 272 Pages - 03/01/2022 (Publication Date) - Random House/Star Wars (Publisher)
