Star Wars: The Bad Batchhas finally come to a close. The series premiered on June 14, 2025, as Disney+’s bigStar WarsDay offering. After three seasons, the series came to a close on May 1,2024, almost three years to the date of the series premiere. Over the course of the series, fans have followed the events of Clone Force 99, a.k.a. The Bad Batch, as they navigate a galaxy changing over from the Galactic Republic to the Galactic Empire. The series has explored a variety of topics, from the place of the Clones in the franchise following the conclusion of The Clone Wars to explaining Palpatine’s resurrection inThe Rise of Skywaler, but at the heart of the series has always been the story of the clone Omega and her bond with her clone brothers of Hunter, Wrecker, Tech, Echo, and Crosshair.
The Bad Batchhas seen some highs but also some big losses, like when one of their squad members, Tech, gave his life in the season two finale. The third season has been building to a climactic showdown between the Bad Batch to save Omega from the clutches of Imperial Science director Royce Hemlock, all while Omega shows she has become a capable member of the Squad herself. Given that Clone Force 99 is not present or mentioned in any subsequentStar Warsmedia like the original or sequel trilogy, fans were certainly nervous to see if they would make it out alive. Here is the ending ofStar Wars: The Bad Batchexplained.
Everybody Lives
Star Wars: The Bad Batch
Easily, the biggest surprise ofThe Bad Batchwas that the entire squad lived. After theSeason 2 finale saw Tech give his life, fans have been conditioned to expect anyone to die in the episode. The creators certainly played on those expectations, as throughout the episode, Wrecker was getting visibly weaker after the wound he received in the previous episode. Meanwhile, due to the nature of former villains turning good, like Darth Vader and Kylo Ren, which typically leads to death, many were expecting the series’former antagonist, Crosshair, to sacrifice himself to find redemption heroically. Yet, in the biggest twist of all, the entire squad lived.
The Bad Batch was able to kill Hemlock, free all the prisoned clones and the force-sensitive children, and destroy all traces of the cloning research to ensure the Empire would no longer be seeking Omega for the rest of her life. They arrive back on the peaceful planet of Pabu. An adult female clone, like Omega, named Emerie Karr, turned on the Empire to save the Force-sensitive children and joined her clone brothers. She and Echo go off to continue the good fight to free and liberate former Clones while fighting for their rights.
The Bad Batch tells Omega they will find and return the Force-sensitive children to their families once they track them down. Omega asks what will happen to the rest of the Clones, and Hunter informs her they are now free to do whatever they want: either rest on Pabu, join a Rebellion, and keep fighting, or pursue any life they want. The choice is theirs, and the same goes for the Bad Batch. Hunter, Wrecker, Crosshair, and Omega all sit down beneath a tree, knowing that they can rest; their days of fighting and running are over. They can be whatever they want.
This shot effectively puts a bow on theClone Warsera of storytelling.The clones were introducedin 2002’sStar Wars: Attack of the Clonesas soldiers who would take any order without question, but in 2008’sStar Wars: The Clone Wars,they decided to explore the nature and humanity of the Clone Troopers as their own distinct people. This always created a certain tragedy for the story as audiences grew attached to the Clone characters, knowing they would eventually turn on the Jedi and become the villains. While some clones did remain loyal to the Empire, others did not. Fans have now seen how the Empire transitioned to the listed Stormtroopers of the original trilogy.
The Bad Batch’s final episode arrives 16 years after the premiere ofThe Clone Wars. For an entire generation, this was a major part ofStar Wars. While there certainly can still be more stories set during this period, this feels like a sweet ending to the story that began nearly two decades ago. The clone storyline finally has an ending, and it is a peaceful one.
Palpatine’s Clone Project Goes Back to Formula
Ever sinceThe Bad Batchpremiered, it was clear that part of the reason behind the story was to explain theunresolved plot pointofStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalkerand how Palpatine was able to return. While first hinted at inThe Mandalorian,The Bad Batchis a Clone Wars set series that aired afterThe Rise of Skywalker, providing the perfect chance to explain this detail and retcon it, being part of Palpatine’s plan from the very beginning. Each season introduced a new layer to Palpatine’s scheme, with season three finally revealing what exactly “Project Necromancer” was.
Project Necromancer was a secret clone research project developed by Hemlock and was so secretive that Admiral (not yet Governor) Tarkin did not know anything about it. Set up at the secret base of Mount Tantis, the project involved researching M-count (Midichlorians) transfer, which would be an important part of Palpatine’s plan to transfer his consciousness into a new body. The Emperor considered this to be one of the most important elements of the longevity of the Empire, as it would give him the ability to rule long past any normal human.
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To achieve this, they used an imprisoned Kamino scientist, Nala Se, to help develop the research. Nala Se knew how dangerous this would be in the Empire’s hands, particularly if they discovered the secret of Omega, who was a clone with a high M-count. She gives her life to destroy the Imperial databanks containing all the clone information, including any information about Omega being a special clone. With none of the data salvageable and Tarkin unaware of the exact importance of Project Necromancer, he orders Tantis to shut down and divert all the funds to Project Stardust, a.k.a. The Death Star.
With all the information destroyed, Omega and the rest of the Bad Batch are no longer being hunted because their importance is no longer known. They are just like every other Clone in the galaxy to the Empire. Meanwhile, with all the information gone, including the key cloning Kamino scientist, Palpatine is now forced torestart his cloning processwith no basis on which to build. This sets up the storyline inThe Mandalorian, where the Imperial remnants are trying to secure Grogu for his high M-count so they can bring Palpatine back.
Omega Joins the Rebellion
With the Empire no longer pursuing them and the Bad Batch finally free, the series closes with a fade to black with everyone together, but that’s not where the story ends. It soon cuts to Pabu years later. Now, an adult Omega, she gets ready to sneak off on a ship to join the Rebellion as a pilot. She is stopped by Hunter, much older and with a hunch in his back. He does not want her to go alone, but Omega tells him that he, Hunter, and Crosshair have earned their rest. This is the choice she is making, as she wants to help.
The two share a sweet goodbye. Before she leaves, Hunter tells Omega if she ever needs them, they will be there for her. She then flies off into space, ready to join the Rebellion. It is a great mirror to the ending of the very first episode of the series, where Omega saw space for the first time; now she is off flying into her own adventure.
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When this ending exactly takes place is unclear. Omega is about 13 years old for most ofThe Bad Batch, and here she appears to be a young woman. The Rebellion forms in earnest about five years before the events ofA New Hope, so 14 years after the formation of the Empire, but given she appears to be in her early 20s, it is likely this is even before then. Omega might be one of the first true members of the Rebellion. This means she could have crossed paths with the likes of thecrew of the GhostfromStar Wars: Rebels, Cassian Andor, or even Luke Skywalker. She could have been a pilot at the Battle of Scarif inRogue Oneor even Endor inReturn of the Jedi.
The ending ofThe Bad Batchopens the possibilityfor many different crossovers. Seeing howThe Bad Batchcreator Dave Filoni is also directing the upcoming movieThe Mandalorian and Grogu, an adult Omega could appear in that film, making the leap to live-action. There is a chance Omega will become a member of the New Republic and its formation, so she could appear in other projects set in that timeline, likeAhsokaseason two. It feels like only a matter of time until she crosses paths with her fellow unaltered clone brother Boba Fett, which means Omega might play a role in the massive crossover film betweenThe Mandalorian,Book of Boba Fett, andAhsokathat is rumored to be titled Heir to the Empire.
The conclusion ofThe Bad Batchalso means there is no animatedStar Warsseries on the air. It was only four months afterStar Wars: Rebelsended that Lucasfilm announcedStar Wars: The Clone Warsfinal season.The Bad Batchwas announced two months after the series finale ofThe Clone Warsin 2020. This means that with the conclusion ofThe Bad Batch, there is likely a new announcement for the Star Wars animated series on the horizon if it follows a similar pattern. If and when this show is announced, it could follow an adult Omegaduring the Age of Rebellionand could see her interact with many famousStar Warsfaces during that time period.
The creators ofThe Bad Batchhave certainly left the door open for Omega and Clone Force 99 to return, but it also does serve as a great conclusion to the series. After years of combat, audiences know that they finally have to lay down their weapons and rest.The Bad Batchis not so much a goodbye but a see you again soon because, in a galaxy far, far away, you never know when your favorite character will show up again.
