The Bad Batch S3 E12 Breakdown: “Juggernaut” Brought Back a Character You May Have Forgotten About
With just three more episodes left this week’s Bad Batch is sliding everything into place… and telling us stuff we already knew.
The Bad Batch this week was good, don’t get me wrong. This whole season has been a breath of fresh air after the mixed bag that was season two. But episode twelve was definitely one of those unfortunate times where a story has to do a little bit of upkeep, housecleaning, and shuffling everybody into their places right before the grand finale. As a short chapter in a bigger story, this episode was fine. As a stand-alone, though? We didn’t exactly learn anything new.
Spoiler Warning! If you haven’t watched this week’s episodes of The Bad Batch, read on at your own risk.
Omega’s Back (in Science Jail), Y’all!
Making nobody but Hemlock happy, Omega is back on Tatntiss and ready for some science. Or, to be used for science.
Upon seeing Omega back, Dr. Karr looks immediately taken aback and maybe even a little concerned. She tells Omega that she’s glad the younger clone is safe and doesn’t respond at all when Omega implies that she’s not safe on Tatntiss at all. Karr verifies that Omega’s blood is what Hemlock is looking for, and then Hemlock explains his evil plot to Omega.
And for us, this is all either recap or verification of what we already know. Omega’s blood is special and works as the key for cloning force abilities. All of this feels very related to the Empire’s later interest in Grogu as well as the much later Emperor clone, Snoke.
After all of this Omega meets the other kids who are kept in “The Vault” and is welcomed to her new home by Hemlock.
Meanwhile on the Other Side of the Galaxy…
The Batch opens this episode in the fallout of the Empire’s recent attack on Pabu. And once Omega turned herself in, not only was Pabu left alone, but the Batch was too. Imperial interest has turned so far away from these guys that they don’t even care to take Crosshair into custody.
There’s a little bit of blame thrown around—mostly at Crosshair—over letting Omega turn herself in while Crosshair seems to keep to himself that he wasn’t able to land the tracker on the ship Omega got on. Instead, he suggests they speak to Admiral Rampart—he’s not trustworthy, but he may have good information.
This is when Phee returns from one of her secret tunnels and is immediately onboard with Crosshair. If he was friends with Tech that’s good enough for her, no questions asked.
Since the Batch’s ship was destroyed the night before, she and her ship both accompany the Batch on their Rampart extraction mission and it’s here that the clones learn that when Phee says, ‘stealth approach’ she means ‘turning the ship off and freefalling through the atmosphere.’
Rampart
Former Admiral Rampart is being held in a remote Imperial work prison, and this isn’t the first of these we’ve seen recently. Unlike the work prisons from Andor this one is surrounded by nigh-impassable mountains, but it has a very similar feel. There isn’t a lot of hope of escape, and just like in Andor (and the Rebel flight suits) the prison uniforms are orange and white.
If you don’t remember Rampart from previous seasons, he was instrumental in the Empire implementing chain codes as well as phasing out clones in preference of conscripted soldiers. He was also one of the people in charge of the destruction of Tipoca City and was eventually arrested for it despite the defense that he was ‘following orders.’
Ramparg is rescued from Erebus Labor Camp by Clone Force 99 in a mission that can be described as ‘effective but not subtle’ and was quick to let them know that he also doesn’t know where Tantiss is. Nobody does. That’s the point. But he may know how to find out.
What do you think is in store in the final three episodes of The Bad Batch? What did you think of this week’s episode? Will Omega be okay? Let us know in the comments!
May the Force be with you, adventurers!
