This article contains spoilers about the first season of Star Wars: The Bad Batch and The Mandalorian.
We’re just past the halfway point in The Bad Batch, and it’s a good time to check in on what’s been revealed about the newest main character in the Star Wars galaxy, Omega (no last name please; she’s akin to Cher like that.)
Fan theories have abounded about Omega, and most have panned out so far: Her DNA is somehow different from both the Bad Batch and the regular clones, she was not fitted with an inhibitor chip, and (most of) the cloners on Kamino hired (most of) the bounty hunters chasing her down.
There have, however, been a few surprises about Omega’s identity, as well as who’s really on her side.
While many fans entered Bad Batch hoping to learn more about Clone Force 99, they were instead mostly fed scraps of information about Omega. Information about the specialized strike team has been even tougher to come by.
After dribbles of reveals regarding the disintegration of Jango Fett’s DNA and what the Empire has in mind for the cloning program, fans were glad to have more confirmed information by the end of Episode 9.
But with Episode 9’s twist that Kaminoan medical specialist Nala Se hired bounty hunter Fennec Shand to bring in Omega, the relationship between the cloners and the Empire became clearer. Nala Se seems to have raised Omega and is eager to protect her; Prime Minster Lama Su wants the girl terminated.
There are still a lot of questions yet unanswered — and some of the new information has merely created more questions. Here’s a chance to make adjustments to your favorite Omega-related theory.
There’s a lot more Omega where Omega came from
Fan reaction to Omega is generally “meh” to quietly positive; while she hasn’t sparked the universal fawning Baby Yoda has, she’s also managed to avoid outright fan scorn. Given the constant fan upheaval that has been the Star Wars community over the past few years, Lucasfilm likely considers this a win.
Lack of strong reaction either way may partially be because some Star Wars fans have avoided the new show, having little interest in the Bad Batch or animated properties in general. Likewise, some fans are still smarting from recent controversies involving casting decisions in The Mandalorian and are avoiding Disney+ altogether.
The non-outright rejection of Omega probably means we’ll see her again, even if Bad Batch only lasts a single season. Given that the show is part of “the Filoniverse,” she could well appear in one of the many live-action spinoffs cooking at Lucasfilm—Ahsoka, for example, or even The Mandalorian.
As we’ve already seen in many of the show’s crossovers thus far, showrunner Dave Filoni doesn’t like to let any of his characters go to waste. Captain Rex, Cad Bane, Fennec Shand, and the Kaminoans from Attack of the Clones have packed the guest star list so far; it’s a good bet that Omega will pop up beyond the scope of The Bad Batch.
She’s pure Jango…
Episode 9 confirmed that Omega is a full “twin sister” of Boba Fett. Like Boba, who was code named “Alpha,” she is the “Omega,” or the end of a certain period or style of cloning.
That opens the door for a potential live-action appearance on The Book of Boba Fett, which is scheduled to stream in December of 2021.
This is why Omega did not have an inhibitor chip; she wasn’t designed for soldiering, and her DNA wasn’t altered to force increased obedience. She also grows at a normal rate.
Does Boba know about her? We’ll probably find out in time for Christmas.
…but she ain’t no Mary Sue
Not only does Dave Filoni possess an encyclopedic knowledge of Star Wars, but his respect for its universe is also profound. He is, first and foremost, a fan.
It’s likely, then, that he quietly agreed with (or at last heard) fan criticisms of Rey as a “Mary Sue,” an annoyingly flawless character to whom every possible skill comes easily and is regarded by other characters with awe.
Mary Sue concerns were raised for Omega in the first few episodes of the Bad Batch, as she was seen tracking like Hunter after observing him a single time, and out-shooting supersniper Crosshair despite never having held a blaster.
Definitive steps were taken to slow down the Rey train for Omega’s character, however, as she was shown struggling to shoot a bow and was unable to disarm a mine after tutelage from Wrecker.
She still learns annoyingly fast, as she’s also mechanically handy, but that could be because….
Omega could be Force-sensitive
A top fan theory concerning Omega is that she is Force-sensitive. The chatter around this one has abated a bit since the showrunners took pains to show her at struggling at least a little to perform certain tasks. Like the rest of the clones, she should have at least some innate abilities, pure Jango clone that she is.
However, one of the most relatable traits of the Jedi is that they were all given different gifts in the Force. Some were warriors; some were scholars; others specialized in mechanics.
Omega could have Force abilities regarding insight. Several small moments show her with the power to tune in on the emotions or personalities of those around her— not only did she try to comfort Crosshair and encourage him to fight his inhibitor chip, she positively identified Cid, a total stranger.
This ties in with another truth:
Like Omega, cloning in Star Wars isn’t going anywhere
You may not like the midichlorians, but they’re canon. And you might despise the “Palpatine is STILL ALIVE!!!!!” flailing of the sequel trilogy, but that’s good and cemented now, too. Fan theories regarding exiling the sequel trilogies to the fate of the Expanded Universe seem largely far-fetched at this point.
The Star Wars IP is all in on cloning. Much as they embraced The Mandalorian, fans had to admit that it doubled down on the cloning aspect of the sequels via the story of Grogu, whose blood was sought for a post-Empire DNA project.
With Episode 9 in the back window, we see yet more reinforcement of cloning activities. The closed-factory setting of the episode confirmed that the “Snokes In a Jar” of Rise of Skywalker had friends.
It looks like “Kaminoans in a Jar” were once all the rage. A long shot of one draped disgustingly over Fennec made sure we’re aware of that.
Omega is on a hero’s journey
One of the underpinnings of Star Wars is the clear hero’s journey of Luke Skywalker. If you thought Omega is going to go by the wayside via stray blaster bullet, you’re watching the wrong franchise, my friend.
A major signal that a main character is on a hero’s journey is the presence of a cave or some other underground setting. It is a change catalyst that goes back to the beginnings of recorded history.
These moments have been present throughout all three trilogies. Early in the series, Omega, while seeking out a necessary spacecraft part, had hers. She literally “found what she needed,” and had what seemed to be a Force-sensitive moment in connecting with an animal that lives on energy consumption.
In so doing, she grabbed the part without doing harm to a sentient being and saved Hunter. She discovered skills that can serve her in her new life.
Nala Se likes Omega more than Omega likes Nala Se
Kind of sad, really. Shouldn’t this kid… I don’t know, need more therapy than sharing the occasional bowl of Space Popcorn with Wrecker?
Rather than expressing any anxiety about leaving behind her life on Kamino — all she had ever known — or missing the constant companion who seems to have raised her, Omega was largely enjoying her extended field trip with My Four Dads. Until Episode 9, she wasn’t even showing any apparent trauma considering her (albeit brief) imprisonments and multiple narrow escapes.
It’s plausible that due to her unusual upbringing, Omega found it difficult to attach to adults. But she glommed onto the Bad Batch, Wrecker and Hunter in particular, after ten seconds at their table in the mess hall.
To our knowledge, she hadn’t expressed missing Nala Se at all.
Nala Se, on the other hand, is putting her really long neck on the line to protect Omega.
Hmmmm.
Omega didn’t get out much
Omega never seems to have even been out of the cloning facility, assuming there is anything else in existence on Kamino. Indeed, we saw in Clone Wars that Kaminoans consider the clones their “property.”
This kid has never played with others; a droid was the closest she had to a buddy. Omega has turned out suspiciously well-adjusted for all that, considering what an after-school detention risk Boba Fett was at her age.
Why keep her in such close quarters?
The Kaminoans may have kept her a secret to avoid angering Jango Fett, who could have insisted on — so to speak — a “non-compete” clause with Boba in his agreement allowing the cloners to use his DNA. Jango doesn’t seem to be the type of fellow to take double-crossing lightly.
Omega’s fascination with dirt and pretty much everything that moves, even to the jeopardization of her own safety, is likely meant to underline the difference between her and the now-turned clones. She is human, and she has begun seeking human experiences.
Thanks for the trust issues
This is likely due to Fennec’s “Hey kid, want some candy?” act earlier in the season. Although we now know Fennec was sent to protect her, Omega now seems to trust only the members of the Bad Batch. Fennec is right out.
Best wishes, anyone trying to date Omega in about a decade.
Omega never had her own room prior to taking up with the Bad Batch
It was established in Star Wars: The Clone Wars that the clones pretty much live their lives in dormitories and Space Bunk Beds. In fact, some noted that the Bad Batch bunked together in “a quint” — a large separate room just for them, quarters unlike those seen in Clone Wars.
And Wrecker’s attachment to his stuffed animal suggested the presence of a childhood unlike those of the other clones.
Despite the clones’ individuality during the prequel era, they didn’t seem to own personal items outside of the occasional holo; only their tactical gear was “mine.”
Where’d Wrecker get the little cat he presented Omega along with her own room?
Who were Omega’s roommates? And why? At this point in the timeline, Omega is edging up on training bra age. If she was a naturally aging clone, would the Kaminoans honestly bunk her down with boy clones her own age?
Did the Kaminonas assume she’d never reach maturity?
Hmmmm.
Omega didn’t know much about herself
Until Episode 9, although on the run and in danger, Omega didn’t seem to sense it as such, let alone understand that she was escaping an existence of superiors considering her an object or experiment.
She was indeed aware that she was without an inhibitor chip, but her understanding of why and how she was different seemed to end there. It was only until Hunter, at Echo’s urging, let her know that she was a pure Jango Fett clone.
The information upset her, but only to the point that she feared returning to Kamino to wind up in a Jar Full o’ Snokes. Why she was created is still a mystery, but at least now we have Space Popcorn to think on.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch is currently streaming on Disney Plus. New episodes release every Friday. Follow Monsters and Critics’ Facebook page for the latest Star Wars theories, essays, news, and reviews.