We first learned about Kamino and its race of master cloners in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. As the feature films and animated series The Clone Wars made clear, the Kaminoans are very good at what they do. Absent clone trooper “Tup’s” malfunctioning inhibiter chip, the chips worked to near-perfection. Of the millions of clones, there were a scant few to exhibit any deviation from the template. Sure, there was Tup, Ninety-Nine and the Bad Batch … But what about Omega? From what we’ve seen so far, she was no mistake, not a statistical anomaly. She has a reason and purpose. So what is it?
Even Cut, the clone deserter we encountered again in The Bad Batch episode 2, acknowledged the fact that the Kaminoans created Omega for a reason. It seems clear, however, that whatever that reason may be, it was not to serve Palpatine’s new Empire. Nala Se, who claimed the young, female clone was her “medical assistant,” aided the Bad Batch in escaping with her ward. There’s certainly a connection there between the Kaminoan and the girl. It’s one so strong that Nala Se acted to ensure her safety and survival. Hopefully her purpose isn’t as ominous as the naïve clone’s name suggests.
How will Omega impact Star Wars: The Bad Batch?
First, let’s address the character’s name. Many times, names in Star Wars are completely made up. It’s seldom that a character name has some bearing in the real world. Omega, however, is a word steep with meaning, and its generally not good. In addition to being a letter of the Greek alphabet, it’s also often defined as being “the extreme or final part.” That in and of itself is ominous. But there’s another definition of the word that could hint to a dire fate for the Bad Batch.
Omega, you see, is also defined as “a very short-lived, unstable meson.” (A meson, for those unfamiliar with physics, is a subatomic particle that binds an atomic nucleus together, in general terms.) Dave Filoni is the greatest Star Wars storyteller other than George Lucas. In many ways, the padawan has actually surpassed the master. There is absolutely zero chance Filoni chose this particular name randomly. And there are hints that he is playing on these definitions with the character already.
Think about it: Omega has certainly disrupted the nucleus of the Bad Batch. Hunter and the others chose to go back to Kamino to rescue her. They did so despite Crosshair’s desire to follow orders, contributing to his ultimate split from those he’d called brothers for so long.
Extreme. Final. Short-lived. Unstable.
Is Omega destined to destroy the team that saved her?
Star Wars: The Bad Batch airs Fridays on Disney+.
[Note: Article corrected – Tup had the bad chip, Fives discovered the conspiracy.]
