We’re slowly getting to the point of no return. This week’s episode, The Harbinger, shows how The Bad Batch continues to seek explanations, but everything gets more intense when their answers arrive in the form of Asajj Ventress!
Recap of the Story So Far
In the search for answers about M-count, Hunter, and Wrecker end up teaming up with Fennec Shand. After completing the job, Fennec tells them that she’ll put them in contact with someone. It’s unclear if she’ll honor the deal but trusting her is the only thing they can do.
Meanwhile, Omega teaches Crosshair how to meditate, hoping that this will help heal Crosshair’s mind and body.
We have reviews and breakdowns of each episode of The Bad Batch. Check them out to make sure you are not missing any hidden details or easter eggs.
A Ghost From The Past
After last week’s episode, many of us speculated about who might be Fennec’s contact. I believed that it had to be either Asajj Ventress or Cad Bane. Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait a lot to learn the answer.
Even if her first scene wasn’t as impactful as when we saw Ahsoka on The Mandalorian, I still got very excited about watching Dooku’s former apprentice make her debut on The Bad Batch.
Ventress was introduced in the first Clone Wars animated series made by Genndy Tartakovsky in 2003. After that, she appeared multiple times in the Clone Wars series produced by George Lucas and Dave Filoni.
While Ventress has never been one of the main characters, we’ve been able to witness her growth as a character. From an angry warrior who lost her way, to a Sith apprentice, to a bounty hunter.
The last seasons of The Clone Wars never showed what happened to her, and even though the book Dark Disciple covers the ending of her story, this episode is changing that. Ventress killed countless clones in the past but with the Galactic Empire ruling the galaxy, her destiny could be intertwined with Omega’s and the remaining clones.
Being Force Sensitive: what does it mean
Being a Jedi is a lot more than just having a high M-count or wielding a lightsaber. It requires years of training, discipline, and good guidance from someone with experience.
Even then, this doesn’t guarantee that the person will succeed. Many don’t complete the journey and, as we have seen, others fall to the dark side of the Force, even the most gifted ones.
Omega might have heard some vague stories about the former protectors of the Galactic Republic but she has no idea what it takes to become a Jedi, nor the dangers that this also brings.
Omega’s training was based on learning the skills of a soldier and her time at Nala Se’s laboratory surely taught her something but it’s not remotely close to what would be required to be something resembling a Jedi.
Indeed, she’s already a target of the Empire, but increasing her priority by teaching her how to make use of the Force is probably not a good idea at this point.
Has Asajj changed and how much
The highlight of this episode is not only the appearance of Ventress but how different she is now. To understand this we must do a little recap of her story.
After the assassination of her Jedi Master, Ventress got trained by Dooku but in the process, she got lost and the only thing that kept her alive was her hate and desire for survival.
Having so much hate, fear, and lack of purpose made her the perfect puppet for Count Dooku and Palpatine. For many years she did the dirty work of Dooku, but eventually, she was discarded.
After this, she returned to her sisters in Dathomir, the only place where she still belonged. Sadly, it didn’t last long. General Grievous led an assault and killed almost every Nightsister.
Ventress started working as a bounty hunter and considering that Fennec is among her colleagues, it looks like she stayed in that for quite some time. Nonetheless, the person in this episode is completely different. She is calm, focused, and doesn’t resort to anger when fighting.
I mean, it’s not like she has to make a big effort to defeat three clone troopers but it’s the way how she defeats them that speaks volumes of her change as a person.
Watching Asajj train Omega, regardless of how brief, was very interesting. It reminded me of many other Jedi training Padawans.
The apprentice always asking questions, getting impatient because of how irrelevant the exercise looks while the Master remains stoic and answers as little as possible just before pointing out that such questions aren’t important.
Ventress using the Force to calm the Vrathean reminded me a lot of the moment when Yoda lifted Luke’s X-Wing from the waters of Dagobah. Such a display of power with all that confidence and peacefulness is something that truly shows how much Asajj Ventress has evolved since the days of the Clone Wars.
Omega’s Real Power
Being truly open to all possibilities is probably one of Omega’s best traits, it might be due to her young age or inexperience with pretty much everything, but being like this has made a difference in situations where being a good soldier doesn’t help at all.
I love how Omega points out that she never gave up on Crosshair, even when even his brothers and Crosshair himself did. I can’t think of many characters in Star Wars that would go to such an extent just to bring back someone who lost the way.
For better or worse, Omega is incapable of hiding her intentions or feelings. The kid is an open book but this isn’t always a bad thing. After all, this is one of the things that made possible Crosshair’s return.
Even if Ventress didn’t show it, I’m almost sure that she liked Omega. I still can’t figure out why or how, but Omega has a way with people. After spending some time around her, everyone seems to look at what’s inside of Omega and form a bond with the kid.
Hunter, Tech, Wrecker, Rex, Nala Se, and Crosshair all went through different degrees of what I just mentioned. Who knows? Maybe her ability to reach people’s hearts will make the difference when a blaster can solve the upcoming problems.
The Best Potential Ally
Saying that Clone Force 99 needs to find many strong allies is an understatement. I still believe that what they’re planning to do is a suicide mission. Attacking one of the most secret and well-guarded Imperial installations is an absolute madness.
Even if they had a small army of clone troopers, which they don’t, the task would be incredibly hard. They know people who would be more than happy to strike the Empire; Saw Gerrera, the Syndulla family, the Wookkiees, and other powerful groups.
But this? It’s early to tell, but Asajj Ventress must be part of the incursion.
With her involved, the possibilities of success will increase significantly. There’s no soldier in that base that could stand against her. Even an Inquisitor wouldn’t be able to overpower Ventress.
As we’ve seen countless times, anyone who was trained as a Jedi or Sith can turn the tide of a battle that seems unwinnable. Omega, Hunter, Wrecker, and Crosshair must somehow convince Ventress to help them. Otherwise, I think it’s a lost cause, at least with what we currently know of the plan.
Easter eggs and references
“I’ve got a few lives left” *Spoiler alert*
This phrase is a reference to the Dark Disciple novel. In this story, Asajj Ventress dies. The novel is part of the current canon and before this season of the Bad Batch, it was the last appearance of Ventress.
A change of character
Also in the Dark Disciple novel, Asajj kills a Vrathean but in this episode, she uses the Force to solve the situation without violence. This is another reflection of how much she has changed since the days as Dooku’s assassin.
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The Bad Batch Season 3 Episode 8 Breakdown and Easter Eggs
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The Bad Batch Season 3 Episode 13 Breakdown and Easter Eggs
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