Back in 2002, it was impossible for fans to predict that Star Wars: Attack of the Clones would set in motion stories that we’d still be revisiting almost 20 years later. Indeed, like The Clone Wars animated series before it, The Bad Batch continues to pick up plot threads from the second prequel, presenting them in new and interesting ways. For example, the new show explores how the Clone Wars and the rise of the Empire have changed Kamino, home to the cloning facilities where the soldiers of the Bad Batch, Omega, and all the other clones in Star Wars were created. We learn very early on in the premiere episode that the clone army’s victory over the Separatists (and the Jedi Order) may in fact lead to the downfall of the Kaminoans and the clones they created. Imperial leadership, including Admiral Tarkin, believes that the clone army has outlived its purpose and is becoming obsolete. This, of course, puts Kaminoan prime minister Lama Su’s business in jeopardy, but it’s revealed in “Bounty Lost” that he has one card left to play. Stream your Star Wars favorites right here! It’s Tech who reveals the truth to his companions after studying Omega’s DNA more closely: “I further analyzed Omega’s genetic profile and discovered she has pure, first-generation DNA,” he says in the episode. “All clones were created from a host named Jango Fett. While our genetic structure was modified for growth and acceleration and obedience, Omega is a pure genetic replication.” Therefore, since the Kaminoans have lost track of Boba in the years since the Clone Wars started, Omega is the only remaining source of Jango’s original DNA, the key to creating more Gen 1 clones and restoring the Clone Army to its glory days. Build your own LEGO 501st Legion Clone Trooper here! Earlier episodes allude to the fact that so many generations of clones have been created from Fett’s DNA at this point that the original genetic strain has been stretched too thin, resulting in mutations in the line as opposed to 1:1 copies of the Gen 1 clones. The rogue-ish Bad Batch, for example, are the result of these mutations. Recovering Omega’s DNA would allow the Kaminoans to restore its line of Jango Fett clones to their purest form, which Lama Su believes will put his cloning facility back in the Empire’s good graces. He hires bounty hunter Cad Bane to recover “the asset” and bring her back to Kamino so that he can extract a sample of her DNA and terminate her. The scientist secretly hires Fennec Shand to stop Cad Bane from returning her to Kamino. Fennec ambushes Bane at the rendezvous on Bora Vio, distracting the gunslinging bounty hunter long enough for Omega to escape on a flying pod and regroup with the Bad Batch. But not all make it out alive. One of Nala Se’s own is caught in the crossfire. The fight sequence marks the end of the line for a character introduced in Attack of the Clones. In order to ambush Bane, Fennec intercepts and kills Taun We, the first Kaminoan Obi-Wan Kenobi encountered in Episode II. As Lama Su’s administrative aide, she was ordered to travel to Bora Vio to deliver Bane’s payment and bring back Omega. But all she got was a laser bolt in the back, an abrupt end for one of Attack of the Clones‘ most visually memorable characters. Meanwhile, The Bad Batch may have concluded Taun We’s canon story, but this is clearly only the start of a much larger schism waiting to happen within the Kaminoan ranks. It’s unlikely Nala Se’s attempts to foil Lama Su’s plans will remain a secret for long. Read more about Star Wars: The Bad Batch here.
