Attribution

By / May 16, 2021

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Mar

There is a hot new Mandalorian season 3 speculation going around this week and it’s a Din Djarin and Bo-Katan romance!

Now naturally, the big question regarding any romantic speculation or theory is the ship name. I’ve seen Din-Katan out there, but the best one is Dinbo. Dinbo not only is a cute pormanteau on its own, but it sounds similar to himbo.

And Din Djarin is very much a himbo. The guy never actually knows he’s in a Star War, and it’s the best thing about him.

But in all seriousness, could a Din Djarin X Bo-Katan romance happen? Let’s break this down.

Will she kiss Din Djarin?

The very idea of a Din Djarin and Bo-Katan romance has haters

Now the very reason I’m seeing this speculation being tossed about is that it already has haters, preemptively wanting it to not happen.

This reminds me of how reylo was treated during the Force Awakens era. This was fascinating because this wasn’t the case of a crackship people hated. Reylo haters also saw hints of a reylo romance, especially when the Last Jedi trailer came out. They were afraid it would happen.

The Dinbo hate feels very similar. There are character trope beats being played out on screen, that are often a prelude to a romance. They see it and are worried about it.

Now as to why some hate the possibility of it, those reasons are varied. Some think the story doesn’t need it (true). Others want to see Din and Cobb Vanth get together (valid).

Some see Din Djarin as not needing romance when he has a son. Which is odd, since people generally have several different kinds of relationships in their lives. Having a child doesn’t preclude you from having friends or romance.

But why do they see Dinbo happening?

Personally, I think the story isn’t clear enough yet to suggest a romance with Din and Bo. In fact, what makes their story fascinating so far is Bo-Katan’s clear ambivalence towards Din.

It’s an ambivalence that could see her become Din’s enemy. I’ve theorized she could be the antagonist of this season.

But that’s what also makes it great kindling for a romance. Bo-Katan respects Din, and vice versa. But she also sees him as a fool.

But episode 2 of The Mandalorian, makes it clear that Bo-Katan never wants to see Din hurt. She saves his life. Twice. She comes to respect his desire to seek atonement, even if she doesn’t truly share the belief that he needs to.

Bo-Katan sees Din as a humble fool, who’s too good of a man to fight against. He doesn’t want to rule Mandalor, despite winning the Darksaber fairly.

In some ways, Bo-Katan comes off to me as an anime heroine, proud and defiant, but in love with a man who annoys her. I couldn’t help but think of 70s and 80s Rumiko Takahashi characters such as Akane of Ranma 1/2. In other words, she’s a bit of a tsundere.

In Star Wars, conflict makes for great romance. There’s a reason why Luke and Leia would never happen, nor Finn and Rey. These relationships never show the characters in significant enough conflict to make for an interesting romance. And while I’m fond of Bonnec, I must concede that it so far doesn’t have the conflict to make for an intrigueing romance (may for season 2 hopefully).

Generally, the romances that are the best in Star Wars have high drama. Anakin and Padme, Leia and Han, Rey and Ben. At the very least, they must bicker constantly. Anything less than that is snoozeville.

This intense ambivalence that Bo-Katan has for Din makes for delightful drama and a classic Star Wars romance. A Din Djarin and Bo-Katan romance has the high stakes and high drama that is perfect for a soap opera in space.

How a Din and Bo-Katan romance would fit into the story

Fans have joked in the past about Din and Bo-Katan marrying their Houses, but that could actually be a plot point. After all, Bo-Katan doesn’t want to fight Din for the Darksaber any more, but perhaps she’ll seek strategic marriage.

Or maybe the Mandalorians will get over their obsession with the Darksaber. That would probably be healthier for their society, but since it is so entrenched in their culture, I don’t see it becoming a meaningless relic anytime soon.

However, I can see a one-sided romance for this story, namely for Bo for Din. It may be temporary, either she comes to accept a platonic relationship, if he does not want one, or she becomes antagonistic again.

But how would Din feel? I don’t think the guy has ever had a romance. He seems to have bumbled through life in general before Grogu. He may have had a liason with that one Twilek criminal, but she also seemed to have been making fun of him, and not necessarily honest.

Din has been steadily opening up to different kinds of relationships throughout this series. With Grogu he has learned to be a father. With Boba Fett, he has learned to be a brother and friend. It would be interesting if he learns to be a romantic partner as well. And thus, The Mandalorian is also a story about Din learning to open up and love people in different ways, as well as learning different ways to be a Mandalorian.

While we don’t know yet if a Din Djarin and Bo-Katan romance will happen between the two, both characters are going to have a high stakes relationship of some kind. And that’s worth tuning in for alone.

Feb

Once in a while I will come across a Star Wars fan wondering if the Kaminoan Nala Se could be in the Mandalorian. I’ve haven’t given it too much thought before. However, with both the Bad Batch and the Mandalorian season 3 overlapping this year, I thought it might be a good topic to visit.

Who is Nala Se?

As a brief introduction, Nala Se is a Kaminoan doctor and researcher who was first introduced in the Clone Wars. She featured in several story arcs, in that series, and has gone on to be a pivotal character in the Bad Batch.

I’ve written much more on Nala Se in regards to her experiments with the Bad Batch here.

She is both a fascinating mother figure to Omega, even going so far as to give her the Kaminoan jewelry of her people.

At the conclusion of season 1 of the Bad Batch, Nala Se was taken by Imperials to the planet Wayland. She is working at the Imperial cloning research station on Mt. Tantiss.

Nala Se and Lama Su discuss the Empire

We know this is a cloning facility because the researcher that speaks to Nala Se at the conclusion of season 1 has the same insignia of cloning operations that Dr. Pershing has in the Mandalorian.

Does it even work with the timeline for Nala Se to be in Mandalorian?

This is the first question we need to ask. Do Kaminoans even live long enough to be in 9 ABY (nine years after the Battle of Yavin aka New Hope time). Supposedly, Legends states that they live up to 80s years. I seem to recall a video somewhere that Halle Burtoni was much older than most, but I will go with 80s years for Nala Se.

We don’t know Nala Se’s age in The Clone Wars or The Bad Batch. She is obviously and adult, and advanced in her position both academically and in terms of her work history.

If Nala Se is as young as 30 in The Bad Batch, and 28 years have elapsed between then and the first season of the Mandalorian, she could be at least 58 years old.

If the Kaminoan doctor was 50, perhaps she would be 78 years.

Since we don’t know her real age, we can’t be definitive if she’s even alive at in 9 ABY. However, if she was on the younger side, she could absolutely still be around. But would the Empire allow Nala Se to live to old age? That’s the real question.

Will Nala Se even survive on Mt. Tantiss

This is actually the real question here. It’s entirely plausible that Nala Se could live long enough to be around during the time of Grogu. But would anyone allow her to live at all?

I have serious doubts the Empire would let Nala Se live once every useful aspect of her cloning abilities were learned and practiced by Emperor Palpatine’s chosen loyal Imperial scientists and geneticists.

The Empire wasted no time in destroying Kamino and quickly killed Lama Su. Just as Lama Su would have had Omega killed as soon as her DNA was extracted, so I believe the Empire will discard Nala Se.

So, personally, I think Nala Se’s chances of surviving the age of the Empire are slim.

In fact, my speculation is that Nala Se will die to protect her clones and/or Omega. However, it’s not completely impossible she’ll die, so lets delve more into Mt. Tantiss and the future of Imperial cloning.

Mt. Tantiss and the future of Imperial Cloning

My guess is that Nala Se will institute the first updated cloning tanks. I’ve theorized that she may focus on fast-made clones, aka Spaarti clones. This will be useful for Palpatine (and later Moff Gideon) to generate clone bodies quickly.

In fact there’s even an interesting theory that Gideon is a clone himself. After all, Cara Dune tells Din Djarin that supposedly Gideon was dead.

Well guess who else was supposed to be dead? Yeah, Palpatine.

Emperor Palaptine

We’ve seen Snoke tanks in the Mandalorian. We know from the Rise of Skywalker that multiple Snoke tanks exist on Exegol.

So what happens between Mt. Tantiss and Exegol? By the time we meet Din Djarin and Grogu, Palpatine has already been placed in his new, flawed clone body on Exegol. Yet, these Snoke tanks exist outside of Exegol.

We also know from Shadow of the Sith and the Darth Vader 2020 comics that that Palpatine had already been using his Acolytes to make clones. Dathan himself was already a teenager by the time of Return of the Jedi.

It seems like the Imperial cloning centers will undergo a split at some point. One group will go to Exegol for more arcane Sith procedures, but some elements will remain in the main Galaxy.

Personally I think Gideon is trying to be the new Mandalore, and is trying to make himself force sensitive.

But will Nala Se still be around and working with Dr. Pershing?

It’s not impossible, but I really don’t think so. Most likely the acclaimed Kaminoan doctor will be forced to pass on her knowledge and she will die. Whether she dies on her own terms or another’s is a separate question.

Feb

It’s not uncommon in Star Wars fandom to hear some say that Omega is an annoying character. This is a common descriptor given to most kids in Star Wars, from Anakin Skywalker’s first introduction in The Phantom Menace, to Ezra Bridger in Star Wars Rebels. Even Ahsoka was labeled “annoying” when she first appeared as Anakin’s padawan in the Clone Wars.

However, it seems that these same fans forget that these characters are children. And that these children are in a process of learning by trial and error. People also forget that these characters are intended to be multi-faceted. Not simplistic Pollyannas, but characters with both virtues and vices.

Omega is one of many in a long line of fictional young Star Wars characters that are experiencing a coming of age in their story’s presentation. Here is why Omega is not merely annoying, but rather a nuanced, fictional character.

Omega parts with Echo, a brother that has been a part of her Bad Batch family

Omega has a complicated mother-daughter relationship

The first season of the Bad Batch has made it clear that Omega led a sheltered life until very recently. While much of her life is still a mystery, it seems she lived in Nala Se’s private laboratory.

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We don’t see too much of Nala Se and Omega’s relationship, but it’s clear that the Kaminoan researcher cared for Omega. In fact, she cared enough to give her daughter-figure the jewelry that Kaminoan women wear.

However, Nala Se also experimented on Omega. We don’t know the extent of those studies, but it was not pleasant for the child. We see Omega’s fear and painful emotions when returning to Kamino in season 1.

We also see Omega sadly put away her Kaminoan jewelry. What little of the relationship is show to us, indicates a complicated mother/daughter relationship. I hope to see it revisited.

I’ve written before that Omega is a Snow White figure. These particular stories begin with both a mother that wishes a daughter into creation (and Nala Se is certainly a creator), and a malevolent mother figure from which the maiden must flee into the woods [the unknown] with several outcasts [portrayed as robbers, knight-brothers, or dwarves, and usually male].

Omega’s mother is both benevolent, and yet part of a malevolent system. Omega has both a cruel and sheltered life, but it’s also clear that she was cared for. This has led to a girl that is desirous of adventure, but also one that desires family that understands her and her experiences.

This is why her life with the Bad Batch is what she needs.

Omega is not annoying for wanting stability with her family

When Omega joins her younger brothers, it provides Omega with a chance at stability with her own biological family.

We already know from some of Lama Su and Nala Se’s conversations that the Wrecker, Tech, and Hunter are considered products of some of Nala Se’s more recent experiments.

Again, we don’t know the scope of these experiments, but at the very least the Bad Batch were created in a shorter amount of time than the other clones. Omega also saw the creation of these younger brothers and became attached to them, even if they don’t quite remember her.

Omega identifies with them, in part because they are different from the other clones as she is, and in part because they seem to be part of the same unspecified experiment.

I’ve written before that Omega is possibly the donor or “mother” of the Bad Batch, in addition to being their older sister.

As a girl between 10 to 12 years old, she is undergoing change not just on a physical and emotional level as most children do, the entire galaxy is undergoing change.

Omega has been cast out of one negative life, into another negative world of turbulence and fast-incoming oppression. Any child would need stability. Omega is not wrong or annoying for wanting and needing stability. She’s literally just a kid who needs her family.

When Echo leaves in the Bad Batch episode Truth and Consequences, Omega is seeing her world upended again. Though Echo is a reg, he is one of her brothers and she loves him as much as the others.

Omega is desperately trying to hold on to her family in the whirlwind of upheaval in the galaxy around her.

Omega doesn’t understand that the clones created to be soldiers have been modified to compartmentalize upheavals and tragedies.

One of the most insightful reveals in the episode The Crossing, is Tech’s comments that he does feel for the loss of Echo. None of the brothers are emotionless regarding Echo’s leaving. It does bother them. But they have been trained and modified to carry on with change.

Omega has none of this compartmentalization, she sees the loss of Echo as her world becoming unmoored. It’s entirely normal for her to act out. This doesn’t make her annoying, it makes her human.

Omega is not annoying for being a flawed character with vices

Last year, I wrote a post comparing and contrasting Omega and her brother Boba Fett. In summary, whatever virtues are in Omega, have been shown in Boba Fett.

For example, Boba Fett was shown in one episode of the Clone Wars impulsively reacting to protect a girl. In later years, he has become fond of animals.

Boba was always a complex character, and much that is good about him was always there from the start. His impulse to protect others was there early on. The recent love of animals in his 40s was likely there as well, but was not allowed to flourish.

Omega has never had any push back from her family in regards to protecting animals. And so, Omega’s love for animals is allowed to flourish early on.

I had written at the time that Omega likely has some of the vices of her father Jango Fett and Boba too. That perhaps we’d finally see some of that in later episodes.

Thankfully, that time has come with season 2. While we aren’t seeing Omega be vengeful for any reason just yet (that might take a death to bring that out), we do see her anger coming out.

We learn in Truth and Consequences that Omega is angry about the destruction of Kamino. Despite her conflicted feelings towards her life there, Kamino was her home. It’s where all the clones originated and many still lived. The Kaminoan people lived there.

Omega is Kaminoan, and she feels justified anger at the loss of the world’s people. She may also believe that Nala Se, her mother figure died there.

However, at this point, Omega’s anger fits into the trope of righteous anger. What is more interesting is Omega’s growing obsession with riches and treasure.

This single-minded interest of Omega is shown at first in the 2 part season premiere. The old Serennian man reminds Omega to be a child and appreciate the simple beauty of a toy. But Omega’s initial response is to think of jewels.

And this singular preoccupation with money doesn’t end there. I’m glad it doesn’t. Because in two later episodes, Omega’s fixation with getting treasure comes back again. It also gets her in trouble, twice.

Boba Fett spent a large part of his life pursuing credits. He does this in part because it’s the only life he knows, taught to him by his father. However, I also think it may be a way for him to feel a sense of security. Boba loses his father at the age of 10. Aurra Sing betrays him.

Boba will go through a major part of his life, not being able to trust anyone to be his family, and filling his grief over his father with the brief adrenaline rush his bounties bring.

But while cash provides financial security, and a sort of tangible physical security, it does not provide emotional security.

I don’t think it’s an accident that Omega is becoming more obsessed with getting credits and treasure. Like Boba, she recognizes that it provides a form of security, but that is not the same kind of security that family provides. Omega is existing in a turbulent world, and I think the Fetts have a problem with treating money as a stand-in for the stability that family provides (though both forms of security are needed for emotional well-being).

There are finally some fans cottoning on to the fact Omega is developing a bit of a vice. Some find this to be, you guessed it — annoying. But it is much more interesting for Omega to be a complex girl with strengths and flaws, than a one dimensional virtuous sweet girl.

Omega is not annoying. She’s simply a girl in a changing world, learning how to adapt and change herself, with her own talents and her own foibles.

Feb

Lucasfilm licensors have released a multitude of The Mandalorian season 3 shirt styles this week. These designs all suggest several common themes for this season as a whole.

Some of this can be gleaned from the trailer, but these designs reinforce what we know about season 3 thus far, and also provide some new information. This new information appears to contradict previous internet rumors.

The Mandalorian Season 3 will feature Greef Karga again

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With this shirt above, we can see that Greef Karga and Din Djarin reunite. This isn’t new information, but both Trends International and Amazon on Demand have highlighted Greef of Karga as a focal point.

Greef Karga is clearly doing quite well as Nevarro’s High Magistrate. Trends International features a poster of Greef holding his little buddy, Grogu.

Greef Karga holds Grogu on Nevarro. Note the new robes.

Mandalorian Helmets, Helmets, and More Helmets

However, the overwhelming majority of the new Mandalorian season three shirts are about the Mandalorians themselves. These designs feature anywhere from 3 to 5 helmets of the series’ Mandalorian characters.

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What fascinates me is the choice of characters on these shirts. Obviously Din Djarin is on all of them. The next character is Bo-Katan Kryze. She clearly wasn’t happy to lose the Darksaber not only to Moff Gideon previously, but to Din Djarin in season 2.

She will be an antagonist for this season. She is a complicated person, and hasn’t been an enemy of Din so far. However, I haven’t trusted her since the Clone Wars. She wants the throne more than anything, and she hasn’t exactly made the best decisions over the years.

The next two characters to feature heavily on these shirts is the Armorer and Paz Vizsla. In shirts with 4 characters, these two feature alongside Din and Bo-Katan.

In fact, both the Armorer and Paz Vizsla have their own shirts this year. While it hasn’t been a first for the former, for Paz, this is an upgrade. He’s never been featured this prominently before.

My absolute favorite of these 4 helmet Mandalorian season 3 shirts is this one below.

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The colors on this particular shirt are just amazing. That’s all I have to say.

Is Koska Reeves returning to The Mandalorian Season 3 after all?

However, 3 and 4 helmet Mandalorian shirts aren’t all that we are getting. What stood out to me is that we have 5 helmet Mandalorian season 3 shirts. Guess who the fifth helmet is?

It’s Koska Reeves.

Now this is interesting because Sasha Banks told Bleacher Report that she was not going to be on season 3 this year. So what gives? Will the actress be replaced by a body double and never take off her mask? Did Banks film material for season 3 not knowing it wasn’t for season 2?

Since that article was in 2021, it is truly possible that something changed since then and she went back to film her character.

It’s also possible that shirt licensors simply wanted a fifth helmet, but usually there are standards of approved lines and characters to use.

[amazon_auto_links asin="B0BSR81KYH"]

I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough when The Mandalorian returns. The only thing that has disappointed me with this current crop of style designs is the lack of Boba Fett.

I’m not sure why he’d be kept hidden, but I truly wanted to see him in the trailer. Considering that Din Djarin is returning to Tatooine, I believe Boba Fett will be referenced. Boba wasn’t sure if he wanted the role of daimyo when we saw him last. He is a man still learning what he wants in life.

I can see the shirts excluding Boba Fett given his ambivalence towards Mandalorians. He makes no allegiances to creeds, even if he wears the armor and respects his father’s history. I am confident we shall see him. He is an interesting foil to Bo-katan Dryze.

Of course, I can’t forget to mention that yes, there are Grogu shirts. Amazon on Demand releases Grogu shirts quite often, so I don’t want to overrepresent him more than he already is. (Don’t get me wrong, I love him, and have a ton of Grogu swag, but he is easily found in merch).

The best Mandalorian season 3 Grogu shirt so far is this beauty:

[amazon_auto_links asin="B0BT4QX23N"]

So what will Mandalorian season 3 be about? It’ll be about what it means to be a Mandalorian. On a political level, spiritual level, and as a family. The Children of the Watch, the Nite-Owls, and even Boba Fett are different aspects of Mandalorianism. Neither one is wholly right, but different aspects of a whole culture.

Jan

Fans (including myself) often ask if Boba Fett will appear in the Bad Batch. Certainly, it’s a major wish for the show, and fake rumors (such as what we got a few weeks ago) like to include Boba Fett appearing in our favorite clone family show.

However, we can also ask the question if the Bad Batch themselves will appear in the Book of Fett. I contend that it is certainly possible. Unfortunately, I don’t think that it’s possible for all of the Bad Batch to make an appearance in BOBF.

I’ll explain which characters have the ability to appear in the Book of Boba Fett and why. And I’ll explain why the remaining Bad Batch characters cannot.

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Hunter, Wrecker, Tech, and Crosshair won’t appear in the Book of Boba Fett

First of all, it’s important to remember what year the first season of The Book of Boba Fett takes place. According to GamesRadar, the series takes place in 9 ABY. The Bad Batch takes place in 19 BBY. BBY means “Before the Battle of Yavin” which takes place in Star Wars: A New Hope. This means TBOF takes place 28 years after the start of The Bad Batch.

Now a quick review on clone aging. In the film Attack of the Clones, it is explained that Kaminoan clones take 10 years to reach the rough age of 20 when we see them. It’s worth noting that even so, the clones often look older than 20 something adults in the Clone Wars animated series.

These regular clones age at twice the rate of normal humans. A 13 year old clone at the end of the Clone Wars was about 26 in human years. This would put a “reg” in his 80s by the era of the Mandalorian and Book of Boba Fett.

Now Wrecker, Hunter, Teck and Crosshair are not regs. They age at a faster rate. I explained this in this blog.

Omega cannot be older than 10 or 11 in the first season of the Bad Batch. She is older than her brothers. She REMEMBERS them as small children, even if they don’t fully remember her.

Omega could not be younger than 4 years old when the Bad Batch was made. If she is currently 11, these 4 brothers are 7 or younger.

This means the Bad Batch age faster than regular clones.

Hunter from The Bad Batch season 2 episode 5 Entombed. He likely will be dead by The Book of Boba Fett

So why won’t most of the Bad Batch appear in BOBF?

As I explained about Nala Se’s experiment and above, the Bad Batch except for Echo and Omega age faster than the other clones.

We still don’t know the precise ages of Hunter, Echo, Crosshair, and Wrecker. However, none of the regs seem to know of them in the final season of the Clones Wars. They appear to be relatively new even to them. Omega in the first episode of the Bad Batch acts as if Hunter and his crew only just left.

It is possible they are only 4 or 5 years old. Which means they could be accelerating at 4 TIMES the rate of a human, not just twice.

If a reg like Echo will be in his relative 80s in the Book of Boba Fett, the rest of the currently adult Bad Batch would be well over a hundred. Mostly likely they will be dead of old age.

And that is assuming they would ever make it to old age in the first place. I’m wondering if they will die in battle before A New Hope.

Will any of the Bad Batch show up in Book of Boba Fett?

It is truly possible that at least two of them will. As I referenced earlier, Echo is a reg. He, along with other clones like Cody and Rex, will be very old men by 9 ABY. However, this doesn’t mean they can’t show up.

I find it far more likely that Omega, the only other clone without accelerated aging, will meet with her brother Alpha or Boba Fett in the show with his name.

Thematically, they are the Alpha and the Omega. They will be the two clones that survive the deaths of the others, and perhaps Omega will be alone at the very end.

However, I hope Omega will have a meaningful relationship with her remaining brother as the final legacies of their father Jango Fett.

The series the Bad Batch has been showing how much Omega has in common with her brother, from loving animals, to finding meaning with family. In this current season, we’ve even seen our first real negative traits of Omega. And they are her singlemindedness towards acquiring treasure. Boba goes through a large chunk of his life just collecting money from bounties.

It’s an empty life, but it provides a high for him for a while. In the Book of Boba Fett, he realizes the hollowness of that life, and his desire for family. I don’t think the Gotra is exactly what he needs, but he will find that family with Din Djarin (brotherhood) and in his sister Omega.

I don’t know yet if Boba Fett will appear in the Bad Batch. I certainly hope he does. I suspect if he shows up, it will be a disappointing experience for Omega.

But I hope Omega returns to his life in Book of Boba Fett.

Star Wars is about redemption and family, and Omega and Boba will meet as sister and brother, the Fetts united sometime during 9 ABY or after.

Jan

Star Wars: The Bad Batch’s third episode, The Solitary Clone, was a Crosshair episode, as I correctly speculated in my last blog. And what a fine episode it was!

And with this episode, I want to take the time to analyze Crosshair’s motivations and actions throughout the Bad Batch series thus far.

Is Crosshair Evil?

Simply put: no. Rather, he is the same kind of person as the rest of his siblings.. He is flawed, but not devoid of empathy. He deeply loves his brothers, even if he feels betrayed by them. After all, He didn’t kill them in the season finale of The Bad Batch season 1.

However, he is deeply afraid. And in the mythic world of Star Wars, it is fear that leads to the evils of the galaxy.

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Okay, so what does our Solitary Clone Fear?

Crosshair’s deepest fear is the fear of chaos from both the loss of control (autonomy) and loss of purpose. The entire series of the Bad Batch is about the choices and reactions of the galaxy towards the oppressive upheaval and change in the galaxy.

All of the Bad Batch siblings are trying to find purpose in a world they never truly understood, and which has only become more incomprehensible.

To Crosshair, order is a form of security gleaned from purpose itself. It has been this way in his brief life so far, and to him is symbolized by the power that points him at targets. To Crosshair, this is the power that provides stability.

Crosshair is not wrong to fear chaos. Most of us psychologically require stability, and most of us will actively seek it. Even Hunter in this season’s premier is desiring jobs to provide the necessary stability to raise a little (if chronologically older) sister.

Star Wars, Chaos, and Order

The eternal promise of the truly evil forces in Star Wars is to provide Order. Anakin Skywalker seeks order as a symbol of the chaos in his own heart, from his fears of loving his loved ones.

Again, seeking stability isn’t evil. It’s how one does it that becomes the problem. Oppression creates order, but it comes at the cost of the freedom and lives of others. It removes control people have over their own lives.

In The Princess and the Scoundrel, Mon Mothma begs Leia to have her wedding and honeymoon with Han Solo, to show the galaxy that stability has returned. People need stability, they just don’t need oppression to provide it. True stability comes from having the sense of control over one’s own life.

Crosshair’s Fear of Internal Chaos

In some ways, Crosshair fears the loss of purpose and meaning in his life without direction. He’s not unique in this fear, all the clones have it to some degree. The Solitary Clone has a scene in which “regs” discuss their fears of conscription. Conscriptions takes away their jobs and purpose.

In the Solitary Clone, we can see that the clone’s base on Coruscant has been moved further away from the capital, as well. They are visually being increasingly marginalized, and their numbers fewer. They will soon lack purpose and meaning in the new Empire.

All the clones face an uncertain future with no purpose in life or death. Crosshair clings to the Empire as a form of structure he can understand, but it leaves him alone and further marginalized even among the regs.

Why accept the structure of the Empire over the structure of his small family of brothers? This is a more complex question, and it involves both his chip, and to some degree, Crosshair’s fear of his lack of control over his own life.

Crosshair, Cody and Autonomy in the Solitary Clone

Crosshair’s fear of chaos is rooted in his knowledge that he has not been the author of his own decisions.

It is a terrible irony in the Solitary Clone, that Cody is filled with regret over decisions he believes he has made. We, the audience, know that Cody was under the power of the inhibitor chip. However, Cody doesn’t, and Crosshair doesn’t enlighten him either.

For whatever reason, these chips are beginning to have a waning influence. Cody goes AWOL by the episode’s end, signaling he has become a truly autonomous man.

Crosshair knows that he had a chip. Much of his most terrible actions earlier in season 1, were done under an enhanced chip.

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Crosshair is as afraid of having no control over himself as most of us would be.

It is not uncommon for people who have had control removed from their lives, to align with the oppressor or tell themselves they were fine with trauma and loss of autonomy they faced. This is a coping mechanism–to give oneself a sense of having had control over a situation they did not have control over.

This is why Crosshair aligns with the Empire, even with no chip. He doesn’t want to face the fact he was a victim that had no control of his actions. That terrifies him more than being separated from his brothers.

He would rather pretend he agreed with his own actions under the chip’s control, and continue to align with the Empire under this self-imposed pretense, than face the horrors of actions he had no control over.

Will Crosshair succumb to his fear of chaos?

I believe that Crosshair’s true loss of autonomy, and his understanding of it, further compounded his fear of chaos. Crosshair maintains a sense of control by telling himself he agreed with the actions of those over him.

Combined with his desire for externally derived purpose from authority, his insecurities have led him to cling to the very authority that has created the own chaos he fears in himself and in the world around him.

But such a coping mechanism has resulted in him being alone from his family.

Crosshair waits for Cody, image from Lucasfilm

With Commander Cody, we see a character that has realized his purpose cannot be derived from the comfort of an oppressive authority.

More importantly, Crosshair has seen it too.

I think it’s possible that Crosshair will find the courage to return to his siblings in episode 12, The Outpost. He has two paths: double down the path towards a sunk-cost fallacy, or realize he can find stability in his family, and find confidence in his own decisions.

Dec

A little while ago I covered one of the few plausible set of rumors regarding Star Wars the Bad Batch season 2. I think I can safely say that most of those rumors are not coming true. As I’ve said before, plausible doesn’t mean true. It does mean u/ambitiousmonkey was better at writing fake rumors than most.

But that doesn’t mean everything they stated won’t come true. After all, the reason they were plausible is because they are based on character motivations, personalities, and where they are likely to lead.

How do I know these rumors won’t happen, at least not all of them? Partly because Jennifer Corbett, the writer of The Bad Batch, told SFX Magazine that Boba and Omega will be on different paths at this time. Which is a not-too-subtle hint that they won’t meet this season.

However she also told SFX

“We definitely continue with learning about Omega’s background, and the reasons why she was with [cloners] Nala Se and Lama Su on Kamino,” head writer Jennifer Corbett teases. “

Jennifer Corbett for SFX Magazine

Now this is exciting! It looks like this season of Star Wars the Bad Batch will focus more on Omega. And I think Omega will revisit Nala Se at Mount Tantiss. I think we will learn Omega’s purpose.

But I think it’s best to go over news tidbits, speculation and rumors about Bad Batch season 2 through the episode list that Lucasfilm released for us. I’ll give my theories on what each episode could be about based on what we know from early reviewers, interviews, and my own speculation.

The Bad Batch Episode 2 parter Spoils of War and Ruins of War

To me, the most difficult episodes to theorize on are the first ones of the season. My theory is that the many clips we’ve seen of Omega and the Bad Batch escaping large crabs on a beach will be from the first two episodes.

Likely we will see some of the Imperial side of things, particularly Vice Admiral Rampart. From the trailer, we already know Cody is with Crosshair. According to a redditor, Cancalyx, Cody is in the first few episodes.

From the titles, we know that the aftermath of Kamino’s destruction will likely be known by some in the galaxy. Bail Organa, who will be in a later episode is definitely one of those people, though I don’t think he will be in this one.

This episode will establish where the Bad Batch clones are in their life. We see them with orange instead of red, Omega older (closer to 12 is my guess) and with longer hair.

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Episode 3: The Solitary Clone

I initially guessed that this could be either Boba or Crosshair. Since Corbett has shot down the idea of it being Boba Fett, I believe this episode is likely just about Crosshair.

Multiple reviewers have said that Crosshair has more story devoted to him this season. Some on reddit who have seen the first 14 episodes say he has episodes with none of the other Bad Batch clones. I think this may be his episode, or at least one of them. Strangely, on reddit, there are two competing leakers.

However, despite the conflicts between one Redditor and someone with images leaked on twitter (they don’t really spoil anything), there is a general story that works together. And I think it is safe to say the Solitary Clone is about Crosshair.

The Bad Batch episode 4 Faster

This is likely our first filler episode. In the trailer, Tech is shown piloting a very fast speeder through a tunnel. But most importantly, based on this tweet from Tessa Smith

https://twitter.com/MamasGeeky/status/1602442647896891393

We can deduce that “Faster” is the first standalone episode of Star Wars The Bad Batch for this season. At this point, Smith had only seen 4 episodes. If we know the first 2 are the pilot, and the Solitary Clone is about Crosshair, then Faster is the “filler”.

Personally, I’m not fond of the idea of standalone episodes as being “bad” or just “filler”. These episodes boost character stories, and I want to see Tech shine in this.

The Bad Batch episode 5 Entombed

My guess is that perhaps this episode is about Omega being in the caves with the clone-looking boys. However, that might not be the case. If this image leaker from Twitter (link via reddit) is to be believed, it may be about Omega and Echo.

If that is the case, it’s finally good to see Omega and Echo interact again. They both were experimented directly on by the Kaminoans. However, I am skeptical of this “leaker”, despite having some images. Even so, we know from the trailers that Echo and Omega will share time together.

Episode 6 of The Bad Batch is Tribe

I think this is the episode about the Jedi Padawan wookie Gungi. He is shown with other wookies, and this one of the original cancelled episodes of the Clone Wars. The Bad Batch is connecting the Clone Wars with the early Galactic Empire timeline, and this episode will wrap up some of the storylines about the other padawans.

Some fans have said they saw Petro in the trailer, but I couldn’t see him.

Episode 7 and 8 The Clone Conspiracy and Truth and Consequences

This will be the mid season two part episode, and almost certainly the episode featuring none other than Palpatine and Bail Organa.

I don’t know how Omega and the rest of the Bad Batch clones will be involved, but I suspect they must meet or protect Bail.

Omega watches Palpatine

I think Bail Organa knows what happened to Kamino. He would also want to reveal the truth of what happened. However Palpatine at this point is too powerful, and has likely constructed a fabricated story of clones conspiring against the Empire and/or with the Kaminoans.

The destruction of Kamino will be shown as a great win for the Empire. Since the latter point of this episode is named Truth and Consequences, I think this will further bring into focus the goals of the Bad Batch as a group.

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Episode 9: The Crossing

This episode I know the least about. If Entombed is about Echo and Omega being trapped together, then perhaps The Crossing is the episode featuring the clone-looking boys from the trailer. Otherwise, I don’t know.

Episode 10 of the Bad Batch: Retrieval

Now I do think it is possible that episodes 9 and 10 of the Bad Batch are part of the same arc. If that’s the case, the mission our favorite clones are embarking on involve crossing something, and retrieving what ever is on the other side.

Episode 11: Metamorphosis

This has the most intriguing title of the episodes. I’m wondering if this is the episode where we see the Zillo beast from the trailer. Emperor Palpatine did wish to clone a Zillo beast. This title could indicate a change for the characters as well.

It’s been said several times that Cody will make a major decision, and also that Echo will as well.

I suspect that Echo will leave the rest of the Bad Batch clones. In which event, this may be the further start of the evolution of the Bad Batch. I’ve said before that eventually Omega will be the last clone standing alongside her brother Boba Fett, the Alpha. Perhaps characters leave and/or die until only Omega remains.

The 12th episode of the Star Wars the Bad Batch is The Outpost

Again, from what Redditor CanCalyx has said, the twelth episode of Star Wars: The Bad Batch is an unforgettable one.

If he is to be believed, then this episode may feature much of the weird cloning we saw from the abandoned Kaminoan facilities in season 1.

In fact, many of the reviewers have said that standalone episodes are few, and that would mean Faster is the only one that is not entirely part of the serialized story.

I am wondering if part of the main story is the Bad Batch clones slowly making their way to Mount Tantiss, as Crosshair and Cody made several key decisions impacting the overall story.

Episode 13th is just called Pabu

Of all the episodes of Star Wars the Bad Batch, this one hits a blank for me. Not even a guess. Not a clue. What is Pabu? A person? A planet? A town? No idea.

Tipping Point is episode 14

For the fourteenth episode of Star Wars the Bad Batch season 2, we get the tantalizing title of Tipping Point. I suspect this might be the episode where some of the major decisions for the rest of the series are made. I think this might even be the other Crosshair episode.

It may be that Crosshair decides to finally leave the Empire.

I’m also thinking of that one Twitter poster that claims Omega will finally reunite with the Kaminoans. And that Omega will confront Nala Se. In those tweets, the claim is that Crosshair will go to Mount Tantiss.

This makes me wonder if something Crosshair does makes Rampart or another Imperial send him to Nala Se for another chip. This will lead into the season finale of Star Wars the Bad Batch.

The Finale of The Bad Batch– The Summit and Plan 99

Now we come upon the finale of Star Wars The Bad Batch. Many fans have surmised that the Summit refers to Mount Tantiss. I agree. Plan 99 obviously involves the Bad Batch clones of course.

Now what IS the plan?

Maybe it’s to save Crosshair. Maybe it’s to save Nala Se who certainly does not wish to be there. Maybe it’s to save any clone there.

So far, we’ve learned from the SFX article posted at the head of this post that Omega will rebel against her “dads” more. We’ve also been told their family dynamics will be explored more. I am DEFINITELY wondering if we will finally get the answer to a theory I love: that Omega is the mother of the Bad Batch

And finally, I also wonder if we’ll get more about Nala Se’s work with clones. If you do the math, the Bad Batch clones are younger than previous clones. I’ve also written about what I think Nala Se’s experiment is and why they are REALLY named Project 99.

I certainly look forward to enjoying this second season of Star Wars the Bad Batch, and can’t wait to see how they evolve.

Nov

Normally, I don’t put too much stock in Reddit rumors, but a post of The Bad Batch Season 2 rumors from two weeks ago has intrigued me.

This one is by user u/AmbitiousMonkey2 and it’s easy to dismiss it as most rumors that get put on the Star Wars Leaks subreddit. But…unlike most fake reddit rumors, this one doesn’t sound like the fan service. It has returning characters, but ones you forgot about. It has meetings you (and me!) definitely want, but more complex than what’s expected by some.

In short, these rumors are worth a look, and I will break them down. If nothing else, it’s a more interesting and believable fan created rumor than the norm.

Rumors supplied from AmbitiousMonkey2 via reddit

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TBB season 2 will show us what Nala Se is up to

According to our Redditor:

Nale Se works on early Snoke-like cloning experiments, they have dead and captured Jedi at the facility. They are also testing experiments on civilians. Howzer and his men are also sent as prisoners to this facility, possibly to be experimented upon too. Nale Se discretely tries to protect Howzer and his men. There is also tension between the scientists and what are assumed to be Sith Cultists sent by Palpatine to oversee the Force Sensitive experiments, and one of the scientists is also a female Chiss posing as a human, Nale se susses it out fairly quickly as she realizes the Chiss is attempting to Sabotage the experiments. Nothing more on that, but a lot of politics taking place in the facility itself.

AmbitiousMonkey2

Now I’ve talked at length about Nala Se’s experiments in what is likely increased age acceleration. It seems this rumor combines what we know about Mount Tantiss being the site of Spaarti clones, with rumors of Jedi experimentation.

A Chiss posing as a human is certainly pretty wild, but I take it this will be related in the future to Thrawn. The Sith Cultists are the most intriguing aspect, and I can see it. This likely precedes what work Palpatine will do on Exegol. Palpatine can’t oversee everything directly himself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QA4q82CA2xg

There is nothing here unbelievable, and it gives a way for Howzer to be in the story again that makes sense considering his actions in season 1 of the Bad Batch.

We know from The Mandalorian that cloning scientists are still active after Return of the Jedi. We see Dr. Pershing, after all, who is conducting experiments with those odd Snoke-like figures and Grogu.

But I wonder if a schism is formed and the Sith Cultists break off to go to Exegol, while the others remain. At any rate, I think this rumor for The Bad Batch season 2 has high plausibility for what we know so far.

Omega has a crush on Katooni

The next Bad Batch season 2 rumor has a return of the padawans from one of the Clone Wars arcs. Namely Gungi, Petro, Katooni, and others. We already know Gungi is returning from the trailer for The Bad Batch season 2 released a few months ago.

Gungi, Katooni, Petro etc are hiding out with Tera Sinube on Kashyyk with Gungi’s wookie family. Cid sends the Batch here. They know the Wookies and their scrapped Clone Wars arc on the planet is referenced and made fully canon. The Empire hires the Trandoshans as a mercenary force to round up Wookies for slave labour. The Batch and the Wookies and Padawans and Tera defeat the Trandoshans. Gungi stays with his family. Petro, Katooni and the others leave with Tera, its hinted they may appear in the second half of the season, as we know Tera eventually dies. Something else, Petro tries to impress Omega, but Omega swings the same way as her brothers. She has a crush on Katooni.

AmbitiousMonkey2

Obviously, the big reveal here is Omega having her first love interest! And it’s none other than Katooni, the Tholothian Jedi Padawan. This is why I’m taking this rumor a little more seriously than most.

Omega’s crush isn’t an obvious, more well-known character like Hera Syndulla. She’s Katooni, a character many of us haven’t thought much about at all. And honestly, this seems like something LF animation would do.

And while there has been much grousing on Twitter about Omega “not needing a love interest”. It’s important to remember that this series is a coming of age for Omega, and it’s normal for a tween her age to have a crush.

The Bad Batch season 2 introducing a short-lived crush for Omega, is in keeping with such stories.

Katooni from The Clone Wars

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The Bad Batch Season 2 finally has Omega and Boba Fett meet

This is what I’ve wanted the most for either Book of Boba Fett and The Bad Batch, and I’ve been skeptical of wild rumors that they meet in either series. Why? Because it’s what I want.

But at the same time, the characters are called Alpha and Omega for a reason, and they are destined to meet. It’s been fateful and large and looming. Like Luke and Leia, the Force sensitive twins, or Ben Solo and Rey the prophesized Dyad.

And how Boba and Omega’s meeting is described:

Omega and Boba meet! finally. Episode 6,7 and 8 are dedicated to this Coruscant arc. The Batch are laying low with the Martez sisters and Rex. Hiding in your enemies backyard. These eps are where Cody is reintroduced, so we see events from the underworld from Boba and Omega’s perspective and up above with Crosshair’s and Cody’s. Boba will tell Omega about Jango and he isn’t particularly friendly to her for most the arc i’m told. He’s on a job and Omega tags along much to his annoyance. This will lead them to the upper levels of Coruscant.

AmbitiousMonkey2

This is a more realistic meeting. Boba Fett isn’t overjoyed with meeting her. And this makes sense, given his increasing pessimism and ambivalence with his clone siblings in the Clone Wars.

We know that Boba Fett is a better man than he thinks he is. He wants to protect others, but he believes he must be the hard bounty hunter his father Jango was. He also doesn’t want to be hurt again.

This rumor seems like an accurate portrayal of both Omega and Boba as they are in the timeline. It also explains how Omega will get to the view of the Emperor we saw in the trailer. Omega is going to be fascinated by her older brother, that is closest to her in creation, and follow him.

Remember that when all other clones die, Boba and Omega will remain. The Bad Batch season 2 is just their initial meeting.

The ultimate Bad Batch Season 2 rumor

I’ll just set down the quote.

Something that is bound to piss off a lot of babies in this arc is the flat out implication that Rafa Martez and Rex have a mutual fling going on. The Batch will tease Rex over it, much to his embarrassment. Its all very brotherly banter, told Jennifer Corbett wrote this arc.

Ambitiousmonkey2

And here is one of the biggest reasons I have not dismissed these rumors out of hand. If Star Wars the Bad Batch wanted to be dudebro fan service (which is most of Star Wars reddit leaks), they would give Rex no love interest, much less a character dudebros hate.

I don’t know why the Martez sisters generate so much animosity. They are fine, if less memorable, characters. Rex having a bit of a crush on Rafa, a woman he’s worked with off and on, makes sense.

People in Star Wars can have love interests, the clones are not immune to romance. Rex can have a relationship. Omega can have a first puppy crush. Let the clones have some fun! They worked hard enough!

Frankly, if these rumors are true, this sounds like a delightful arc, with Rex having to deal with all his brothers teasing him.

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Remaining Bad Batch rumors

I find these to be the most dubious, but again, I can’t dismiss them. I’m doubtful because it seems like too many established characters for The Bad Batch season 2, but this series is a bridge between others, so maybe?

That’s the mild juicy details for the first half, for the second half, I don’t have as much plot info for the second, bar major characters appearing which include Bo-Katan, Ahsoka, Wolffe, Gregor, Maul, The Pykes, Roland, Cad Bane, Fennec, and the rest of Delta Squad are all set to return. Gideon is also set to make his animated debut in relation to the Bo-Katan episodes, cementing their antagonistic history together. Krennic will also appear, they’re not sure who is voicing him, but i’m told Giancarlo still voices Gideon. I’m told there is no Vader this season in relation to those two. Thrawn is planned to make an appearance in Season 3, I assume the female Chiss may be working on his orders.

AmbitiousMonkey2

I can see Gregor, Wolffe, the Pykes, and Roland returning. I’m not sure how or why Cad Bane or Fennec would need to return, or what the context is. Perhaps Boba Fett wasn’t the only bounty hunter with the Coruscant job?

I can’t really see Krennic in this, but again, our rumors are for early episodes only. Gideon and Bo-Katan is certainly interesting, and it fuels the theory that anything needing backstory in the Mandalorian is handled in The Bad Batch.

Overall, I find these to be the most plausible rumors I’ve come across on the Bad Batch Season 2. If these are as fake as most, I have to hand it to AmbitiousMonkey2 for writing a more genuinely grounded and sensible fake leak.

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