Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 3 is underway almost halfway through. The third season is also the final one, premiered on February 21, 2024, and is set to conclude on May 1, 2024. It is slated to culminate the mutant clones' journey in the larger franchise timeline.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch bridges the gap in the timeline of Star Wars stories between the Clone Wars and the rise of the Imperial. The series would achieve its purpose once the decommissioning of Clones and the use of Storm Troopers is explained in season 3. The characters do not exist in the sequel stories of the later Star Wars timeline and this concluding season will seal their fates.
For the newly indicted fans of the show, Star Wars: The Bad Batch presents the story of a squad of clone troopers who have a genetic mutation that helps them resist Emperor Palpatine’s murderous initiative. While Palpatine destroyed the Jedi Order with his mass murder, the Clone Force 99 members became fugitives on mercenary missions. As a female clone, named Omega, joined the squad, the rest started on a mission to protect her as well as survive themselves.
Why is Star Wars: The Bad Batch winding up with season 3?
While other series have covered the many gaps in the Star Wars franchise, Star Wars: The Bad Batch focuses on the beginning of the Empire. It tells the story of the time when Palpatine declared himself as the Emperor at the end of the Clone Wars.
The series presents how the Imperial Storm Troopers took over the franchise’s task force from the Republic’s Clone Troopers. It gives a clear picture of the Bad Batch clones trying to fight the growing menace of Palpatine in a desperate attempt to survive.
With none of the Bad Batch members playing any role in the Star Wars events placed later in the timeline, Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 3 can conclude the journey of the Bad Batch clones. It will complete Omega's story arc and may end up with a tragic story for many of the characters.
However, the series has to give a definitive answer to how the Storm Troopers replaced the Clones and what happened to Clone Force 99 in this changing galaxy after they were decommissioned. The series on Omega and her group of mutated clones may have no role to play in the galaxy of the original trilogy.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch is different from other Star Wars series
As mentioned before, the series tells the story of the batch of mutated clones in three seasons giving the storyline a definitive start and end, bridging a gap in the Star Wars timeline. This is unlike other spinoffs like Ahsoka, where the story can continue for many more seasons without crossing over to the original trilogy. The same is the case with The Book of Boba Fett and The Mandalorian.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch is also different from Andor. The latter tells Cassian Andor’s story and fans know what happened to him. However, what happened to the Bad Batch clones is not known yet and the change in the administration is both a revelation and a long-awaited explanation.
On the other hand, Star Wars: The Bad Batch continues with a similarity with the franchise by presenting its story in three seasons as was done with the original trilogy.
Is this the end of Clone Force 99 in the Star Wars timeline?
Star Wars: The Bad Batch is coming to an end with the finale of season 3. The story is set to explain the change in the galaxy from Clone Wars to Palpatine’s Imperial powers. However, Star Wars comics and books may continue with many of the characters from the series.
For one, Omega ages at a different rate than other clones and may show up in some story in the future timeline. Moreover, just as Rex and Wolffe covered two storylines, Star Wars Rebels and The Bad Batch, Omega and Clone Force 99 may show up canon in some other storyline. Their knowledge about the Empire’s experiments with clones may be of immense importance to the New Republic era.
While the series is definitely coming to an end with the season finale, continue watching Star Wars: The Bad Batch on Disney+ on Wednesdays.